Is this a good thing? Over the last century English has left all its rivals far behind. But some believe that its advantages are outweighed by the damage done to other cultures.
The language that took over the whole world
Linguistic statistic: Spanish has more native speakers (486 million) but less influence. Glossary
Mesopotamia - A historical region of the Middle East, mostly centred on modern-day Iraq, Kuwait and parts of Syria and Turkey. The name "Mesopotamia" in Greek means "between rivers" because of the Tigris and Euphrates that run through it.
Pervasive - Noticeable everywhere or in everything.
Imperialism - The practice of growing a country's power through colonisation or force.
Afrikaner - A term for White people in South Africa who speak Afrikaans, who descend mostly from Dutch immigrants.
Apartheid - A system of legally-enshrined racial discrimination and oppression which existed in South Africa from 1948 until the 1990s. It denied non-white South Africans basic human rights.
Castes - Hereditary social classes in Hindu society.