In the mind of most Cloze (1): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDI4JXUwMDE1JXUwMDBhJXUwMDFmJXUwMDFjJXUwMDA5 , there is no longer an issue. They argue that Cloze (2): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDFkJXUwMDJiJXUwMDA5JXUwMDBiJXUwMDA1JXUwMDFhJXUwMDFi has already become a world language, by virtue of the political and economic progress made by English-speaking nations in the past 200 years, and is likely to remain so, gradually consolidating its position.

An impressive variety of facts about usage support this view. According to conservative estimates, mother-tongue speakers have now reached around 300 million; a further 300 million use English as a Cloze (3): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDJiJXUwMDE2JXUwMDA2JXUwMDBjJXUwMDAxJXUwMDBh language; and a further 100 million use it fluently as a Cloze (4): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDNlJXUwMDA5JXUwMDFkJXUwMDE3JXUwMDBjJXUwMDBlJXUwMDA5 language. This is an increase of around 40% since the 1950’s. More radical estimates, which include speakers with a lower level of language Cloze (5): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDNlJXUwMDBhJXUwMDE5JXUwMDEwJXUwMDBiJXUwMDBkJXUwMDFh and awareness, have suggested that the overall total is these days well in excess of 1,000 million. The variation results largely from a lack of precise Cloze (6): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDNjJXUwMDA1JXUwMDE1JXUwMDE1 about English language use in such areas as the Indian sub-continent, where the historical impact of the language exercises a continuing influence on many of its 900 million people, and China, where there has been a burst of enthusiasm for English language Cloze (7): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDJiJXUwMDA3JXUwMDAxJXUwMDExJXUwMDBkJXUwMDBjJXUwMDE2 in recent years, with over 100 million people watching the BBC television English series Follow Me. Even if only 10% of these learners become fluent, the effect on totals is dramatic: the number of foreign Cloze (8): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDM0JXUwMDA5JXUwMDA0JXUwMDEzJXUwMDFjJXUwMDBiJXUwMDE3JXUwMDAx is immediately doubled.

Surveys of range of use carried out by UNESCO and other world Cloze (9): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDM3JXUwMDFkJXUwMDE1JXUwMDA2JXUwMDBmJXUwMDA3JXUwMDEzJXUwMDFiJXUwMDE1JXUwMDFkJXUwMDA2JXUwMDAxJXUwMDFk reinforce the general statistical impression. English is used as an Cloze (10): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDM3JXUwMDA5JXUwMDAwJXUwMDBmJXUwMDBhJXUwMDBhJXUwMDA4JXUwMDBk or semi-official language in over 60 countries, and has a prominent place in a further 20. It is either dominant or well established in all six Cloze (11): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDNiJXUwMDBjJXUwMDAxJXUwMDFhJXUwMDFkJXUwMDA3JXUwMDBiJXUwMDBiJXUwMDFhJXUwMDA3 . It is the main language of books, newspapers, airports and air-traffic control, international business and Cloze (12): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDM5JXUwMDAyJXUwMDAyJXUwMDA1JXUwMDAxJXUwMDA4JXUwMDA0JXUwMDBh conferences, science, technology, medicine, diplomacy, sports, international competitions, pop music, and advertising. Over two-thirds of the world’s Cloze (13): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDJiJXUwMDEwJXUwMDBhJXUwMDBjJXUwMDBiJXUwMDFhJXUwMDFkJXUwMDFhJXUwMDA3JXUwMDA3 write in English. Three-quarters of the world’s Cloze (14): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDM1JXUwMDBjJXUwMDA4JXUwMDA1 is written in English. Of all the information in the world’s electronic retrieval systems, 80% is stored in English. English radio Cloze (15): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDI4JXUwMDAyJXUwMDFkJXUwMDA4JXUwMDE1JXUwMDEzJXUwMDBjJXUwMDFl are received by over 50 million in 120 countries. Over 50 million Cloze (16): academicofficiallearnerspeopleorganizationsscientistscontinentsEnglishchildrenfluencyforeignsecondmailprogramsstudiesdata JXUwMDNiJXUwMDBiJXUwMDAxJXUwMDA1JXUwMDA4JXUwMDE2JXUwMDE3JXUwMDBi study English as an additional language at primary level; over 80 million study it at secondary level (these figures exclude China). In a year, the British Council helps a quarter of a million foreign students learn English, in various parts of the world.