Because of the power and presence of English...

... is there really no clear "2nd" most important world language?

In politics, business, science, entertainment is usually dominate in the international setting. Yet many people still insist that French is still the 2nd most important. Ok, but why? What facts support that claim nowadays? I know it was an influencial langauge in the past but now English is the most influencial and necessary European language. So, is there no clear 2nd now, with French being among equally important regional languages?

* In politics, business, science, entertainment English is...

There is no second. There are important regional languages, that is all. I beleive this is a good thing too, after all, isn't that the point of an international language?

<< isn't that the point of an international language? >>

Yes, good point. This is also how I see it too.

English is the only true international language today. The other big languages are important regionally.

I'm glad that you didn't insist that Spanish is an international language too besides English.

But English and French are the only 2 global languages even though French is behind English because of US.

Is French even an international language today? I can't think of anywhere where it is widely used.

That could only mean 1 thing Nebulo, you're totally ignorant.

French is now important as German or Italian and less than Spanish.

But there must a price for it. But I must agree that English has taken the role of Esperanto, tho not quite. My English now is enough for all non-natives here, but not quite to read language-teaching literature in English.

It may be now more important to think: just how Esperanto is English? Or has it become newspeak? I vow not to expect people to know English when I want to teach them another FL. At any rate, I think it makes perfect sense to use watered down English only when talking to other non-natives. So, I'm not quite concerned because learning more English (for a person like me now) might only be beneficial when I want to read English literature (any sorts) and talk to natives. There might already be two Englishes, the native (the whole thing of English) and the ESL.

But having said that, I think people still remain as if they think newspeak is good to speak without English. So, having one foreign language (or more) is still better than none. At least, the very existence of ESL lets me know there IS something called an FL. This is good for individual multilingualism because foreign learners can get a useful language (whatever) for many things. This means accumulating capital, not linguistic imperialism (in this sense).

I'm actually quite optimistic. No matter how (my previous posts, for example) people might suggest just how bad it would be to have one such language only, I think people can have more time left for even more languages now. I'd agree even with some Anglophones that the age of unilaterialism and the peak of English have passed.

<< is there really no clear "2nd" most important world language? >>

Spanish is a lay down misere.

<<I'd agree even with some Anglophones that the age of unilaterialism and the peak of English have passed.>>

That is a very small percentage of Anglophones, xie. And I've only encountered them in language forums where filthy linguistic vein seems to predominate over reason and reality. If one looks at the stats, there is an ever rapidly growing amount of English speakers. China has adopted English before we could breathe the word Mandarin. How many Chinese students are taking it now, 300 million, 400 million? India, probably the world's most promising economy and set to become the most populous nation in the near future has none other than English as an official language. The fastest growing nations in the world are practically all in English speaking Africa. Nigeria for example is experiencing remarkable demographic and economic growth. Within the next 7 years, there will be 2 billion English speakers. How can any language compete with that?

Spanish is now as important as Hausa, Yoruba, Bambara, Hottentot, Fang, Bubi, Telugu, Assamese, Miao, Wu, and Hiri Motu and much less than French, German, and Italian.

<< How can any language compete with that? >>

Spanish can. It is already ahead of English in a number of important measures. And besides, who wants to be continuously the victim of the game where they can understand you but you cannot understand them

<<Spanish can. It is already ahead of English in a number of important measures.>>

Perhaps the number of immigrants and drug cartels...?