Riding the crest of globalization and technology, English dominates the world as no language ever has, and some linguists are now saying it may never be dethroned as the king of languages.
Some insist that linguistic evolution will continue to take its course over the centuries and that English could eventually die as a common language as Latin did, or Phoenician or Sanskrit or Sogdian before it.
“If you stay in the mind-set of 15th-century Europe, the future of Latin is extremely bright,” said Nicholas Ostler, the author of a language history called “Empires of the Word” who is writing a history of Latin. “If you stay in the mind-set of the 20th-century world, the future of English is extremely bright.”
That skepticism seems to be a minority view. Experts on the English language like David Crystal, author of “English as a Global Language,” say the world has changed so drastically that history is no longer a guide.
“This is the first time we actually have a language spoken genuinely globally by every country in the world,” he said. “There are no precedents to help us see what will happen.”
Interesting read. Sufficient detail and breadth dedicated to a topic deserving more than a snap answer.
At one time I thought English was popular because the English-speaking countries were the least hated across the globe. This thought no longer holds.
McDonald’s on every block, 7-11 on every corner, these are a few of my not so favourite things. Aside the landscape differences, there is a tremendous amount of similarity where ever I drive, it more or less looks alike.
We have 50 states all speaking the same language, more or less. EU has multiple states speaking different languages. I do find it impressive they all can practically speak English. I doubt it’s the same in the Middle East.
It will be interesting to see which model of community wins.
And what or how do you measure “WIN”.
I think more people speak Engrish than English.
I agree with the linguistic evolution remark. Also, never is a really long time. Humans will not last forever.
If we use Star Trek as our model for the future, which is what I use, not only will the whole world speak english, the entire galaxy will.
Let’s hope that when we release SARS 2 it can kill off most of the Chinese so we don’t have to learn that awful sounding language.
All air traffic controls in the world operate with English, everywhere, and the internet is predominantly English, so if people want to use these functions they have to speak it. English that is, not American, mangled English !
English is becoming more deeply entrenched than any previously dominant language because it is the foremost language of technology, particularly computers, which then extends its dominating influence to many forms of economic development as well. What an advantage those of us who were taught English from infancy enjoy!
I onlE hOp txt lingo doesnt eclipse eng az d domiNt lngwij n d wrld.
(Translation: I only hope text lingo doesn’t eclipse English as the dominant language in the world.)
Once they’ve decided what English is, this discussion will make more sense.
#3
Thanks to cellphones Netspeak will replace English.
#5
Inbreeding from your side will make you way more vulnerable.
Yes, English will remain the business language of the world for quite some time, but I don’t think that people will keep their own languages and traditions.
#3
You might want to check out how inner city kids and rednecks talk.
#5
Chinese is a beautiful language. Just hard to master… especially for bigots.
#11 – That should have been: but I think that people
as per the article – the “cumulative” total of english speakers (400mil first language – 500mil secondary language – 750mil foreign language) – thats roughly 1.6 billion – total gobal population is roughly 6 billion – so thats like 25% or so that speak english… right?
How prevalent is chineese (and its derivitave languages)?
btw, i like the pic heading this post 🙂
I see at least one strong contender to the throne – Spanglish …
#11
Cantonese is like English spoken by the Irish: It’s very good for poetry and songs.
I don’t like Mandarin, it sounds like you’re hushing someone.
#15
I like Mandarin… it’s more soft and not so deep in your throat like Cantonese. Also, Cantonese speakers have a tendency of dragging the words a bit…. like “Nei ho maaaaa”… 😉
Which language fits the keyboard the best? Do I understand Korean has fewer letters in the alphabet than English?
For that matter, which works best with voice recognition? English may be to tew too 2 two difficult at times…
#13 – 2 billion Chinese in the country. Unlike many younger cultures, the “nation” includes those called “overseas” Chinese. I would only be guessing another 60 million.
Many folks – quite usual for North Americans – haven’t much of a sense of historic time, much less species time.
An example of cultural time within present-day China: they just abolished the agricultural tax. I’ve been following recent adjustments in taxation in China and asked, “How long has that tax been in place?”
Answer: “2600 years”.
That passes right through and over a few universal and global languages.
Living overseas sure makes me believe that English has not peaked yet.
Most people who haven’t learned it, want to learn it.
However, “never” is a big claim. If humanity survives long enough, English may morph and morph again into something almost unrecognizable from what we speak today.
Both my children have careers teaching english in China. I wonder how many will end up with Indiana accents.
#18 – Well ok roughly 2 billion people – but they dont all speak one particular “type” of chineese – there has got to be at least 15 to 20 dialects in that country, if not more – Im sure that somone in extreme western china is incomprehensible when trying to speak to somone from east coast china (if the crazy creole that the southern louisianan’s speak is any guide)
#22
The last time I counted, it was about 40. The only good thing is that the writing is unified; if you can’t say it, then write it.
#24
That’s why there’s a simplified version.