Every day, new studies appear that underline the importance of English in the global economy. Worldwide, some 73 percent of all
children who order Supersize fries in McDonald`s franchises do so in English. The
American Pledge of Allegiance is nearly always recited in English. A Gallup poll of Alabama clerics reveals that the Lord`s Prayer is most likely to be answered affirmatively in English.
The
Japanese are far ahead of
Russia in moving to an English-based economy. In Vladivostok, we find little more than
Polish foodstuffs called All American or
Bulgarian toothpaste ``with NATURAL elements`` - contains 15 percent
medical liquor from the Salty Lake.
Japan has transcended such dabbling. Vending machines offer soft drinks with lusty Anglo-Saxon names like Body Request and Sweat. One chain store is called Book Off (a commonplace oath in Yorkshire).
