Re: A language history of the world

>
> So what of the future? Mr Ostler warns against thinking that the
> global dominance of English is secure. While such technological
> innovations as broadcasting and the internet might have boosted the
> prestige of English, other forces work against it: faster

population

> growth in other parts of the world and the possibility that spoken
> English could evolve into separate dialect areas, as Latin did into
> the Romance languages of western Europe. Chinese, to date
> predominantly a national language, could evolve into an

international

> one as economic ties strengthen between the mainland and the

Chinese

> diaspora communities of South-East Asia. After all, the prestige

that

> characterises English today was not always there, and it may not

be in

> future.
>

The global dominance of English is actually allready eroding like
the Eastern Comunist block eroded in the 1980es.

Allready Spanish have more native speakers than English. Steadily
more often I experience discussion participants using Spanish in
Yahoo groups, even in groups for specialists in subjets like
medicine and technology. I take part in many sorts of groups just
for fun.

Allready in 1978 i experienced dining in a resturant in California
run by people that could not speak English.

Only in North of Europe, English still seem to gain in importance.

If this is for the better or worse, I will not judge.