The spread of the English language has not been smooth. It faces
resistance from speakers of other languages. There are rumblings even
in the immediate neighbourhood of England.
When people think of the spread of English worldwide, infiltration is the word that suggests itself. It can refer, on the one hand, to the surreptitious movement of troops into enemy territory, and on the other, to a liquid permeating a substance. But the milder metaphor of percolation is perhaps more valid when we speak about English. Read more...