Chapter One: A World Language “The Story of the Ugly Duckling” http://access.cappelendamm.no

The unlikely growth of English In 1500 only 5 million people spoke English Latin was the international language English was of little use outside of England Today English is spoken worldwide http://access.cappelendamm.no

The British Empire 1500–1920 English follows the rise of England (Great Britain from 1707) in the world English replaced Celtic languages in Britain The British Empire spreads English among it subjects By 1920, 410 million people under British rule (Map: The 13 original English colonies in North America) http://access.cappelen.no

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American Expansion 1776 – 1910 The United States gains independence from England The USA spreads west across North America Immigrants become English-speaking citizens By 1910 the US is by far the largest English-speaking nation http://access.cappelen.no

The Anglo-American Alliance A victorious alliance in the 20th century As Britain weakened, America strengthened English becomes even more influential “Globalization” marks the birth of International English http://access.cappelen.no

The Future of English Will it remain dominant? Will it divide into separate languages? Will second-language-speakers change it? Will it remain “Fit for fight?” http://access.cappelen.no