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The Future of Languages | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Philological Room |  | |
| Marc Frisch Heptaglot Senior Member Germany Joined 6478 days ago 1001 posts - 1169 votes  Speaks: German*, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Italian Studies: Persian, Tamil | Message 9 of 13 20 April 2011 at 10:00pm | IP Logged | ||
Languages readily borrow words from other languages, but it's rare that languages also borrow grammatical features (although there are some examples: Turkish has relative clauses with "ki" borrowed from Persian and "ve" (and) also borrowed from Persian via Arabic; German, Italian, and French have a past perfect using the auxiliary verb for "to be" when motion is involved and "to have" otherwise; various languages in the Balkan use a post-fixed definite article). So I can imagine a future world language will evolve that is a lexical mixture of other languages, but I don't think it will also have a mixed grammar. Today, English seems to be the only net exporter of words: virtually every language borrows words from English. So my guess for a future world language would have to be some form of English, albeit possibly enriched by some foreign words. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| gambi Newbie New Zealand Joined 4922 days ago 37 posts - 52 votes Speaks: English Studies: Indonesian, Burmese | Message 10 of 13 21 April 2011 at 6:33am | IP Logged | ||
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I know this discussion pertains to what could happen to human languages in the not-too-distant future (say in the next 500-2000 years).
But what about in the extreme distant future (1 million-5 million years from now)? Supposing that humans are still around then but we have evolved to the extent that we are no longer the same species as modern-day Homo sapiens. Will natural selection over millions of years have favoured traits that will ultimately enable us to possess cognitive and neural capacity that allows us to communicate in ways that do not involve sound and speech. For example, we may be able to communicate using telepathy or even a much more complex form of sonar. And what about language learning programs and techniques. Imagine, you want to learn Language A. You go out and buy Teach Yourself Language A. Insert a little chip into your brain and in a few seconds, you can speak Languae A fluently. Only time will tell. :) Edited by gambi on 21 April 2011 at 6:36am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Ari Heptaglot Senior Member Norway Joined 6395 days ago 2314 posts - 5695 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese Studies: Czech, Latin, German | Message 11 of 13 21 April 2011 at 8:29am | IP Logged | ||
I think a common grammatical borrowing is plural forms. English has borrowed lots of plurals from Latin (and in some cases apply them to non-Latin words, the infamous "linguae francae" being such an example). Swedish has taken up forming plurals with a final "-s" in many words, from English influence. In some cases we even add first an English plural ending and then a Swedish one, for a double whammy effect. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Sennin Senior Member Bulgaria Joined 5847 days ago 1457 posts - 1759 votes 5 sounds | Message 12 of 13 21 April 2011 at 12:23pm | IP Logged | ||
This could happen within a century or two. In the distant future we won't need to insert chips into your brains because our whole brains will be on a chip. Organics will be phased out gradually... :). Edited by Sennin on 21 April 2011 at 12:27pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Marc Frisch Heptaglot Senior Member Germany Joined 6478 days ago 1001 posts - 1169 votes Speaks: German*, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Italian Studies: Persian, Tamil | Message 13 of 13 21 April 2011 at 11:24pm | IP Logged | ||
German also uses "-s" for plurals in loanwords: the plural of "Pizza" is "Pizzas" (although the Italian plural is "pizze"), but "Pizzen" (which is more Germanized) is also possible. The more common a word becomes, the more likely it is that its plural is "Germanized". Sure, as long as words are mostly used in academic context, where people are aware of what the "correct" plural should be, that plural will be used: Kasus -> Kasus Tempus -> Tempora But if these words were used more frequently by a broader base of speakers, they would eventually be assimilated to more German forms like "Kasusse" and "Tempusse" (both of which I have already heard). 1 person has voted this message useful |
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