English as a Universal Language
English is becoming the world's first truly universal language. It is the native language of some 400 million people in twelve countries. That is a lot fewer than the 885 million people or so who speak Mandarin Chinese. But another 400 million speak English as a second language. And several hundred million more have some knowledge of English, which has official or semiofficial status in some sixty countries. Although there may be as mane people speaking the various dialects of Chinese as there are English speakers, English is certainly more widespread geographically, more genuinely universal than Chinese. And it's usage is growing at an extraordinary pace.
Today there are about 1 billion English speakers in the world, and the number is growing. The world's most taught language, English is not replacing other languages; it is supplementing them:
· Two hundred and fifty million Chinese - more than the entire population of the United States - study English.
· In eighty-nine countries, English is either a common second language or widely studied.
· In Hong Kong, nine of every ten secondary school students study English.
· In France, state-run secondary schools require students to study four years of English or German; most - at least 85 percent - choose English.
· In Japan, secondary students are required to take six years of English before graduation.
Media and Transportation
English prevails in transportation and the media. The travel and communication language of the international airwaves is English. Pilots and air traffic controllers speak English at all international airports. Maritime traffic uses flag and light signals, but "if vessels needed to communicate verbally, they would find a common language, which would probably be English," says the U.S. Coast Guard's Werner Siems.
Five of the largest broadcasters - CBS, NBC, ABC, the BBC, and the CBC - reach a potential audience of about 300 million people through English broadcast. It is also the language of satellite TV.
The Information Age
The language of the information age is English. Computers talk to each other in English.
More than 80 percent of all the information stored in the more than 1-million computers around the world is in English.
Eighty-five percent of international telephone conversations are conducted in English, as are three-fourths of the world's mail, telexes, and cables. Computers program instructions and the software itself are often supplied only in English
German was once the language of science. Today more than 80 percent of all scientific papers are published first in English. Over half the world's technical and scientific periodicals are in English, which is also the language of medicine, electronics, and space technology.
International Business
English in the language of international business.
When a Japanese businessman strikes a deal anywhere in Europe, the chances are overwhelming that the negotiations were conducted in English.
Manufactured goods indicate their country of origin in English; "Made in Germany," not Fabriziert in Deutschland. It is the language of choice in multinational corporations. Datsun and Nissan write international memorandums in English. As early as 1985, 80 percent of the Japanese Mitsui and Company's employees could speak, read, and write English. Toyota provides inservice English courses. English classes are held in Saudi Arabia for the ARAMCO workers and on three continents for Chase Manhattan Bank Staff.
Diplomacy
English is replacing the dominant European languages of centuries past. English has replaced French as the language of diplomacy; it is the official language of international and organizations such as Oxfam and Save the Children as well as of UNESCO, NATO, and the UN.
Lingua Franca
English serves as a common tongue in countries where people speak many different languages. In India, nearly 200 different languages are spoken; only 30 percent speak the official language, Hindi. When Rajiv Gandhi addressed the nation after his mother's assassination, he spoke in English. The European Free Trade Association works only in English even though it is a foreign tongue for all six countries.
Official Language
English is the official or semiofficial language of twenty African countries, including Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, and South Africa. Students are instructed in English at Makerere University in Uganda, the University of Nairobi in Kenya, and the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
English is the ecumenical language of the World Council of Churches, and the official language of the Olympics and the Miss Universe competition.
Youth Culture
English is the language of international youth culture. Young people world wide listen to and sing popular songs in English often without fully understanding the lyrics. "Break dance," "rap music," "bodybuilding," "windsurfing," and "computer hacking" are invading the slang of German youth.
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English as a Universal Language 
