In recognition of this fact, numerous countries are starting to teach their kids English at ever younger ages. According to the British Council, the prevailing model is to ensure that students gain basic English proficiency in primary school and then use it as a language of study in secondary school. In South America, Colombia and Chile, for example, have implemented ambitious programs to boost English skills. And, in 2003, the Philippine government mandated that English be the medium of instruction for math and science beginning in the third grade, and for all subjects in secondary school.

But no country compares with China, which has the world's largest number of English students. In 2001, Beijing ordered that English classes start in the third grade, rather than in high school as before. In big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, such instruction now begins in grade one. And many Chinese parents, who are keenly aware of the ever-increasing competitiveness of China's new society, are trying to accelerate that process by placing their children in private English language schools—as early as possible. New Oriental, one company that runs such programs, says it alone has enrolled 4 million students, including 1 million last year.

Driving that growth is China's rising standard of living. Middle- and upper middle-class parents understand and appreciate the benefits of a good education. And the long-term benefits of English language acquisition are widely documented. According to New Oriental, medium proficiency in English now gives a Chinese child an almost 25 percent salary boost when he or she enters the working world; advanced English provides a more than 70 percent boost. Asians who work at multinational companies but speak broken English are likely to bump up against a linguistic "glass ceiling" and be passed over for promotions. Wei Yun, a professor of English as a second language at China's Suzhou University, points to two former students who are now software engineers. The one who passed a key English exam is making double the salary of the one who failed.