Quote from jprad:
You might try reading the link next time, you farkin' twit...
"Modern English, sometimes described as the first global lingua franca,[13][14] is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy."
"A working knowledge of English has become a requirement in a number of fields, occupations and professions such as medicine and computing; as a consequence over a billion people speak English to at least a basic level (see English language learning and teaching). It is also one of six official languages of the United Nations."
"However, when combining native and non-native speakers it is probably the most commonly spoken language in the world, though possibly second to a combination of the Chinese languages (depending on whether or not distinctions in the latter are classified as "languages" or "dialects")."
"Because English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to as a "world language", the lingua franca of the modern era.[14] While English is not an official language in most countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a second language around the world."