Read the excerpt of the book entitled 'The Other Tongue:
English across cultures' written by Joshua A. Fishman,
published in 1992:
Sociology of English as an Additional Language
The ongoing nativization of non-native Englishes in
various parts of the world proceeds within the penumbra
of a rather stable and widespread image of English. This
image is itself both influenced by and, in turn,
contributory to an international sociolinguistic balance of
power that characterizes the latter part of the twentieth
century. This balance of power rests solidly on three
realities: (1) not only is English increasingly associated
with technological modernity and power, but this
association is now being fostered by non-English
mother-tongue interests; (2) English is both functionally
fostered and regulated by local political authorities; and
(3) indigenous "preferred languages" are complementary
fostered and regulated by these same authorities.
Not only is English still spreading, but it is even being
spread by non-English mother-tongue interests.
The world has previously witnessed the spread of
languages of empire, the diffusion of lingua francas, and
the growth of international languages. In most respects,
therefore, the continued spread of English for
international and intranational purposes is not novel in
the annals of world history—or, if it is novel, it is so
primarily in a quantitative sense, in terms of scale, rate,
and degree, rather than in any qualitative sense or in
terms of kind. If there is something qualitatively new
under the sun in conjunction with the spread of English inthe non-English mother-tongue world, it is merely that the
spread has reached such an order of magnitude that it is
now significantly fostered by the non- English
mother-tongue world, rather than being predominantly
de- pendent on resources, efforts, or personnel of the
English mother -
tongue world (Conrad and Fishman 1977). Whether we
monitor the veritable army of English-speaking
econo-technical specialists, advisors, and
representatives, or whether we examine the diffusion of
English publications, films, radio and television programs,
literacy programs and educational opportunities, it is
becoming increasingly clear that non-English
mother-tongue countries are significantly active in each of
these connections. Nor is their involvement merely that of
Third World recipients of Western largesse. True, Third
World nations are themselves fostering massive efforts
via and on behalf of English. On the other hand,
however, equally massive programs via English are being
conducted by the Soviet Union, the Arab world, and
mainland China-world powers that have their own
well-developed standard languages and that normally
oppose various political, philosophical, and economic
goals of the English mother-tongue world.
Source: FISHMAN, Joshua A. Sociology of English as an additional
language. The other tongue: English across cultures, v. 2, p. 19-26,
1992.