International English the sphere of influence of English-speaking countries. Here English may serve as a useful lingua franca between ethnic and language groups. Higher education, the legislature and judiciary, national commerce, and so on, may all be carried out predominantly in English. The "expanding circle" refers to those countries where English has no official role, but is nonetheless important for certain functions, e.g. international business and tourism. By the twenty-first century, non-native English speakers have come to outnumber native speakers by a factor of three, according to the British Council. Darius Degher, a professor at Malmö University in Sweden, uses the term
Itinerant groups in Europe group), and Lowland Scottish Gypsy/Travellers, whose origins are unclear. The English term 'Travelling People' has been adopted into contemporary Gaelic as "luchd siubhail" (people of travel) but this is a wider term covering other groups of itinerant communities within Scotland. The Scottish Highland Travellers have their own now nearly extinct language based on Scottish Gaelic called Beurla Reagaird (or English Backwards). Highland Travellers are closely tied to their native Highlands the native Gaelic speaking population; they may follow a nomadic or a settled lifestyle. They have played an essential role in the preservation of traditional Gaelic culture. Travellers' outstanding contribution