April 23rd is reserved as the annual global observance of the United Nations English Language Day. This day was specifically established as English language day by the UN Department of Global Communications in the year 2010, to inculcate multilingualism and cultural diversity. The date ‘April 23rd’ was chosen as a tribute to the most famous playwright of the English language, William Shakespeare, which is believed to be both his birthday and death anniversary. This day is usually celebrated by organizing entertaining activities like quizzes, language games, book readings, recitations…etc.

What is the importance of English? The English language is a global language that is spoken by over 1.75 billion people around the world. That is around one out of four people worldwide. Due to its widespread usage to perpetuate international relations, English has come to be known as the ‘world language’ or the lingua franca (bridge language that is used by speakers of various mother tongues to communicate). So, learning English can help you meet new people and explore many other cultures. Good knowledge of English will allow you to access endless books, movies, and literature from all around the globe allowing you to access multiple cultures of hundreds of countries. It will allow you to gain endless knowledge from all around the world. It will also help you grow as a person, rich in values, habits, and habitats in different cultures.

Not to mention the thousands of opportunities unlocked in the academic sector. With fluency in English, not only you could be classy but also you could study in any part of the world. Knowing English improves the quality of life. There are thousands of colleges and universities that offer courses in English. If it is your dream to study overseas, and if you are well versed in the English language, an unlimited number of golden opportunities are waiting for you out in the world. Most of the world’s most prestigious universities are in English-speaking countries like the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Having good knowledge of English is of utter importance to those who are working in the scientific field since most scientific papers are written in English.  Within the last century, the number of scientific papers written in the native language of the researcher is lesser than the scientific papers written in English. For example, the ratio of scientific papers written in English to the ones written in a native language is over 40 to 1. Since, English is the language of technology, science, medicine, aviation, diplomacy, tourism, and many other fields, it will increase your chances of finding employment in any part of the world. It will also open the doors to innumerable career opportunities both locally and overseas.

Being people living in the 21st century, the Internet has become an essential part of our lives. It is fair to say that English is the language of the internet. More than half the content online is in the English language. Not to mention that most of the world’s largest tech companies are based in English-speaking countries. It is also the language of the Media industry. With the influence of Hollywood, the largest film industry in the world in global media, a massive number of entertainment materials are created in English. If you are an English speaker, you can enjoy all your favourite books, songs, movies, and TV shows without any barriers, or without relying on translations and subtitles.

English is utterly important in the business world. Even the entrepreneurs could take their business to the international level. Moreover, English, the ‘de facto language’, (a language that is spoken by the majority of the people in a particular country) makes it one of the most important business languages, which is spoken in the business centres of the world like the United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada, and South Africa.

When considering the state of English literacy of the Sri Lankan community, only 15% of the Sri Lankans speak English. Additionally, the English-speaking ability of urban residents is higher than that of rural residents. The haphazard education system in Sri Lanka is the main cause of this. English education in Sri Lanka dates all the way back to British rule, in 1796. Since then, it has become one of the three official languages of Sri Lanka: Sinhala, Tamil, and English. Today, English is being taught as a compulsory subject at the primary and secondary levels in government schools in Sri Lanka. Mostly higher studies in the science and management streams of the state universities and all the courses in the private universities are conducted in English medium. Merely learning the English language as a subject is not sufficient to be well versed in the language. Children should be given the environment to use the language practically. A lot of interest has been shown regarding the medium of instruction in schools, in the recent past. Several scholars have stressed that exposing children during the language acquisition age (from birth to age 5) to English language usage can be more effective. A child with fluent knowledge of English is more likely to go a long way both academic and career-wise. So, more attention should be paid by the policymakers of Sri Lanka to making learning English compulsory for all the children.

The best example is our neighbour India. In India, it is compulsory for every child to learn three languages; mother tongue (there are 121 different languages spoken in India), national language (Hindi), and an international language (English). This language policy has benefitted millions of Indians who are employed abroad and some of them are CEOs of very prestigious international companies like Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google. Also, another great example of a person who gained international recognition by surpassing the geographical barrier with the English language proficiency, is Hiran Abeysekera, the Sri Lankan actor who recently won the best actor for the stage adaptation of Life of Pi at the Olivier Awards 2022.

English is the language in the globalised world. Thus, it has become a ‘universal language’ that must be learned. English is the language of modernity and technology (computers, mobile phones, iPhones…etc).  English has become an essential part of our day-to-day life, no matter which part of the world we live in. English language skills have become one of the most compulsory competencies of a person in an educated society. It opens the gates to an uncountable number of chances that are waiting for every Sri Lankan. Therefore, it is inevitable that a good command of English is essential to break language barriers and conquer the world. ‘English language’, is the wings that allow you to dive right into a world full of infinite opportunities and brand-new chances.

Written by:

Malki Epasinghe

Department of Linguistics

Faculty of Humanities