Languages, Communities, and Education 45 Taiwanese Students Talk About English in Taiwan and Their Lives

Crystal (2003) described the 1990s as a decade that saw "an increasingly public recognition of the global position of English. " He observed that the spread of English "as a global lingua franca " was a situation that would only intensify in the near future (p. x). Lingua franca, defined as a language "widely used beyond its native speakers " and "primarily for international commerce and extending to other cultural exchanges " (Lockergnome Encyclopedia, 2005), is not a descriptor invented solely for the English language. Several languages, including Greek, French, and German, have also historically served as the lingua franca of various parts of the world (Lockergnome Encyclopedia, 2005). French previously served as "the lingua franca of diplomacy " (Infoplease, 2005). However, none of these other languages have ever been used and taught to the extent that English has, due in part to the dissemination of information through an 80 % English language internet (China Daily, 2003). Crystal's (2003) predictions came to fruition in the May 2002 Taiwanes