English- A global language?

In the 21st century, English 1. - (has been/ is/ is being) regarded as the mayor international language. Nowadays many
people wonder 2. - (whether/ about/ as) the mayor international language. Population experts believe between 300
million and 400 million now speak 3. (this/ it/ that) as their mother tongue. However, it is also recognized
4. (as/ by/ for) an official language in about 100 countries. In India, for example, English is 5. (so/ such/ so much)
important that it is a national language.

The rise of English was 6. (nearly/ almost/ first) linked to the history of colonialism, for example, when the British
Empire was expanding in the 19th century, many languages in Africa 7. (were/ was/ have) submerged because of
English. Later, the dominance of the USA after the Second World War ensured that this expansion of English
8. (continuing/ continued/ continues).

However, this spread 9. (to/ in/ of) English is relatively recent. In Shakespeares time, it
10. (was being spoken/ was spoken/ had been spoken) by just under 5 million people. Originally English was brought
to Britain 11. (through/ by/ from) the Anglo-Saxons from north-west Europe. The modern language was also
12. (nearly/ partly/ frequently) shaped by the Viking and Norman invasions from Scandinavia and France.

Nowadays English is 13. (considered/ used/ taken) by communities on all five continents. International organizations
14. (have adopted/ adopt/ will adopt) English to improve communication. For the past 60 years, multinational
companies have communicated in English, even though 15. (all/ some/ few) of their employees have English as an
official mother language.

But that 16. (with/ about/ for) the future? Some argue that English will become dominant. In the next century,
17. (as/ when/ if) we become an increasingly globalized and weird society, everyone will speak the same global
language. Consequently, it is feared 18. (must/ many/ few) other languages will disappear as they will not be able to
compete with English.

A more optimistic point of view 19. (will suggest/ has suggested/ suggest) that the world will become multilingual
with most people becoming competent in several languages, including English. At the other end of the debate some
experts argue that English will disappear, 20. (divide/ divides/ dividing) into several different local versions such as
Spanglish, Hinglish and Chinglish.

Kevin Morley, 2011.