History of the English language

The use of English language

The decision to adopt the English language as Singapore’s lingua franca back in 1965 was the right decision. Being a small nation state means that Singapore’s future is strongly linked towards that of the global economy. The ability to communicate with the rest of the world therefore, becomes absolutely crucial.

Although English has had a relatively short history compared to other languages, it is today, the world’s most widely spoken language. The United Nations lists six major working languages, namely, English, French, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin and Arabic. Of these languages, English is by far the most widely spoken language. This is due to the fact that English exists as the language of international business, science and modern innovation. From being the original language of the English rebels who were fighting against France, much knowledge today is expressed in English, and it has become widely accepted that to advance in the field of science and research, one has to be fluent in English.

English exists today