1/3 of the world will speak English by 2010

[wellard]

Is this good or bad that so much of the world will be able to speak one language?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...on/4080401.stm

Researcher David Graddol says two billion people will be learning English as it becomes a truly "world language".

This growth will see French declining internationally, while German is set to expand, particularly in Asia. But the UK Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, has warned against the "arrogance" of English speakers who fail to learn other languages.....

The research has looked at the global population of young people in education - including 120 million children in Chinese primary schools - and how many countries are embedding English-language learning within their school systems.....

Mr Graddol also warns there could be a backlash against the global spread of English and a reassertion of national languages. He says Chinese, Arabic and Spanish are also going to be key international languages.


Should the world move to one international language?

[Intrepid]

Well, it was attempted with Esperanto, so I guess that's what the world wants, and English does consist of many other languages, and breaking down communication barriers is a good thing.
I believe people will still learn their native language, but also English, so I see no harm done, or at least the advantages far outweigh the harm.


(hey maybe I’m pro globalisation? I think I am)

[Larry_OHF]

I have heard it said...English is the language of business, French is the language of love, and ...there's one more...what is it?

I am sad to see that so many of what we call "successive business men and women" cannot take the time to learn another language when they deal internationally...and instead expect the international community to learn English instead. I know that it is more difficult to learn a new language once you are older, for the neurons in your brain are not able to handle such processes as well as a child could...but I have a father-in-law in Argentina right now learning Spanish very well. He also speaks Mandarin and Japanese, since he was in the war and stuff. My mother-in-law, on the other hand...is also living in Argentina, but has no concern for learning the language. She has already convinced herself that she cannot do it.

I think we are probably the laziest nation when it comes to such as this.

I am glad for my ability to speak Spanish, and use it very frequently here in the South, where a white boy that speaks anything besideshis native language is a marvel to behold. I want to learn other languages, but the resources are not here for me.

[Grojlach]

On a similar note, linguists predict that by the end of this century, 75 to 90 percent of the 5000 current languages will have died out.

[ 12-09-2004, 08:46 AM: Message edited by: Grojlach ]

[Intrepid]

Originally posted by Larry_OHF: [....]I think we are probably the laziest nation when it comes to such as this. [....]

America being the only English speaking nation?

[Dirty Meg]

Someone who speaks two languages is bilingual.
Someone who speaks three languages is trilingual.
So, what do you call someone who only speaks one language?
* English *

[Callum]

Unilingual?
Monolingual?

[Bungleau]

Highlight between the asterisks in Meg's post for her answer. I've heard the same joke, but with a slightly different punchline. And sadly, 'tis true. I do my best to offset the stereotype, but I'm only one man...

[Callum]

D'oh! I should have realised that... [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I'ma second man... I'm learnign Japanese..

In fact, its 12 30am and I'm off to go and do my Japanese essay now...

*groans*

[Q'alooaith]

Better that people are able to understand each other..

Though I see the tower falling even now, shame it was quit pretty.


When you get youngsters growing up bilingual you start to see the decay in barriers between lanuages, words cross back and forth untill they speak a tsa-sui that only they understand..

Though that's not bad either because no one feel's left out.