11/10/2006 2:33:27 pm
English Next? Yesterday, I listened to a very interesting lunch presentation at the British Embassy by David Graddol. He talked about his new book "English Next" (British Council). It is a follow-up on the previous book "The Future of English".

He pointed out that in the 1990s, 70-80 countries world wide had English as the first or second language. The demand to learn English globally was great and it totally dominated the Internet and it was further spread by globalisation. Everything pointed to English becoming the lingua franca.

Now, the image is a bit more complex. First of all, demographic trends have created a strong boost for Spanish and Arabic. Second, the English dominance in the Internet has decreased substantially. Third, the emergence of China has its impact on the dominance of the anglo-saxon world. Still, much points to English as the global language in the future.

But then, Graddol adds two other interesting points. When everyone knows English, it becomes a competitive advantage suddenly to know another language. Also, those who try to "protect" their language from impact from English are effectively making their language less useful in today′s world, thereby phasing it out more rapidly.

Very interesting. A language is far more than just a tool. It is identity, culture and tradition. These trends are part of the globalised world and have significant importance.