1、The English is exceeded,in numbers,though not in distribution,only by the speakers of the many varieties of Chinese
2、The truly significant development,which has occurred only in the last one hundred years or so,is the use of English,taking the most conservative estimates,by three or four hundred million people for whom it is not anative language.
3、The emergence of English as a global phenomenon-as either a first,second or foreign language-has recently inspired the idea that we should talk not of English,but of many Englishes,especially in Third World countries where the use of English is no longer part of the colonial legacy,but the result of decisions made since independence.
英语,虽然不是在分布上,但是在使用者的数量上被超出,因为有许多人使用汉语,并且有好多变体。
真正重大的发展,仅在大约最近一百年发生的,就是英语的使用,最保守的估计为三、四百万非母语使用者。
作为一个全球范围内的现象,英语的兴起,或是作为第一、第二或是一门外语,最近激发出人们的一种想法,即我们谈论的不应该只是一种英语,而是应该想到许多种英语,尤其在第三世界国家,在这里,英语的使用不再是殖民历史遗迹的组成部分,而是国家独立之日起全体国民决策的结果。