Global spread of English is a "threat to the UK."

>>Btw: Adam is NOT NOT NOT a British nationalist! He is an ENGLISH nationalist, and therein likes a world of difference!<<

I know, yes, that he's an English nationalist and not a British nationalist. I just was not really focusing on Adam's particular views in my post, but rather was speaking primarily of Eric, who does not seem to be a specifically *English* nationalist from what he's said up to this point here.

somone = someone. See what I mean? Its all plain carelessness.

I agree that the arrogance of many people here (Britain) with regards to language learning may eventually lead to problems for us. I personally believe that language learning should start in primary school and that everyone in Britain should be required to learn at least one modern foreign language until the age of 16. It should also, in my opinion, be compulsory up to the age of 18 for all those who choose to stay at school.

However, I also believe that French and German are still significantly more relevant for the majority of British people than Chinese or Arabic. I'm not really sure about Spanish — it seems to be the current 'trendy' foreign language at the moment, but I tend to think that this is mainly because of holidays and second homes in Spain, rather than anything to do with a perceived importance of Spanish within the European institutions or an expected emergence of Latin America.

The UK is just a shadow on the international scene today, anyway. I know that the British like to think that the international spread of English is somehow their own doing, but from the twentieth century onward it has been largely the doing of the United States. And today, it has little to do with the US or the UK; it continues under its own momentum, since it has become a very convenient and widespread lingua franca for the world. What little Anglophone influence still drives it comes almost entirely from the USA, though.

Actually since english is one of the official language of India wich will become one of many powers in the world. I suspect that people will find a growing phenomenon of Hindglish

The great English speaking countries of the Southern Hemisphere are always forgotten by the Brits and Americans. The Brits call it "Commowealth" and the Americans still tend to think of them as British outposts!

The growing importance of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will become even more important in the 21st century.

Although a huge continent island like Australia now only has 20 million people (12 million only 40 years ago) its importance in South East Asia the Pacific and the Indian oceans is much higher.

Consider New Guinea, the Phillipines, Indonesia, South East Asia or all the Pacific Islands. New Zealand sums up and the Pacific speaks native English on both sides, from San Francisco to Sydney.

The importance of South Africa is obvious and English is definitely the "prestige" or growing Sub-Saharian "lingua franca".

South Africa is the richest and most industrialised country in the continent. The influence is such that English is spoken, as a native language, on both sides of the Indian Ocean, from Johannesburg to Perth.

India, and the historic and growing importance of English in India and Pakistan, only adds to this fact and all the former French-speaking islands in the Indian Ocean are now shifting towards English and very much the same thing starts to happen in French Micronesia. The younger generations very often study in Australian or New Zealand universities.

There will, therefore, be a third "down-under" variety of English, closer to British and yet with a growing American influence although fully a wide and broad variety on its own right with regional differences.

So English has now three different focus points: Britain and Ireland in Europe, The USA and Canada and the South Africa-Australia-NZ line far whee the Southern Cross is to be seen in the night sky.

This sums up the situation and is the key to understand the importance of English today. Only the Spanish Flu could put an end to this but it is highly unlikely.

I beg your pardon ;-) sorry mate!
the South Africa-Australia-NZ line far down where the Southern Cross is to be seen in the night sky.

South Africa is NOT the richest country in Africa. It is the 3rd-richest. The richest is Equatorial Guinea and the 2nd-richest is Mauritius. Equatorial Guinea is also the world's 2nd-richest country.

Here are the ten richest countries in Africa, from 10th to 1st -



10. Cape Verde – GPD per capital: $6,200
This group of islands has one of the most stable democratic governments in Africa. This has however not stopped a significant amount of the population from emigrating, especially in the late part of the last century when a series of drought caused a lot of hardship for the population. Thus there is now has a larger expatriate population than a domestic one (70% of which reside in rural areas) and they account for about 20% of the country’s GDP through remittances they send back home. It runs a mainly service-based economy, accounting for 66% of the GDP, while agriculture accounts for another 12%.

