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Top 10 Languages - Rankings in 2050 | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| SSalvestrini Diglot Newbie United States Joined 5175 days ago 33 posts - 43 votes Speaks: Italian, English* Studies: German, Spanish, Russian | Message 33 of 108 06 January 2011 at 2:23am | IP Logged | |||||
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On another note, I agree with the importance of Russian. It's hard to argue that Russia
is not likely to recover financially and once again become a world power. Important bureaucratic changes must be made, and monopolies on natural resources must be split, but all of that is more than likely. In order for the business generation in 2050 to unanimously speak English, education in English has to start becoming more widespread almost immediately. Since most of the younger generation really doesn't speak English (a lot of students are learning, but most don't speak fluently), and since there is not as big of a desire for Russians in general to learn English, I predict that in 2050 a good percentage of businessmen will not speak English. This is unfortunate for the Western world, because Russia has a lot that can be capitalized on, and it's a very difficult language to learn. Throughout history, there has been a trend of isolationism in the country, and I really think Russia's economy is more or less isolated. There is not a lot of foreign capitalism in Russia in my opinion. Note that all the large industries are owned solely by Russians (or Ukrainians, etc.) and they're the only ones profiting. Western enterprise does exist of course, but I don't think the economy at this point in time is very extroverted. Now I'm not saying that Russia is not dependent on foreign exports, because they are (take oil for example), but international business development WITHIN the country itself is not nearly as prominent as in China. This sounds a bit contradictory, as this might imply that because of the country's introverted trends, in 2050 it will continue to develop internally only, and not contribute as much to the world's overall economy. While this is possible, I do believe that there are transformations taking place in Russia and the former Soviet states that will eventually make the country more penetrable by the West. That will provide incentive for learning Russian, especially since there will most likely be more Western interest in internal Russian development than Russian interest in Western development. Again, just my opinion. Edited by SSalvestrini on 06 January 2011 at 2:23am 3 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| jimbo Tetraglot Senior Member Canada Joined 6295 days ago 469 posts - 642 votes  Speaks: English*, Mandarin, Korean, French Studies: Japanese, Latin | Message 34 of 108 06 January 2011 at 2:50am | IP Logged | |||||
I agree, there are more efficient ways to earn a living. If someone wants to learn Mandarin/Cantonese/Hakka whatever for FUN, I say go for it. If you wind up using one of these languages/"dialects" at work, bonus. Then again, with all of the modern learning aids available (and various tried and true methods available in electronic format) it really isn't THAT hard. Especially if all you need to do is to be able to get around. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| SSalvestrini Diglot Newbie United States Joined 5175 days ago 33 posts - 43 votes Speaks: Italian, English* Studies: German, Spanish, Russian | Message 35 of 108 06 January 2011 at 2:58am | IP Logged | |||||
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I'm simply going to pick five languages, as 10 is a bit hard, and after 5 it's
basically like drawing languages from a hat pretty much (as just SO much of the educated world speaks English)! My projected list: 1.) English. Sometimes it's even a bit hard for me to motivate myself to learn another language for anything besides cultural exploration. My profession requires international awareness, but I find that English is so broadly spoken in politics and economics that I barely ever need to use Mandarin, or need to use German (actually, I sadly never use German because everyone in Germany wants to speak English with me). English may not have the highest number of speakers, but it's unarguably the lingua franca of business and politics. If the UN were to choose just one language for it's official language, as has been discussed extensively in the past, it would without a doubt be English. And actually, it's quite possible that this will happen (it would save a ton of time and money when it comes to translation- it's strikingly expensive to translate a document into 6 languages, have it proof read countless times, and be unable to print it until it's perfect in not only English, but French, Mandarin, Russian, Arabic, and Spanish). 2.) This is a bit trickier, as I can think of many, many arguments as to why it should not be counted so highly, but I shall say Spanish. There are countless economic opportunities in Latin and South America that are still undeveloped. Both of those regions can be considered relatively underdeveloped (or "third world") and as democratic shifts are being made in those countries, it is likely that we will see an explosion of economic power (just like in Asia). Incentive will definitely exist to learn Spanish, just for the sake of business. On the other hand, as the latino population of the US increases, more and more Americans are finding it necessary to learn Spanish (which is quite a hot debate here at the moment). Spanish is taught in all high schools and universities, so the population of Americans who speak Spanish will naturally increase, especially in the southern states, which will inherently end up contributing to the economic development of South and Central America. 