Can English fully become the world's main language?

Question

or does spanish or another language have a better chance?

as world main language i mean where people of other countries actually learn english before their own native language and its taught to every child, is this possible?

the reason i throw in spanish to the mix is that, it is projected that in less than 4o years or so, 50% of americans will be of hispanic origin, so if they will speak spanish, then america might even have to submit and put english 2nd to spanish, so then what hope does english have for the rest of the world,

ps i hope that doesnt happen it will be too confusing

Answer 1

I could see it happening,
people would probably still speak their national language though
EXAMPLE, In Poland, they would speak polish @ home and english at work

EX: In kenya they already speak Swahili as the national language, but english is the official language, so it is used at work, almost every kenyan speaks both swahili and english

Answer 2

Well, at the moment English has a better chance than any other language, but it is a slim chance. There are some small groups that already do do this. Some Indians and Sri Lankans have their children learn English first, before their home language, but these are small social elites.

Answer 3

english is the world's main language yet (but not an official one). in any part of the world you go there are english speaking ppl. im french native, and any time i needed to speak with ppl who didnt speak french and i didnt know their language, we spoke english. so english is definetely the worlds main language. but what american and british ppl often dont understand is that it's not british english or american english, it's a poor 200 words language, spoken by many ppl, but no "real" english. and i better understand foreigners (what we called in france the "Arafat English") than american or british ppl (did anyone ever tried to speak with men from liverpool ???).

Answer 4

No not in the slightest i might be biased coming from a welshman but trust me it won't happen.

In wales, England has tryed to forec it's language on ou people and it has worked but has also failed. Yes everybody in my country wel atleast 80% can speak perfect english with about 100% capable but people such as i choose not to it's unatural to us. I can go weeks on end without communicating in English and i do so in my native welsh. So if english can't even succeed in it's neighbouring countries what hope does it have in the world. Proof shows english is a declining language and more frightenly so in it's native countries where foreign languages are taking over. Just as the english tryed doing to us but we are a stubborn race of people and we will not be dominated.

Answer 5

dude english basically is the worlds main language. English is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy. Because a working knowledge of English is required in certain fields, professions, and occupations, English is studied and spoken by up to a billion people around the world, to at least a basic level.

Answer 6

Well at least right now the language to make businesses is English, but as you said Spanish is making it self through and is well used in different countries, as Japan for example, it was extraordinary the quantity of Japanese people who speaks Spanish, but at the end is better if you become able to speak more than one language.

Answer 7

I believe that will never happen in the way you described it. There will never be any first language all over the world. Don´t forget how big the world is, and how many people are obviously unable to learn one more language, even in the so called first world, even if they went to school for many years.
(And, by the way: the very first language, children learn, IS, and would be their native language.)

Answer 8

i don't think so, not soon at least. there are plenty of resistance to english. france, for instance, insists on being french and will refuse to speak english at all costs. also, there are many countries that are poverty-stricken and basically cut off from the rest of the world. their only concern is to survive, so they won't be learning english because it's not necessary for their survival.

Answer 9

I wish it did. I travel a lot and it always helps a lot when people in the countries I go to speak English. When they don't it really creates so many obstacles in communication.

I think English is the easiest to learn and I want it to become a Universal language.

By the way, it's not my first language.

Answer 10

No, because not everybody accepts English, which they see as an American imperialist tool.