Today we are living in a "Global Village". As the Internet explosively grows, ever more people are becoming aware of this "Global Village" on a personal level. People correspond with others from around the globe on a regular basis, products are bought and sold with increasing ease from all over the word and "real time" coverage of major news events is taken for granted. English plays a central role in this "globalisation" and it has become the de facto language of choice for communication between the various peoples of the Earth.

So, many people speak English. However, many of these people do not speak English as their first language. In fact, they often use English as a lingua franca in order to communicate with other people who also speak English as a foreign language.

You may be starting to wonder what kind of English you are learning. Are you learning English as it spoken in Britain? Or, are you learning English as it is spoken in the United States, or Australia? However, one of the most important questions is left out. Do you really need to learn English as it is spoken in any one country? Would it not be better to strive towards a global English?

Let me put this into perspective. If a businessperson from China wants to close a deal with a businessperson from Germany, what difference does it make if they speak either US English or UK English? In this situation, it does not matter whether they are familiar with UK or US idiomatic usage. Communication enabled by the Internet is even less tied to standard forms of English. As communication in English is exchanged between partners in both English speaking and non-speaking countries the importance of learning a particular kind of English is decreasing.

People’s reasons for learning English are changing. Globalisation is bringing together more people than ever who speak different languages and who are turning to English as the means of communication. The English learner of the future may be less worried about sounding exactly like a native speaker and more concerned about how to use English effectively in cross-cultural communication. In future, we may be hearing more non-native speakers in dialogues and a wider range of the 'New Englishes' may be used around the world.

Global Village – the entire world and its inhabitants living in a worldwide village. The expression indicates that the world is a smaller place due to improved communication
Explosive – a sudden and dramatic increase
Real time – immediately, as it is actually happening
Globalise – develop or operate worldwide
De facto – existing in fact, whether legally accepted or not
Lingua franca – a language used as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different
Strive – make great efforts
Perspective – a view
Idiomatic usage – using expressions that are natural to a native speaker
Cross-cultural communication – communication across different cultures