German as a lingua franca

This article explores the current state of German as a European lingua franca. It presents a brief history of German as a lingua franca from the late Middle Ages through the present. The presentation then addresses the number of speakers of German as a first, second, and foreign language and discusses the presence of the language in internationally influential domains such as international political and economic organizations. The chapter concludes with some notes on language perception, language awareness, language loyalty, language policy, and language promotion.