英語が国際語の地位を失うとき ― league table

インターネットの世界では英語に替わって中国語が席巻!?


English is the international language of business and commerce -- but its era of dominance on the Internet could be coming to an end.

An infographic circulating on the Internet highlights the growing prominence of Chinese users on the web, and suggest that Chinese may be the dominant language on the world wide web within five years.
The ascension of the Chinese language is no surprise given China's population.

（中略）

"In terms of native-speaker rankings, English is falling in the world league tables," Graddol warned. "English has slipped to fourth place, where its position will become challenged by Arabic in the middle of the present century."
(Will the Internet of the Future Be in Chinese? Fox News. December 28, 2010.)


今日の単語、"league table"はいわゆる”ランキング”のことです。

国際語、グローバルランゲージとしての英語は、数年後には全く違ったことになっているのかも知れません。