The fear of Americanization of the planet is a more ideological paranoia than reality. The

re is no doubt that, with globalization, English has become the general language of our time, as was Latin in the Middle Ages; and it will continue its ascent, since it is an indispensable instrument for international transactions and communication. But does this mean that English necessarily develops at the expense of the other great languages？ Absolutely not. In fact, the opposite is true. The vanishing of borders and an increasingly interdependent world have created incentives for new generations to learn and assimilate other cultures, not merely as a hobby, but also out of necessity, because the ability to speak several languages and navigate comfortably in different cultures has become crucial for professional success.

Consider the case of Spanish. Half a century ago, Spanish speakers were an inward- looking community; they projected themselves in only very limited ways beyond their traditional linguistic confines. Today, Spanish is dynamic and thriving, gaining beachheads or even vast landholdings on all five continents. That there are between 25 and 30 million Spanish speakers in the United States today explains why the two recent U.S. presidential candidates—the Texas governor George W Bush and the vice-president A1 Gore—campaigned not only in English, but also in Spanish.