People tend to opt for the standard (VHS, Windows, DVD) that they believe will come out on top, and thus contribute to that victory. English now seems to have reached the point of no return in its accelerating global expansion, competing with national languages in such diverse fields as popular music, transport, the Internet, banking, cinema and television, science, and sports.
这一过程与电子消费品标准的选择相似。人们会选择那些他们认为会拔得头筹的标准(VHS, Windows, DVD)，如此一来也就为这些标准的成功出了一臂之力。英语在全球的扩张似乎已经不可逆转。它在流行音乐、交通、因特网、银行、影视、科学和体育等众多领域和各国的语言展开竞争。