A very interesting thought. In Norway there 2 official languages and many dialects. We see that not only are the 2 written languages moving closer together but the old time "classic" dialects that were once a part of an areas identity are melding. Yes it is the function of the info super highway! I agree with your thought there.
I do have some questions about the chosen "universal language" being english though. If America falls as the economic/comercial power in the world and production AND consumption increase in china then you had better start on a Berlitz chinese course! ;)
Toward a Universal Language?
“In a central Asian country where Western tongues are rarely spoken,” an eight-year-old tells his father that he has to learn English. The father asks why. “Because, father, the computer speaks English.” That story, notes Asiaweek, “illustrates what many consider to be an insidious side-effect of the information superhighway . . . , the potential to hasten an already rapid shift toward a dominant global language—English.” The magazine adds: “This does not spring from any pull toward universal brotherhood. It is merely practical. If we are going to engage in digital discourse and commerce across the Internet, a common currency is required for easy exchange.” Why English? Because “the PC business was born in the U.S., as was the Internet. Some 80% of the online content today is Anglophonic.” Use of other languages is slowed in some cases because of the difficulty of adapting them to the English-based keyboard. “There will be a price to pay,” says Asiaweek. “Linguists predict that half of some 6,000 languages spoken today will fall into disuse by the end of the next century, possibly within the next 20 years.”