A global language (lg) is a lg which would be used worldwide. A nice definition thereof is "...it belongs to everyone who speaks it, but it's no one's mother tongue..." so said one chap named Rajagopalan as quoted by Jeremy Harmer in The Practise of English Language Teaching in regard to 'world Englishes'. So saying, a lg that is used in much the same way a pidgin variety functions among the lg communities within a country, functions instead, among the countries of the world and therefore, "belongs to everyone". Will English be the global lingua franca of the future? English has already made much headway internationally in the realms of diplomacy and economics, for instance. The usage of English may escalate further to some degree as those parts of the world who deem it the global lg begin to become more fluent in English as a second lg.
On the other hand, the increase of English on the global scene is having competition. Other lgs such as Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic and Hindi are closing the gap in their respective blocks of the world. As international businessmen realize this they will arm themselves with those lgs instead and in so doing cast English aside.
Reverting to the other lgs, however, could still limit the users to those particular lg blocks. English seems to be the main link of communication internationally worldwide, for now. Therefore, the race for lg supremacy on the global front may still go in favor of the English language in the immediate, conceivable future.
~ERC 2010~
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