AQA A-level English Language – Language Change Practice Test

The central idea is that English spread mainly because of power, not just due to colonisation. David Crystal argues that the language became global because the societies that wielded real influence—economically, politically, and culturally—championed and used it as a tool to participate in international networks. English is the language of global business, science, technology, media, and diplomacy, so people learn it to access those networks and opportunities. Colonisation helped spread English, but the long-term and wide-reaching spread unfolds through the advantage and reach of English-speaking powers, which keeps reinforcing its status even beyond formal colonial ties. Technology and geography can explain some factors, but they don’t capture why English becomes the default in so many diverse contexts; religious reform isn’t the driving force Crystal identifies.