The days of English as the world’s second language may (slowly) be ending
From the Economiste Dec 16th 2010 | from PRINT EDITION
http://www.economist.com/node/17730434
ENGLISH is the most successful language in the history of the world. It is spoken on every continent, is learnt as a second language by schoolchildren and is the vehicle of science, global business and popular culture. Many think it will spread without end. But Nicholas Ostler, a scholar of the rise and fall of languages, makes a surprising prediction in his latest book: the days of English as the world’s lingua-franca may be numbered.