since i spend most of my time in shanghai and various other cities in mainland china, it often feels like the world is made up largely of mandarin speakers. considering the sheer magnitude of the chinese population, the 1.3 billion people that have lured mobile phone manufacturers and automobile makers and consumer goods conglomerates to this part of the world, my inclination seems to make perfect sense.

however, some observers estimate that the number of english language speakers, both native and non-native, currently exceeds the roughly 1.37 billion mandarin speakers concentrated in china, taiwan, and singapore. and, interestingly enough, it’s the number of non-native english speakers that helps push the number to the top.

if you count native speakers based largely on the populations of countries that predominantly use english ╟ the united states, the united kingdom, canada, australia, south africa, new zealand, ireland, and the rest ╟ some experts say you’ll come up with a total of around 375 million people. but you’ve got over 300 million people studying english in china, nearly five times the population of the united kingdom. and an estimated two billion people around the world are learning english.

certainly not everyone studying english qualifies as an english speaker. but those that do (not only on the mainland but in india, indonesia, and other countries) propel the total number of english speakers into the same stratosphere as the number of people who speak mandarin, and perhaps even beyond.

so what does it mean when non-native speakers of a language outnumber native speakers?

well, already, english is the predominant language in airports and academic conferences, the language used among air traffic controllers and diplomats. it’s the language most available on the internet, as well as at international sports competitions. so, certainly, the usage of english has not been limited to english-speaking countries.

and when i visit one of our ef english first schools in china, the energy and enthusiasm i consistently witness are indicative that the desire to learn english continues unabated. while a language is usually a symbol of national identity, i think it’s fair to say that our students are sincerely embracing the essence of english itself. they infuse the language not so much with a sense that it belongs to another country, but with an internationally-oriented optimism about what a future successfully speaking english might bring.

of course, in the west and elsewhere, the study of mandarin has certainly grown in tandem with the explosive mainland economy. after the worldwide financial crisis of 2008, asia is largely regarded as the engine powering global economic growth, so the spotlight on china will undoubtedly remain fixed. interest in offering mandarin to young, school-age children in the united states has even resulted in a shortage of native chinese speakers in some academically-focused american communities.

so where will we all be, language-wise, ten years from now? will mandarin speakers come roaring back into the lead? or will english reign as the global lingua franca? and we can’t forget the hefty numbers of spanish and hindi speakers. all i can say is, interest in learning another language only means better communication for everyone, and a deeper understanding of other cultures. that can only be a good thing. and on that note, as they say in sweden, vi far se. we shall see…