The process of globalization that accelerated during the last decade of the twentieth century is generally associated with easier and increased cross-border capital flows, trade, and integration of world markets. There had been another globalizing influence quietly taking hold and spreading through the twentieth century and which has been continuing to do so in the twenty-first too – the English language. English emerged as the lingua franca of the world in the twentieth century, and promises to grow in that stature in the twenty-first. Its presence is overwhelming: in education, business, research, science and technology, entertainment, the Internet, and in almost every sphere of human engagement. According to estimates, it is spoken by some two billion people, at various levels of fluency around the world, including 380 million native speakers and those who learn it as a second or foreign language. Even though, in numbers, this is just about a third of the world s population, the geographical and domain spread of English is greater than that of any other language. While some view the global spread of English as neocolonialism, it would be hard to deny that a lingua franca like English greatly facilitates cross-border communication, trade, services, and cultural exchange. Even more significant today is how English has become a source of competitive advantage in the global economy. India with its large pool of English-speaking manpower is a major player in the global outsourcing industry. English as the Global Language examines the different perspectives of the global spread of the English language, its economic implications, and the peculiar experience of the language in India-a former British colony – whose large English-educated workforce is now reaping the dividends of proficiency in the language.
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