Historians and linguists believe that human civilization began to feel the need for a universal language immediately after countries began to come into contact with each other. Scientists and priests had to exchange knowledge, argue on the most important topics and draw conclusions on the same speech so that they could understand each other. Over the centuries, humanity has become necessary to trade around the world and rapidly change information and knowledge with people from another part of the world.
Dominance of Latin
For hundreds of years, the need for a universal language was satisfied by Latin , in this language documents were created, books were written and heads of state communicated. World-famous books were also printed in Latin, for example, the legendary work of Thomas More "Utopia". Only the most educated people of the seventeenth century could read this book and discuss it, arguing about religion and the universe.
Historians say that Latin was the main language of the civilized world for almost 13 centuries. Christian services were held in Latin, religious writings were compiled and debates of priests took place, it was Latin that was used by scientists and researchers of the Renaissance in Europe.
Emergence and development of national cultures
The culture of European states after the Dark Ages began to revive and develop, which was the reason for the departure of Latin as an international language into the past. Residents of countries that communicated in their native languages and dialects increasingly began to ask churchmen to conduct sermons not in Latin, but in the language of their country. Scientists began to translate significant religious books (for example, the Bible) into different languages: English, German and others.
The kings of Europe began to take care that the language of their state was spoken by the entire population. The power of state speech was strengthened, language norms appeared, and the inhabitants of the countries began to understand all their compatriots. Merchants, teachers, doctors, priests and politicians began to speak the same language, strengthening its power. People who used their speech especially well began to prescribe its rules of grammar, spelling and punctuation.
English language output to the rest of the world
English rulers and scholars decided that their language, in which priests, politicians and professors communicated, should spread beyond their state - they demanded that the inhabitants of all the islands of Britain accept the language and recognize themselves as part of one big nation.
Later, the influence of English speech spread beyond the islands: English soldiers, colonizers, sailors and travelers traveled around the world, staying there to live, capturing and subjugating entire states. The replacement of Latin was both imposed by force and spread peacefully: through books, dictionaries and scriptures, through trade and cooperation, missionary work. The English crown became the most influential in the world, and the British Empire received the status of Queen of the Seas and the main colonial country - the English language began to be used around the world, except for those territories that remained independent or were subordinate to other large empires in the face of Spain, Portugal or France.
The Twentieth Century and the Legacy of the British Empire
The last century was one of the busiest of all time: two world wars, the rise and fall of the radical ideologies of Nazism and fascism, the emergence and disappearance of socialism, the collapse of colonial empires ... At the same time, national treasures in the form of language and literature became matters of pride.
After the First World War, the countries seriously thought about the fact that the world needed the concept of international cooperation, which turned into the creation of the League of Nations. After the Second World War, a new international organization appeared – the UN. For the communication of countries between each other, a universal language was required, because un meetings were dialogues of one translator with others. Linguists began to develop international universal languages in which representatives of countries could communicate. The most popular artificial language was Esperanto, but politicians refused to learn it.
Over time, English, spoken by half the world thanks to Britain's colonialism, has increasingly been used in dialogues between businessmen, artists and politicians from different countries. The growing influence of the United States of America on the world, coupled with the legacy of the British Empire, has forced the entire planet to use English or its variations to communicate internationally.
Even in the national languages of almost all countries, Anglicisms are making their way, words from the English language interfere with others, and whole dialects appear in which television programs are broadcast, communicated on the streets and even subtitles for famous films are created. Moreover, even local events in a country where English is not the state language are often held in it. For example, a few years ago, a scientific conference was held in Germany , the members of which were only scientists from Germany. However, they spoke at the event not in German, but in English.
