Although many people speak English as a second language, it would not be a good choice as a global language. There are too many irregular forms in English, too many words of foreign extraction in English, and too many coined phrases for English to work well. As a matter of practicality and for good manners people should be able to speak the dominant language of the country they are living in, and should have at least a minimum proficiency (and be able to use dictionaries and phrase books) in the language of any country in which they are visiting for more than two weeks.