'We have nothing against the Brits or the American ... But we simply cannot accept that our language is reduced to a local dialect - we are protesting against this linguistic hegemony'. 

So said Albert Salon, the president of the French-speaking campagining group, Forum Francophone International

It's a long-standing complaint and is key to the way that native speakers of English are perceived the world over. However, as other French-speakers have observed, English as a global language of communication and business is a fact of life.  However, not all of that English is the same.  M. Salon's complaints come in advance of two of the key things in our forthcoming pamphlet:

1. That we need to consider the impact and perceptions that English creates around the world
2. We need to think about how we respond to the impact that other languages are having on English
   

When M. Salon speaks of the Brits and Americans, we need quickly to come to terms with the fact that - as far as English use goes - we are talking about users all over the world.

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