Future of English

Although English currently appears to be in an unassailable position in the modern world, its future as a global language is not necessarily assured. In the Middle Ages, Latin seemed forever set as the language of education and culture, as did French in the 18th century. Proving that it is difficult to predict the future of a language, especially English.

In his talk on the future of English as a global language, Professor David Crystal explained that language becomes global for one reason only—the power of the people who speak it. As Crystal says, “Power always drives language. English will remain a global power if certain things happen to maintain the power of the nations who speak it.”