3.) French: If it wasn't for Africa, I would not put French on this list. However, seeing as French is the official language of much of Africa, and is widely spoken, it is only logical. It is important to note that I'm considering French from an African standpoint only- too much of France itself speaks English to really be considered that important anymore. On the contrary, in many African countries that speak French, citizens know the latter and perhaps a tribal language. A large percentage do not speak English. I think that in the next forty years we will see the continent start to develop and some major shifts towards democratization. Capitalism from the West is a great possibility, and French will be essential- mainly because there is minimal educational foundations in these countries, and consequently no opportunities for people to learn English. 4.) Arabic If one looks at the Arab world, one will notice amazing political and economic change within the last fifty years. I predict just as much change will occur within the next fifty. There is a lot of opportunity still, and I think that regions with the most fiscal potential and the most social/economic stratification will inevitably be penetrated economically in the next few decades. Aside from the Middle East, look at Eastern Africa. HUGE development potential, and Arabic is the lingua franca of that coast (the most important stretch of Eastern Africa). 5.) Russian [See previous post for a detailed explanation]. I hope that I am not being too narrow minded by over-stressing the importance of English. But empirically, I honestly do not doubt that it will dominate the political and economic world of 2050 almost indefinitely. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| clumsy Octoglot Senior Member Poland lang-8.com/6715Registered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5179 days ago 1116 posts - 1367 votes Speaks: Polish*, English, Japanese, Korean, French, Mandarin, Italian, Vietnamese Studies: Spanish, Arabic (Written), Swedish Studies: Danish, Dari, Kirundi | Message 36 of 108 06 January 2011 at 10:21pm | IP Logged | |||||
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My list:
Swahili - yes! Africa will get rich in the future, and this one can be alternative to European languages in Africa. Arabic -many speakers, and "oily" economies. Chinese - don't need to explain. English - don't need to explain Indonesian - the number of native speakers can be low, but Indonesia has population similar to that of USA. Persian - now the country is under Radical Islamic Government, but who knows what will be in the future, the language is also spoken in Afghanistan. Spanish - Latin America Portuguese - Brazil Russian - can be future language of the region. German - somewhat important language in Europe No French The use in Africa may decline due to the influence of Swahili. Edited by clumsy on 06 January 2011 at 10:24pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Sennin Senior Member Bulgaria Joined 6035 days ago 1457 posts - 1759 votes 5 sounds | Message 37 of 108 07 January 2011 at 2:12pm | IP Logged | |||||
Actually the popularity of French is increasing in Africa; And Portuguese is also becoming more important, for example in Angola, because it serves as a common language between the different tribes and ethnicities. It is no longer the language of the former colonial masters but the native language of many Africans, a languages that unites them and is part of their national identity. 3 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Raincrowlee Tetraglot Senior Member United States Joined 6703 days ago 621 posts - 808 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin, Korean, French Studies: Indonesian, Japanese | Message 38 of 108 08 January 2011 at 3:47am | IP Logged | |||||
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1. English
2. Mandarin Chinese 3. Spanish 4. Turkish. I read part of a book in a library that laid out a vision of the next century, including which countries would rise. I didn't buy it (either the book or the entire chain of logic), but it did present an interesting argument for the rise of Turkey. 5. Hindi 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Lucky Charms Diglot Senior Member Japan lapacifica.net Joined 6950 days ago 752 posts - 1711 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: German, Spanish | Message 39 of 108 08 January 2011 at 4:57am | IP Logged | |||||
Also, is Swahili destined to become such a widespread lingua franca across Africa, like many of us unfamiliar with the region tend to assume? I read here on the forum recently that English also has a strong presence in the region in which Swahili is primarily spoken (roundabouts Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda - all former British colonies). Will the strong presence of English in these regions make Swahili superfluous as a regional lingua franca? Anyway, here's my projection for 2050. 1. English 2. Spanish 3. Mandarin - big gap- 4. Arabic 5. Russian 6. French I put Spanish ahead of Mandarin because it's the common language of many nations and because it's easier to learn for most speakers of the other big languages. For these same reasons I also think Spanish speakers will feel less urgently the need to adopt English as well as the Chinese have. Edited by Lucky Charms on 08 January 2011 at 10:29am 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| dbruggeman Diglot Newbie United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5073 days ago 14 posts - 24 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish | Message 40 of 108 08 January 2011 at 8:01am | IP Logged | |||||
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Swahili is a regional language, not one spoken as a first language by very many so I
expect that it will decline. English in East Africa will be far more useful. I think there is too much focus on business in these postings. It is unlikely that international business will be done in language other than English. Many companies today use English for international business even when working with others for whom English is not there first language. I put more focus on travel and population size. The top 3 I believe everyone is in agreement on. Since few people can learn 10 languages I would actually like to see more debate on positions 4 and 5 in these posts. My list 1. English 2. Spanish 3. Chinese gaps 4. Portuguese 5. French 6. German 7. Indonesian 8. Russian 9. Arabic 10. Italian 1 person has voted this message useful |
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