2008年Mini-lecture(3/7)

Let’s go through the reasons one by one.First is the historical reason.This is related to the colonial history.As we know,when the Pilgrim Fathers landed on the Massachusetts coast in 1620 after their journey from England, they brought with them not just a set of religious beliefs, a pioneering spirit or a desire for colonization, but also their language. Although many years later, the Americans broke away from their colonial master,the language of English remained and still does.It was the same in Australia, too.When Commander Phillip planted the British flag in Sydney cove on the 26th January, 1788,it was not just a bunch of British convicts on their guardians,but also a language. In other parts of the former British Empire,English rapidly became a unifying or dominating means of control.