Changing language regimes in globalizing environments

Marketization, deregulation and participation are the major developments summarily referred to under the heading of globalization. Increasing interdependence and electronic communications that facilitate the exchange of information among individuals, organizations and societies are vital parts of this process. The spread of English, too, has been described as a causal and concomitant factor of globalization which, however, has many other implications for the world’s languages. In this paper I want to make some suggestions as to how globalization and language interact and, more specifically, how language regimes change under the influence of economic, political and cultural developments.