The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-03-11
Its Growth In a Gen.
tury Has Been
Phenomenal.
ALL OTHERS LEFT BEHIND.
Rapidly Becoming the Medium Of uni'
versal Communication Throughout
the World Millions Speak Il

~HE English language Is conquer
"" ing the world. At least. little
study Of the advancement IL has
~ made the last century or 50
would seem to indicate some
such conclusion. In the eleventh
century there were only about two mill
lions who spoke English. Two centuries
later there were but three millions. In
the fifteenth century only four millions
spoke English The growth had been
but about half n million per century frorr
the eleventh TO the nineteenth, hut then
he growth became much more rapid.
BY the sixteenth there were six millions
speaking English. by the seventeenth
eight million five hundred thousand. and
then came the first great leap. when the
end OF the eighteenth century found
twenty-one million eight hundred thou
sand persons speaking English. Az the
present day. as well as can be calculated
the English Language Is the native tongue
of one hundred and sixteen muaon per-
sons.
What are the causes of this great de-
velopment OF the English tonguey One
undoubtedly Is the spread OF the English
speaking people all over the world. An
other cause Is the case with which Eng
lsh IL learned by the foreigner. English
grammar is nothing when compared with
French. German or any other grammar
of European nations. and besides, wher-
ever fAUkilSu influence nav E1fratt aHN "
has spread around the world. the English
man imposes his language upon tho peo-
pies with whom he has to do.
NJ. Jean Finot admits this growing su-
premacy OF the English language I'm n
clever article In Ia Revue des Revues
and laments the loss which the French
have 10 show. In the fifteenth century II
was confidently expected that French
would become the universal language. II
was the literary language, the language
OF the courts, OF diplomats, of commerce
all over Europe. and this was tho caro-
up to the middle of the eighteenth cam
fury. A man who knew French could
then travel comfortably all over Europe.
certain OF being understood wherever he
went. At the end OF the fifteenth CEN
fury there were only ten million persons
who spoke German. and hardly three
who spoke Russian. but at tho close of
the eighteenth thirty millions spoke Ger
man and thir,y-one Russian.
When the nineteenth century dswncd
French and Russian claimed an equal
number OF adherents; German was just
behind them; then came Spanish. English
and Italian. In order The downfall Of
Napoleon. In changing the map of tho
world changed its languages England,
the conqueror. then assembled To the SUI
pr~me place. and Russia. too. that took
part in the conquest. rose during the ren-
fury 20 command s. 100000 adherents. Ger
France has only 5seo.on.
These figures at the same time Indicate
the expansion of tho different nations.
Linguistic victories represent colonial vic
tories for Il IL certain that among these
six nations. the English and tho Russian
have colonized with greatest success
To study the English colonies says the
New York Herald map OF tho world IL
necessary
France liz losing ground. even in those
.tsasr. ahs. H.
Algeria, whore II was hoped 20 mako
French the leading tongue, Arabic In
spoken. On the Congo. IN Senegal and ths
gosdan there In perfect babel Of African
tongues The Armsnians were almost
French but now they have turned toward
England, and are fast learning English.
and Russia taking her part IA Syria. Is
introducing her language through num-
Der Of schools scattered all over her do
main.
divided equally between the French. Ger
man and Flemish tongues some twenty
years ago Ia lstS those speaking Flemish
or German outnumberea these speaking
French by over half million In popuis-
ton ~ seven million and a. halt The best
rroof that France has lost ground alto
geiher in retaining TIA hold on the ian-
e4tag~ % diplomacy was shown at tho
fast peace congress- Ia Ths Hague. wb"rs
English WAS widely spoken yhs English
foreign office has long abandoned the Gus
tom ~ using Frcnah IN lts communist
tons with foreign Ambassadors. The
latest commercial treaty between Mexico
and China Was written fa English. al
though q century aga Wrench would have
been the language uHef
Englith. German aud Russian compets
for notice IA japan, hut France IL al
together omitted. In fact, the study 81
French In tha schools outside Of France 10
growing less and isAH year BY year. This
Illuminating cbnfassian eamiHK from =
Frenenfann IS strong Fra8f thai the Eng
lash language r. today Ia ibs shoentsnt.
ana ere long may Dc. II not the universal
language ~ ieast the tongue spoken ~
more persons than any tSp other lam