Abstract

As Graddol (2004) has recently claimed, the world may eventually face the death of a large number of languages over the next decades. He argues that an increasing number of communicative functions will be performed by languages which have the status of a lingua franca. Due to demographic developments, technological advances, and international communication, a restricted number of languages will spread to be used as lingua francas. Graddol estimates that in approximately fifty years from now, these will be Arabic, English, Hindi/Urdu, and Spanish.