It is proposed that a European variety of English without native speakers is emerging as a language of international communication in Europe. This is a consequence of many factors, including the strength of the American economy, the breadth and depth of American research in science and technology, the pervasive influence of American-style popular music, mass tourism, and foreign language policies pursued by European education authorities. The European version of English is functioning as a lingua franca for native speakers of other languages to communicate with each other, as a second, not foreign, language. The users of this new European variety will choose it over standard British English because of their varied needs, cultural diversity, differing ethnic identities, and the process of economic and social integration in the European Community. Characteristics of European English include diminished distinctions between adjectives and adverbs, absence of mass/count distinction (e.g., much/many), enlargement of the range of existential "there" structures, absence of the inflections "-er" and "-est" (e.g., "more clear, most rich"), adjustments in the use of clausal and sentential connectives (e.g., "however, therefore"), shifts in use of the present perfect tense, and lexical changes due to absorption from other European languages or from technological advancement. (MSE)