When I meet foreigners abroad I often get asked about the languages of New Zealand. Aside from the painfully cringeworthy “what language do you speak in New Zealand?” and compliments on how well I speak English (!), people often want to know if the way we talk in New Zealand…
English. It’s a love-hate relationship for most learners. It is the only language that absolutely everyone feels the need to study. Why? This answer is simple, of course. It is the lingua franca of the world, the language almost everyone uses cross-culturally to communicate with each other. English will open so many doors for the average person, allowing them access to better jobs, more people, and possibly migration. This is obvious. But that is not what this article is about. This article’s question is: why English?