The Future of English

Abstract

The article will offer an overview of possible future developments relating to English. It will begin by rehearsing the phenomenal expansion of English as a global language, including not only its numerical and geographical expansion but also its penetration of more and more domains of use. It will then examine the trajectories of some ‘world’ languages from the past as possible indicators of the future development of English, and the situation of some major world languages in the present. Next, it will outline how English itself has changed as a language over the past roughly 100 years and speculate on possible pointers for future changes in the light of the continuing tension between standardisation and variation/change. The phenomenal success of English Language Teaching as a global business is rapidly transforming itself under the pressure of technology in particular. The article will suggest possible changes to the way English is taught. Finally, the current status and functions of English as a global language will be reviewed with a view to speculating on how these might change, and possible reasons for this. Forecasts tend to be based on projections from the current situation, yet unforeseen events can have a profound and rapid effect, as was the case with COVID.

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