| Today, English is the most widely spoken and written | | | | This was at a time when study of anything but |
| language on the planet. English was first spoken in | | | | economics was considered unworthy as compared to |
| Britain by Germanic tribes in the Fifth Century AD. At | | | | hard sciences like math, chemistry and physic and |
| that time it was known as the Old English | | | | kissing up in the king's court was highly regarded. The |
| (Anglo-Saxon) period. During the Middle English period | | | | first business schools were established in the United |
| (1150-1500 AD), many Old English word endings were | | | | States for this reason and still maintain their |
| replaced by prepositions like by, with, and from. We | | | | dominance. Finance has many words such as "put" |
| are currently in the Modern English period which | | | | and "call" for which there are no translations in other |
| started in the Sixteenth Century. | | | | languages. |
| The number of words in English has grown from | | | | It is critical that you develop your financial vocabulary. |
| 50,000 to 60,000 words in Old English to about a | | | | My understanding of the financial vocabulary is vast |
| million today; the largest of all languages by far. An | | | | compared to the average person because of my |
| average educated person knows about 20,000 | | | | Ph.D. that I hold in the field as well as my investing |
| words and uses only about 2,000 words in a week. | | | | experience as a futures and options trader and long |
| Despite its widespread use, there are only about 350 | | | | term stock investor. |
| million people who use it as their mother tongue. | | | | Many years of study at the doctoral level combined |
| It is the official language of the Olympics. More than | | | | with direct practice in investments has allowed me to |
| half of the world's technical and scientific periodicals | | | | develop a vast financial vocabulary. This allows me to |
| as well three quarters of the world's mail, and its | | | | capture the essence of investment readings and |
| telexes and cables are in English. About 80% of the | | | | conversations that the average person does not |
| information stored in the world's computers (like this | | | | understand. Many investors fail not for lack of |
| text) are also in English. English is transmitted to more | | | | intelligence (I am of average intelligence) but lack of |
| than 100 million people everyday by 5 of the largest | | | | comprehension of what makes the stock market |
| broadcasting companies (CBS, NBC, ABC, BBC, CBC). | | | | tick. This is due, in great part, to a lack of vocabulary |
| It seems like English will remain the most widely used | | | | that the common man on the street has not |
| language for some time. | | | | developed. Take the time to develop your financial |
| The field of finance was pioneered by the United | | | | vocabulary and you will excel over time as an |
| States of America as an extension of mercantilism. | | | | investor! |