Why Is World Englishes Important?

1. English is the Language of International Communication. Although English is not the most spoken language in the world, it is the official language in 53 countries and is spoken as a first language by around 400 million people worldwide. But that's not all, it is also the most common second language in the world.

What is the importance of World Englishes?

With 2 billion speakers worldwide, English is the largest language by the number of speakers. It is also the third largest language by the number of native speakers. As the most common language, English has the power of connecting people from many different cultures, building relationships and understanding.

What did you learn about World Englishes?

The study of World Englishes consists of identifying varieties of English used in diverse sociolinguistic contexts globally and analyzing how sociolinguistic histories, multicultural backgrounds and contexts of function influence the use of English in different regions of the world.