English as a world language: The first significant step in the progress of English towards its status as a world language took place in the last decade of the 16^th century and now, "322,000,000 people speak the English language." Information obtained from the 13th Edition of the Ethnologue (1996). It is strange that a language that started on a small island 1500 years ago as the result of the invasion of a few Germanic tribes is the international language it is today. English is widely regarded as having become the global language but will it retain its pre-eminence in the 21st century? The world in which it is used is in the early stages of major social, economic and demographic transition. Although English is unlikely to be displaced as the world's most important language, the future is more complex and less certain than some assume. The reason for the vast spread of English as a world language is also down to the British exploring and colonising many other islands and countries around the world. The ships that traded and explored on these faraway coasts needed small ports, so the sailors would stay in these areas to build the port whilst talking to the indigenous people. ...read more.