The English language has become a global resource. As such, it does not owe its existence — or its future — to any nation, group, or individual. Inasmuch as a language belongs to any individual or community, English is the possession of every individual and community that wishes to use it, wherever they are in the world. It is in effect as democratic and universal an institution as humankind has ever possessed.
—Tom McArthur, Scottish linguist, "World English," from the front matter of Encarta World English Dictionary, 1999