A Journey through language and diversity in the English-speaking community: from its origins to the Colombian case

Abstract

This article is meant to be a journey through the English community and its diversity, depicted by a variety of people, accents and dialects existing in several native English-speaking countries. It is a brief but meaningful historical background, which starts from the Anglo-Saxon invasion of the British Isles, in the fifth century of our era, and it continues until the spread of English as an international language. A fairly relevant part is also dedicated to the first dispersal of ‘Englishes’, people who migrated from the south-east of England mostly to North America and Australia, giving birth to new and meaningful linguistic varieties. The impact of English on higher education will be extensively analysed and discussed; this includes the brand-new role of twentieth-century English teachers, as well as the history of English in Colombia and its influence in culture, education and language policies, from its origins to its current handling.