Worlds language.The pre-eminence of the English language globally may be under threat. One billion people in the world speak Mandarin, the dominant language of China, more than three times the number who speak English. If economic trends continue then China is set to dominate world trade and quite possibly global communication with it. It is perhaps surprising then that learning English is growing fast in China, where there are more English-language teaching jobs than in any other country. The International English Language Testing System or IELTS is taken by more than one million people worldwide, and last year 270,000 tests were taken in China. This fact belies the notion that the number of speakers of a language determines its status. English is set to remain influential because it is seen as the language of academia, diplomacy and especially science, where 95 per cent of scientific publications worldwide are written in English.The language of English is robust because it has a great literary heritage and prestige (though notably so did Latin, which subsequently declined), and it is the main language of the prosperous and stable nations of the West. The use of English became widespread following the expansion of the British Empire, and it remains the primary language of at least 45 countries and the official language of many international organizations. Above all else, it is the popularity of English as a second and third language that confirms its status as the worlds language. Globally there are almost three times as many non-native speakers of English as native speakers. The number of people who can speak English in India now exceeds the number in the United States. In Nigeria, more people can speak English (pidgin) than in the UK.
Question: In terms of English speakers, four countries are ranked as follows: India, United States, Nigeria, UK (highest number first).
Options:
A. true, B. false, C. uncertain
Answer: C