What language other than English should be The common world language?

[°Leprechaun]

German perhaps?

I don't mean that everyone should speak it rather than their own, but it would be a second language for everyone so that everyone could communicate with anyone else.

I exclude English for obvious reasons.

Pick a language for any reason, including just because you like it.

[Edu]

Spanish, of course.

[Lechasseur]

Frankly English is the only logical choice due to the fact it's so widespread (UK, Ireland, US, Canada, Australia, NZ, South Africa, India, much of Africa along with other places) along with the fact it's a simple language to learn (at least compared to most of the world's other main languages), but if I had to pick it would be either French or Spanish.

[°Leprechaun]

Frankly English is the only logical choice due to the fact it's so widespread (UK, Ireland, US, Canada, Australia, NZ, South Africa, India, much of Africa along with other places) along with the fact it's a simple language to learn (at least compared to most of the world's other main languages), but if I had to pick it would be either French or Spanish.

Is English the easiest language to learn? Well, I don't know, it may be easier than some.
I don't know if it's easy for someone who is Chinese, for example, but it might be for someone who speaks German or French. The biggest problem with English is it's erratic spelling, difficult even for most English speakers.
(true: you didn't say the "easiest", you said that it is simple to learn)

[Kyle Rittenhouse is a Political Prisoner]

English is the current dominant choice because it's the dominant global language in India, Europe, and the British colonies. No other language will come close.

[Mopsus]

The language that God speaks: Algonquian–Basque pidgin.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Spanish, Mandarin, and/or Arabic

[DINGO Joe]

Wookie or Klingon

[HillGoose]

Lingala

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

One of English's strengths (and weaknesses) is the ease with which it can absorb foreign words and concepts. That's important for a world language. The only feature English lacks that would be desirable in a world language is that it would be good if verb tenses were replaced by auxiliaries or adverbs.

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

Bashkir.

[°Leprechaun]

There is a lot of support here for English, although a majority of the world population doesn't speak it.

Since the UN is in the US, it does seem to make sense, that, at least, world leaders and diplomats learn English.

"Artificial" languages such as Esperanto have not been successful in becoming a common world language although there are perhaps millions who speak it.

According to this link the top ten languages in order are Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi, Arabic,
Portuguese, Bengali, Russian, Japanese, Punjabi/Lahnda. German is not on that list.

https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/the-10-most-spoken-languages-in-the-world/

This list is different:

https://www.fluentin3months.com/most-spoken-languages/

The second link explains why the question is complicated, since there are many variables.

Top 30 Languages:

http://www.vistawide.com/languages/top_30_languages.htm

[Frodo]

High Valyrian or Quenya.

[°Leprechaun]

http://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/official-languages/

[seb_pard]

Spanish uber alles

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Russian, obviously. What once bound together Slavs, Turkics, Balts, Uralics, Persians, and Caucasians may well take up its mission to unite the world.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

English is by far the one that makes the most sense as it is already pretty much the lingua franca of most international communication (and I think kids now are required to learn English just about everywhere), but Spanish would be my next choice for a common language.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

English is by far the one that makes the most sense as it is already pretty much the lingua franca of most international communication (and I think kids now are required to learn English just about everywhere), but Spanish would be my next choice for a common language.

English really isn't a lingua franca today, FWIW, and the vast majority of people in the world don't speak it at all. The world probably will never have a lingua franca, and that's okay.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

English is by far the one that makes the most sense as it is already pretty much the lingua franca of most international communication (and I think kids now are required to learn English just about everywhere), but Spanish would be my next choice for a common language.

English really isn't a lingua franca today, FWIW, and the vast majority of people in the world don't speak it at all. The world probably will never have a lingua franca, and that's okay.

Blairite finally says something I agree with.

[Former President tack50]

http://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/official-languages/

This.

Removing English just leaves Spanish, Arabic, French, Russian and Chinese.

Of those I'd say Spanish would be the best choice followed very closely by French. Chinese is too localized to one specific country. Russian does sort of work as a lingua franca in the former USSR and maybe Eastern Europe but not much outside. Arabic would be the best of those 3 last ones but it's incredibly hard to learn. So:

Spanish>French>>>Arabic>Russian>Chinese