Comment by nephihaha

The term "lingua franca" comes out of the Holy Roman Empire and Norman expansion, and later French imperialism, which gave it high status.

But I have long wondered whether many European languages will end up in the same state as Welsh or Basque or Sorbian. Icelandic is already much of the way there. Will Dutch and even German go the same way?

It is chauvinistic and colonial-minded to expect everyone to speak your language in their country. Not to mention arrogant.