Connecting People, Cultures, and Countries Through English Language

POSTED BY HEIDI HOWLAND

"English language is a critical component to creating a stronger and more peaceful world." Do you agree? Read the article. At the end of the article, write your comments!

I don’t remember much about my French class. I know I had to memorize vocabulary lists and conjugate verbs, but few of those words remain in my memory today.

I do, however, remember how to order a strawberry crepe, how to ask for directions to the National Museum of Fine Arts, and how to explain the location of my high school. Why did I retain this French more than anything else? It was a trip to Quebec City, where I met new people, shared culture, got lost, and found my way. In navigating the city, I did so with the help of other people.

Without a human connection, language has less meaning and purpose. From my trip, I remember not only certain sentences in French, but I remember the people who listened as I bungled my way through finding the correct words, who gestured when I couldn’t understand, and who laughed with me as I mispronounced fraise ten times in a row.

With a human connection, learning a language becomes more than a tool; it becomes a space to build bridges between people, cultures, and countries; it becomes a realm where we can transform the world.

Since 2010, the United Nations has officially recognized the importance of English, with UN English Language Day observed each year on April 23rd. As English becomes the modern day lingua franca, learning English impacts not only individuals and societies but also the world. Current estimates indicate that about one billion people are learning English, with the number to double to two billion by 2020. “It's just amazing the way we can communicate with one language,” one English language learner states. Indeed, with English -- the common language for travel, commerce, and technology -- opportunities for meaningful discussions, cultural understanding, and positive connections abound. 

English language is a critical component to creating a stronger and more peaceful world. As individuals connect and communicate through this shared language, relationships are built, biases debunked, and differences of opinion more deeply discussed. “I've dramatically expanded my perspectives to the world,” writes an English language learner. Individuals learn English, learn through English, and learn with English. We learn through the interactions with one another using this shared language. We learn about other places, ideas, cultures as we communicate with this shared language. And with the human connection, we learn more about the language itself. The effects of meaningful individual relationships formed via English ripple through communities, societies, and nations. “If we know English, we get a new world.”

This is the reason the U.S. Department of State’s Office of English Language Programs works to increase access to English language learning and teaching materials to people around the world. Within our Facebook community alone, we’ve reached over 1 million people. This UN English Language Day, join us on Facebook and Twitter as we celebrate the human connections and communities formed using English at #WeLoveAE. 

About the Author: Heidi Howland serves as a Senior Program Officer in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' Office of English Language Programs.