English: The Evolution of the World’s Lingua Franca
27 July 2021
English is a lingua franca (bridging language) that enables people all over the world to connect personally and professionally. In the first article in this two-part series about the evolution of English over time, we explored the origins of English, from Old English in the 5th century to the post-Industrial Revolution world of the 20th century, when the social and cultural influence of English received a new boost from the United States becoming a global superpower.
In the second and final part of this series, we consider how technology, social media and future generations may influence the way that the English language continues to evolve.