More Europeans speak English now than 20 or 10 years ago. English is becoming the main, and indeed often sole language of communication between Europeans. It wasn't German that replaced Russian in Eastern Europe, but English. Spaniards and Italians could be learning French, a language very close to theirs, but most now opt for English. Even in multilingual countries like Belgium, where citizens have traditionally learned each others languages, English has become the lingua franca for the younger generations, so as not to give one of the speakers the advantage of speaking their mother tongue.
Why are Europeans so eager to learn English ? It is certainly not because of American influence. If anything, feelings towards the USA have changed from very pro-US in the decades after WWII to lukewarm, mistrustful or even hostile in the last decade (G.W. Bush has a lot to do with it, but in the European public opinion the blame was especially on 50% of American voters who elected him). Actually Europeans tend to learn British English, so that confirms that the US have little to do with it.
So why is it that English is now so popular and other major European languages (German, French, Spanish) are losing ground to it like never before ? I believe that the answer is globalisation, and the European Union certainly is part of it. In fact, from a European point of view, the most direct and obvious sign that we now live in a wider, more internationalised world than a few decades ago is the E.U. Borders were scrapped (except with the UK and Ireland, due to isolationist policies), national currencies merged, and people can look for work in anywhere in the single market area without worrying about visa or work permit.
Because Europeans are travelling and migrating more, getting in touch and working with a greater number of other Europeans with different native languages, it is only natural that a single common language of communication should arise. Nothing is more annoying that not knowing what language to use in an email or over the phone when contacting someone for the first time. The convenient solution is to always use a default language that everyone is supposed to know. This language has emerged for Europeans and it is English.
So as you can see the popularity of English has nothing to do with the USA or other English-speaking country, but with the internal workings of Europe itself. Things might have been different had the UK and Ireland not been EU members, but it's hard to say.
Of the three working languages (English, French, German) of the European institutions in Brussels, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, The Hague, Frankfurt and other seats of EU institutions, English is by far the most frequently used, and German by far the least. This may seem ironic considering that German is the official language in 5 European countries and native German speakers are the most numerous in Europe (about 110 million). But few non-natives like to learn or use German, partly because it is difficult, partly because it doesn't sound so beautiful (not my personal opinion here), and partly because of the lingering negative association with the Nazi and WWII.
English has the advantage of being easier to learn than either French or German (notably the grammar), meeting Germanic and Romance vocabulary half-way, and being already the most common international language outside Europe (North America, Africa, South Asia, Oceania). But these factors were just as true one hundred years ago as they are now. English hasn't become easier than French or German; it always was. The British Empire was already well-established in the early 20th century, and most Brits have since gone home to Blighty. So these arguments are only facilitators for the popularity of English in today's Europe, not the main reasons.
The main and possibly only essential factor is the European Union. For the first time in history Europeans feel part of a greater whole, (generally) don't harbour (much) ill feelings towards each others, and work for companies and governments that are increasingly European in scale, or anyway cannot work without the rest of Europe like 100 or even just 50 years ago.
Why are Europeans so eager to learn English ? It is certainly not because of American influence. If anything, feelings towards the USA have changed from very pro-US in the decades after WWII to lukewarm, mistrustful or even hostile in the last decade (G.W. Bush has a lot to do with it, but in the European public opinion the blame was especially on 50% of American voters who elected him). Actually Europeans tend to learn British English, so that confirms that the US have little to do with it.
So why is it that English is now so popular and other major European languages (German, French, Spanish) are losing ground to it like never before ? I believe that the answer is globalisation, and the European Union certainly is part of it. In fact, from a European point of view, the most direct and obvious sign that we now live in a wider, more internationalised world than a few decades ago is the E.U. Borders were scrapped (except with the UK and Ireland, due to isolationist policies), national currencies merged, and people can look for work in anywhere in the single market area without worrying about visa or work permit.
Because Europeans are travelling and migrating more, getting in touch and working with a greater number of other Europeans with different native languages, it is only natural that a single common language of communication should arise. Nothing is more annoying that not knowing what language to use in an email or over the phone when contacting someone for the first time. The convenient solution is to always use a default language that everyone is supposed to know. This language has emerged for Europeans and it is English.
So as you can see the popularity of English has nothing to do with the USA or other English-speaking country, but with the internal workings of Europe itself. Things might have been different had the UK and Ireland not been EU members, but it's hard to say.
Of the three working languages (English, French, German) of the European institutions in Brussels, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, The Hague, Frankfurt and other seats of EU institutions, English is by far the most frequently used, and German by far the least. This may seem ironic considering that German is the official language in 5 European countries and native German speakers are the most numerous in Europe (about 110 million). But few non-natives like to learn or use German, partly because it is difficult, partly because it doesn't sound so beautiful (not my personal opinion here), and partly because of the lingering negative association with the Nazi and WWII.
English has the advantage of being easier to learn than either French or German (notably the grammar), meeting Germanic and Romance vocabulary half-way, and being already the most common international language outside Europe (North America, Africa, South Asia, Oceania). But these factors were just as true one hundred years ago as they are now. English hasn't become easier than French or German; it always was. The British Empire was already well-established in the early 20th century, and most Brits have since gone home to Blighty. So these arguments are only facilitators for the popularity of English in today's Europe, not the main reasons.
The main and possibly only essential factor is the European Union. For the first time in history Europeans feel part of a greater whole, (generally) don't harbour (much) ill feelings towards each others, and work for companies and governments that are increasingly European in scale, or anyway cannot work without the rest of Europe like 100 or even just 50 years ago.