This is why it’s nonsense for boozy EU boss Jean-Claude Juncker to say language of Shakespeare is ‘losing importance’
Like a scurvy politician...seem to see the things thou dost not (WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, King Lear, Act IV, Scene vi)
BOOZY EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker this week claimed the English language was losing “importance” post-Brexit.
The “scurvy politician” – in the words of Shakespeare – has forgotten more than a billion people speak English across the globe and the number’s growing. BEN GRIFFITHS shows how powerful the language is.
Business
AN incredible 1.75billion businessmen and women learn at least basic English to communicate with international clients.
Companies including phone maker Nokia in Finland and electronics giant Samsung in South Korea insist staff speak English at work.
It pays off in Switzerland, where those who speak English earn 18 per cent more than those who don’t.
Aviation
SPEAKING basic English is now compulsory for pilots and air-traffic controllers.
The rule was introduced in 2008 after a series of crashes caused by communication issues.
These included a 1990 flight from Colombia to New York which left 73 dead after pilots could not make clear to air-traffic controllers that they were running out of fuel.
Literature
OUR great writers such as Charles Dickens and the Bronte sisters have entertained billions across the globe.
Shakespeare is taught in schools in 120 countries, while Dickens’ A Tale Of Two Cities is the second biggest-selling book of all time globally.
JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book is No5 in the all-time best-sellers top ten.
Tourism
ENGLISH is the first language of three of the most travelled nations – the UK, US and Australia.
The rest rely on it to help them get around when abroad.
As one travel website puts it: “It doesn’t matter whether you are a manager or a housekeeper, you will not only be expected to have a passive understanding of English but also confidence using it.”
Music & Television
EVEN Mr Juncker would struggle to escape the English language – every Eurovision Song Contest winner since 2008 has sung in English, while British and US bands dominate the mainstream.
As for telly, the French love Downton Abbey and more exotic countries such as Guatemala have at least a dozen English-speaking channels.