by Eva C. Class of 2021

I researched what has led to English becoming a commonly used language around the world, or a lingua franca. To do this, I examined the systems and regulations in place for language learning, specifically English language learning, for schools in Germany, Argentina, and Sweden. These three countries, according to the EF English Proficiency Index, all rank in the top 25 countries for English proficiency. I then examined the linguistic similarities between English and German, Spanish, and Swedish, and how these can aid or challenge learning English. To measure how each country’s infrastructure and linguistic differences affect their English proficiency, I studied each country’s average test scores on three internationally accepted English proficiency examinations and compared the results. By studying all of these aspects, I concluded that English has become a lingua franca due to how popular it is as a second language, how often it is required by school systems, and how similar it is to other languages with Romance or Germanic origins.