Looking at the past is an important step towards understanding the future. Any serious study of English in the 21st century must start by examing how English came to be in the state it is  and spoken by those who speak it. What factors have ensured the spread of English? What does this process tell us about the fate of languages in unique political and cultural contexts? In what domains of knowledge has English developed particular importance and how recently?

温故方能知新。任何对英语在21世纪的严谨研究必须先检视以下两个方面，英语如何成为如今的地位的，及那些说英语的人是如何说的？哪些因素确保英语的传播？在这一传播的过程中，就英语在政治和文化的独特环境而言，我们获知了什么？最近英语在哪些知识领域获得了其特有重要性？如何获得的？

English is remarkable for its diversity, its propensity to change and be changed. This has resulted in both a variety of forms of English, but also a diversity of cultural contexts within which English is used in daily life. The main areas of development in the use and form of English will undoubtedly come from non-native speakers. How many are there and where are they located? And when and why do they use English instead of their first language? We need to be aware of the different place that English has in the lives of native speaker, second-language users and those who learn it as a foreign language. This section examines the development of English, identifies its historical rivals as world languages and explains the special place that English has in multilingual countries and in the repertoires of  multilingual speakers. By showing how our present arose from the past, we will be better equipped to speculate on what the future might hold in store.