Lingue franche internazionali e locali. Lo scenario linguistico mondiale nei prossimi decenni.

Linguistic globalisation is not a totally new phenomenon. The world-wide expansion of the Europeans (explorations, colonialism, world trade, etc.) has spread their languages, too. As for the Internet era, though English took a major advantage from it, some big languages and a few dozens of national and regional ones also have their lot. Three figures display the gamut of varieties produced by the diffusion of English, French, and Swahili. The apparent increase of the major world’s languages in mother-tongue speakers is shown by comparing the estimates for 1983 and 2003. The data on the languages used in international communication and the possible availability of a lingua franca in each state/territory of the world are also commented upon. Finally, the major factors that can affect the trends in quantitative relevance of languages are dealt with: birth-rate, assimilation of immigrants, language death, multilingual education policies.