ENGLISH AS A GLOBAL LANGUAGE

The growth of the use of English as the world’s primary

language for international communication has obviously

been continuing for several decades. But even as the

number of English speakers expands further there are signs

that the global predominance of the language may fade

within the foreseeable future.

Complex international, economic, technological and

cultural changes could start to diminish the leading position

of English as the language of the world market,

The world language system is being transformed, as the relationship between

‘big’ languages change and many smaller languages are disappearing.

English is not the main reason for global language loss. The impact of English

is mainly on the status of other national languages.

The attractiveness of Mandarin to learners across the world is growing, and

language schools in many countries are expanding their provision to include

it. Unlike the enthusiasm for learning Japanese which was prompted by the

economic rise of Japan, there are reasons why interest in Mandarin may

remain a long-term trend.

Where the global importance of languages used to depend on the number

and wealth of native speakers, now the number of people who use it as a

second language is becoming a more significant factor.