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The most spoken language in 2050 | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| Mad Max Tetraglot Groupie Spain Joined 5050 days ago 79 posts - 146 votes  Speaks: Spanish*, French, English, Russian Studies: Arabic (classical) | Message 97 of 115 26 January 2015 at 12:03pm | IP Logged | ||
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Well, it is true that Spanish speakers tend to speak bad English. The main reason is
that we have a very simple vowels system. We have only 5 sounds: a, e, i, o, u. Very clear sounds. In English there are some 20 vowel sounds. It is very hard for us to see a difference in words like "beach" and "bitch"...and this is an important problem :) So, it is very difficult to listen to English speakers and to speak English well. It is not exactly resistance to English. It is difficulty to understand it. Hispanic girls in the Miss Universe contest don't want to speak English even if they have a basic o medium English level (written). It is likely that they do not understand well the question and/or they mispronounce the words. At the same time, Spanish is spoken by 550 million around the world. It is an international language, and we don't need to study other languages. Besides, Portuguese (245 million) and Italian (80 million) are relatively similar. So, we can understand in different degrees of understanding some 875 million people. So, we are also confident that there are people that speak the language. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| s_allard Triglot Senior Member Canada Joined 5429 days ago 2704 posts - 5425 votes Speaks: French*, English, Spanish Studies: Polish | Message 98 of 115 26 January 2015 at 2:41pm | IP Logged | ||
It is certainly true that even in today's globalized world, most people have no need to speak a foreign language. The vast majority of Latin Americans have no need of English. I'm sure that most Europeans and Scandinavians can get by in their daily lives without using a word of English. Even in China, how many people actually need English in their jobs? Actual need for English is not the issue. The issue is the perception of what is the language of choice for international communication outside of one's language zone. This is where English has won hands down. Although one can question how useful it may actually be, English is undoubtedly the number one foreign language taught in Latin American schools. I suspect that in all those countries there are also very expensive and exclusive private schools where much of the teaching is in English. Much like those prestigious French immersion international schools in North America. I can understand that beauty contestants may not actually need to know much English. But look at non-English-speaking professional athletes today. What is the foreign language of choice for their career development? It's the same choice of all university professors in Latin America, especially in the technical fields. This the essence of the idea of a lingua franca. We're not talking about replacing other languages that have regional significance. We're talking about those situations where people of different languages want to find some common medium of communication. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| kerateo Triglot Senior Member Mexico Joined 5645 days ago 112 posts - 180 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English, French Studies: Italian | Message 99 of 115 26 January 2015 at 6:33pm | IP Logged | ||
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The most spoken language at native level will be Mandarin unless there is a demographic calamity (I can only think of nuclear war, in which case all bets are off).
The most spoken language (a2-b2) will be probably English because it will continue to be the lingua franca. Only another world language could challenge English as a Lingua franca. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_language There are only 3 world languages; English, Spanish and French. Of the two I think only Spanish could challenge English as Lingua Franca and hence most spoken language in the world. Spanish speaking countries GDP would need to surpass English Speaking countries GDP for the western world to embrace another lingua Franca. This is improbable unless Spanish really gains momentum INSIDE the US. People think that because China will be a bigger economy than the US (or already is) it can challenge its Lingua Franca status. The truth is that English is the Language of choice of the entire Western World. I don't think China will ever have a bigger economy than all of Europe, the Americas, Oceania and perhaps Africa combined. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Juаn Senior Member Colombia Joined 5344 days ago 727 posts - 1830 votes Speaks: Spanish* | Message 100 of 115 26 January 2015 at 9:45pm | IP Logged | ||
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"Eine Sprache vorstellen heißt, sich eine Lebensform vorstellen."
Why do people learn English today? Because it is the medium of a way of life that has successfully spread the world over. Our economic organization, technology and popular culture are expressed in English. People won't learn Chinese, Spanish or Hindi just because they're big; projections based on numbers of speakers or GDP are hopeless. For them or any other language to assume the role held by English today, the worldview they give expression to would have to conquer our way of life as well. And this is something no one can foresee. 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| stout Senior Member Ireland Joined 5370 days ago 108 posts - 140 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 101 of 115 26 January 2015 at 10:11pm | IP Logged | ||
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I will say that English will still remain the international language even if the USA is
no longer the world's most powerful nation. Edited by stout on 26 January 2015 at 10:12pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Medulin Tetraglot Senior Member Croatia Joined 4667 days ago 1199 posts - 2192 votes Speaks: Croatian*, English, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Norwegian, Hindi, Nepali | Message 102 of 115 27 January 2015 at 5:45am | IP Logged | ||
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I hope Bangla, Hindi and maybe Telugu ;)
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Stolan Senior Member United States Joined 4031 days ago 274 posts - 368 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Thai, Lowland Scots Studies: Arabic (classical), Cantonese | Message 103 of 115 28 January 2015 at 5:25pm | IP Logged | ||
Chinese is useful as business languages. If one does business with the Chinese, knowing how to speak to them will save a lot of face. It may or may not help deals go through, but more people will start to like you. I am not familiar with Spanish speakers and their feelings towards people who make an attempt to speak their language but I do honestly believe just speaking to almost anyone (except the French?) will have a positive effect when a negotiation is going down. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| ScottScheule Diglot Senior Member United States scheule.blogspot.com Joined 5227 days ago 645 posts - 1176 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Latin, Hungarian, Biblical Hebrew, Old English, Russian, Swedish, German, Italian, French | Message 104 of 115 28 January 2015 at 9:12pm | IP Logged | ||
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I'm not sure about 2050, but over at the Speculative Grammarian, they've used the Language Change Algorithm to discover what English will sound like in the 22nd century. The results are striking.
http://specgram.com/CLX.4/10.pspress.feb.html Hence, the old King James' passage: 10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Will in the future read as such: 10 Latron, Jesus was sittin ta eat n't'house, wen lookit! holelotta blingblingers n other huài guys came n hobnobbed with'm n his posse. 11 Wen t'faruppities saw all round this, they asked his posse: Aya! Wy your main man eat with blingblingers n huài guys? 12 Wen Jesus heard all that, he told'm: t'users that got no virisses on t'seepeeyou donno need ta call t'cusstomber service lines, but those pobrecitos with fragged hard drives need it sumtimes. 13 You faruppities drive off now and figgerout wat that is bout. I want merced and not malitos. Cause I didn' come here ta organize t'goodytwoshoeses. I come here ta tell t'blingblingers ta makenice. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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