ABSTRACT
The English language seems set to take over the world in the course of the twenty-first century, and become the global language. A press release from the British Council (a governmental agency responsible for supporting British cultural activities around the world) suggested in the mid 1990s that:
World-wide, there are over 1,400 million people living in countries where English has official status. One out of five of the world’s population speak English to some level of competence. Demand from the other four-fifths is increasing… By the year 2000 it is estimated that over one billion people will be learning English. English is the main language of books, newspapers, airports and air-traffic control, international business and academic conferences, science, technology, diplomacy, sport, international competitions, pop music and advertising.
