I was married to a Singaporean, and lived in that country for about two years. While there, I learned to speak fluently the lingua franca, called "Singlish," which incorporated a primarily English vocabulary (with some Chinese dialect and Malay) in an Asian syntax and rhythm. I am currently in a relationship with a gentleman from Iraq who speaks Chaldean, Arabic and English. I do appreciate the sense of disjunction that can occur in such relationships, and also the tremendous insights. Although my former mother-in-law spoke no English, we did manage to communicate effectively; even though my boyfriend does not always know the correct word or usage, I have never not been able to understand what he is talking about. As for the "choice" of English as a global language, who is it that is making the choice? I agree that its place as a global language is primarily due to the current dominance of the United States in commercial and/or political matters. But the thing about a "living" language, like any other "living" thing, is that no one is necessarily "in control" of what happens to it out in the wider world. Maybe that makes it more difficult, or more challenging, depending on how you want to look at it and how enlightened you are or are willing to be.
