English Abroad

Whatever is said about Britain’s declining influence in the worlds, the linguistic hegemony of English is growing increasingly strong. In more than 70 countries, it is an official or semiofficial language and 70% of the world’s mail is written in English, which is the first language of more than 350 million people. The cultural reach of the BBC World Service and the British Council is remarkable. If there is such a thing as the global village, then English is its favored means of communication.