Will Chinese (Putonghua) Replace English as a Global Language in the Next Century?

Abstract

As China’s economic power continues to grow, its economy, politics, culture, and education continue to influence the world. Previous studies have discussed whether Chinese can replace English as a global language, but not the specific challenges of learning Chinese. This paper will compare whether the Chinese language possesses these qualities by examining how English has evolved into a language of global influence politically, economically, culturally, and educationally. This paper can provide a reference on whether Chinese is the dominant language of instruction or English-medium education. At the same time, the possibility of Chinese as a global language can be assessed by comparing whether Chinese possesses certain characteristics of a global language.