9. Gabon – GDP per capita: $6,800
Ruled by one of the longest serving heads of states in the World, El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, Gabon has a small population. This along with significant foreign support and abundant resources has helped to make Gabon one of the more prosperous nations in Africa. However there is a major gap between the rich and poor, with majority of its population living in poverty. Local industry, especially the oil and gas industry, account for more than 60% of the GDP.

8. Namibia – GDP per capita: $7,000
Despite only getting its independence in 1990 and having an economy heavily linked to its neighbour, South Africa, Namibia finds itself in the 8th position. However this hides the fact that Namibia has one of the worst distributions of wealth in the world with half of the population depends on subsistence agriculture for its livelihood. One of the world leading exporters of nonfuel minerals in Africa and a great source for high quality diamonds.

7. Algeria – GDP per capita: $7,200
A nation plagues with many social and infrastructure problems; its economy is heavily reliant on the petroleum industry. High energy prices have helped the economy with 60% of the dependent of the sale of the petroleum, which also accounts of 95% of its exports. Despites the government’s efforts to diversify the economy and increase foreign investments, unemployment still remain high.

6. Tunisia – GDP per capita: $8,300
This moderate North African country has a diverse economy with major agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing interests. Although still a mainly a government controlled economy, there has been increasing privatization which is expected to increase foreign investments.

5. Botswana – GDP per capita: $10,500
Forty years of uninterrupted civilian governments, progressive social policies, and considerable capital investment have created one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. These factors, along with fiscal discipline and sound management, have helped Botswana to have one of the fastest growing economies in the world since its independence in 1966 and transformed it from one of the poorest nations in the world to a middle income one.

4. Libya – GDP per capita: $11,400
Libya has been ruled by one man since 1969, Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi, who has promoted his own political system, the Third Universal Theory. Despite 4 years of UN sanctions following the Lockerbie bombings, Libya still has one of the highest GDP per capita in Africa. However this has failed to transcend to people in the lower end of society despite the small population. The economy is heavily reliant on oil and gas, which account for 95% of its exports and 25% of the GDP.

3. South Africa – GDP per capita: $12,000
Africa’s largest economy has an abundant supply of natural resources with well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors. Despite the black empowerment movement started in the 1990s, South Africa still has a high unemployment rate, and daunting economic problems which remain from the apartheid era, particularly poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the underprivileged groups.

2. Mauritius – GDP per capita: $13,100
Significant foreign investments brought about by a stable democracy has help Mauritius into the number 2 spot. It has developed a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors from it early post independence days of a low-income, agriculturally based economy.

1. Equatorial Guinea – GDP per capita: $ 50,200
Africa’s wealthiest country goes to Equatorial Guinea by a long mile. It also happens to been the second wealthiest nation in the World, second only to Luxembourg, which had a GDP per capita of $55, 600 in 2005. Equatorial Guinea experienced rapid economic growth since the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and within the last decade has risen to become third largest oil exporter in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its high GDP per capita, majority of the population still live in sub standard conditions.

http://www.clickafrique.com/Magazine/ST014/CP0000000224.aspx

From your own report which I've looked up:

http://www.clickafrique.com/Magazine/ST014/CP0000000224.aspx

3. South Africa – GDP per capita: $12,000
Africa’s largest economy has an abundant supply of natural resources with well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors. Despite the black empowerment movement started in the 1990s, South Africa still has a high unemployment rate, and daunting economic problems which remain from the apartheid era, particularly poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the underprivileged groups.



Does it or does it not say that South Africa is Africa's largest economy?

From your own report, which you don't seem to have read:
Equatorial Guinea:
Despite its high GDP per capita, majority of the population still live in sub standard conditions.


Mauritius is quite a small island but although French is the former European colonial language of the island English is now much more widespread on that island, which later on became a British colont. Furthermore, many Mauritians have migrated to Australia.

My point was about the importance of English in the Southern Hemisphere.