English has gained status as a world language. About 1/3 of the world's population has English as its mother tongue. 75% of the world's mail is in English. English is the official language or is widely used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, United Arab Ernirates, Canada, the United States, Panama, Surinam, South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya. English is the language that is most often studied as a foreign language in the European Union (by 89% of schoolchildren), followed by French (32%), German (l8%), and Spanish (8%). It is also the most studied in China, Japan, and South Korea. Books, magazines, and newspapers are written in English in many countries around the world. English is also the widest used language in science. In 1997, the Science Citation Index reported that 95% of its articles were written in English, but only half of their authors came from English-speaking countries. Why has English become a world language? The British colonized (......) large parts of the world, spreading their language to new areas. The United Kingdom and the United States are both important nations in the world. When doing business with these nations, knowing English is an advantage. As non-English-speaking countries realized that, industry and business hired people who spoke English, or required their workers to attend language courses. English is the international language of technology. With English being so widespread, it can make those who come from English-speaking countries already feel that they don't need to learn a foreign language. This is not good because one learns to understand a culture better if one knows the language, and one may also enjoy reading original books. In the European Union which foreign language is studied by the fewest people?
French. German. Spanish. English.