Why does English dominate the world?

In 2017, the world population was estimated at 7.55 billion human beings. Of these 7.5 billion, there are 1.5 billion English speakers, ie 372 million mother tongue, 611 million second language and 600 million foreign language. These figures place English well ahead of its other competitors, namely Mandarin (just over a billion speakers), Spanish (577 million), Arabic (538 million), Hindi (381 million) and finally, in 6th place, the French (291 million). The popularity of exams like the TOEIC and sites like GlobalExam attests to this.

Certainly, the English language dominates the world, but have you ever wondered why? Why English rather than Spanish, French or Portuguese, which were nevertheless the great colonial powers of the past?

Let's dive into the history of languages and find out where this English linguistic hegemony comes from…

A little history

The 16th century is that of the great discoveries. “From the four corners of Europe, gigantic sailing ships set out to conquer the New World. On board these ships are men eager for dreams, adventure and space, in search of fortune" (if you recognize these few lines, it means that, like us, you were rocked in your childhood by the Mysterious Cities of Gold, emblematic cartoon of the 80s!).

England, being one of the great powers, also decided to discover the world and then extended its empire. Composed of dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories governed or administered by the United Kingdom, the British Empire also has trading posts all over the world.

Why does English still dominate the world today?

More than 500 years after the beginnings of the British Empire, English retains its place as a world leader.

It should be remembered that the objective of this colonial expansion was above all to do business, not necessarily to settle, which is why in Africa and Asia English has never really imposed itself.

English was the language of administration, education, business, but not of the people. This was also confirmed when the said colonies emancipated themselves from British tutelage (notably in India) and naturally returned to their language of origin. However, these former colonies are still multilingual today and it is therefore possible to make yourself understood in English, without any problem, in Hong Kong or New Delhi.

However, it is well known in the field of language learning that accommodation with a host family is the best linguistic tool for learning a given language, more particularly English, which is considered to be the most widely spoken language. most answered in the world.

English language stays allow your child to:

• Live and learn English from their English host family;
• Thrive in a secure environment;
• Practice English on a daily basis thanks to the many activities offered as well as English lessons;
• Improve understanding and pronunciation through total immersion in English;
• Discover English culture.

The strengths of English language stays are:

• English-speaking host families are with children without exception, which facilitates rapid integration and allows your child to gain self-confidence by speaking up and expressing himself in English spontaneously;
• The selection of said families is done in a rigorous manner;
• Effective English lessons.

The English language tool in a host family generally combines language lessons and activities during the day, organized and supervised by the team of teachers and monitors in the country. The linguistic tool in total immersion is 100% in the family, without language lessons or group activities and without any contact with other French speakers or people whose mother tongue is not the language of the chosen country.

This English language tool allows children to integrate into an English host family in Ireland by sharing their daily life and communicating only in the language of the country. It is a unique opportunity to discover the way of life, the food, the culture of this country and to practice the language informally, in a friendly atmosphere.

By choosing an English-speaking host family based in Ireland, your child will feel comfortable and gain confidence. With this linguistic tool, you will give your child the opportunity to be in total English immersion, the advantage of which is to learn English quickly.

Discover English-speaking host families in Ireland with HEBE Adventures

At HEBE Adventures, we aim to give parents that peace of mind to choose a safe and efficient accommodation intermediary, so they no longer have to worry about where your child is going or what kind of family they will be living with. with. Hebe is at the service of young travelers around the world to help them find a host home away from home, so that they can exercise the most effective language tool in the world in terms of learning English, namely a continuous daily communication within an English-speaking host family.

The reputation of HEBE Adventures in the field of English-speaking family accommodation is that it offers parents a unique service package for their child, providing them with continuous assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, coordination with host families who are attentive to their needs as well as an intuitive review system within the Hébé family accommodation platform.

Hebe's objective is to optimize the conditions for learning English through complete linguistic immersion with English-speaking host families. Most of our Irish families are willing to help you arrange an English lesson or find an English teacher, saving you the high cost of a residential course.

HEBE Adventures makes it easy for you to find a host family that meets your needs, your tastes and your expectations, as well as those of your children or teenagers.

Finally, through an intuitive opinion system, parents can first rely on the experience of a large number of children and parents from different countries in various English-speaking families, in order to be able to have an objective, informed opinion. and reliable on the world's most powerful homestay language tool, which aims to accelerate your child's English learning.

So what are you waiting for to find the perfect host family for your son or daughter? Join us now.