In 1600, English was a somewhat localized language with an estimated six million speaking it globally – most of them located in Great Britain. Currently, English is spoken by 1.5 billion people worldwide, across 75 different global territories. (Clayton, 2015, p.183). English is the third most widely spoken language in the world, following Mandarin Chinese and Spanish (as of 2015). In discussing the global rise of English, Nicolas Ostler (Clayton, 2015, p.183) notes “The current status of English is unprecedented. Simultaneously, it has a preeminent global role in politics … [and] … finance … [and] … education. With no challenger comparable to it, it seems almost untouchable…”

As a consequence of dispersal and migration, English is given the label “Global English” which refers to the notion that it is a worldwide language. As a first diaspora, English has spread from the British Isles to countries including Australia, the USA, and Canada, where it is a first language or “L1”. Diaspora is the “dispersal of people and their languages to different parts of the world.” (Clayton, 2015). In nations of the second diaspora, such as South Africa, English does not hold L1 status but is recognised as an official language and has a significant degree of power.

At present, French is sixth in the ranking of world languages after Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi and Arabic. Despite its 220 million speakers, it is predicted that 750 million people worldwide will speak French by 2050 – making it the second most spoken language of the world after Mandarin Chinese. (Secorun Palet, 2015).

To some extent, French is under threat from the global rise of English as a second diaspora and