International languages: a challenge to society in the context of globalization

Abstract

Integration processes in the context of globalization of society reveal new factors causing inequality in various spheres of social space. Since language is an inherent characteristic of ethnic, inequality concerning the language is regarded as social inequality. Status of society and the status of its language in specific socio-communicative domains are interrelated, ethnos fights for improving the status of its language, in turn, the language enhances the status of its ethnos. Role significance of language correlates with the amount of social-communicative domains served by the language. The paper considers the current situation of competition between international languages, occupying the highest step of the sociolinguistic hierarchy by volume of functions performed. Emphasis is placed on language struggle in the field of science, its convergent and divergent principles, as well as actors engaged in language policy in this sphere.