Keywords
multilingualism
official languages
working languages
the European Union
How to Cite
Abstract
The United Kingdom joined the EEC/EU in 1973. Its membership has been one of the thorniest issues in British politics over the last forty-five years. The United Kingdom was one of the most Euroskeptic member states in the EU. The ‘added value’ brought by London to the EU was the English language, which successively supplanted French from the function of working language of the EU. English is not only the official language of the EU (it is one of 24 official languages), but primarily has a dominant position in the EU. It is used for communication between the EU and the world, between European institutions and during informal meetings. The purpose of this article is to analyze the position of English in the EU, to show its strengths, and finally to answer the question of whether the present status of English in the EU will remain after the UK leaves.
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