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Sure, why don't we start this initiative by learning Mandarin? Or does it have to be YOUR language that everyone should be obligated to learn and communicate i

Sure, why don't we start this initiative by learning Mandarin? Or does it have to be YOUR language that everyone should be obligated to learn and communicate in?

dang 7y ago
"Be kind. Don't be snarky." "Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
azangru 7y ago
Firstly, it isn't mine. At least not by birth. Unfortunately. Secondly, this kind of moral objection ("does it have to be YOUR language"), intended to shame the proponent of this idea for their presumptuousness, will never get us anywhere. Why don't we start this initiative by learning Mandarin, you say? Why not Arabic, someone replies. Why not French, another says. Why not Spanish, joins yet another. And Welsh, let’s not forget about Welsh, another cries. Framing the question of why pick language X instead of language Y in moral terms is pointless. Sure, one can try to argue from a purely linguistic perspective, pointing out unwieldiness of Chinese characters as opposed to Latin-based alphabets; or the general rarity of tonal languages, such as Chinese; but that’s a crappy argument. A good argument, I think, is that we are at a point where English is already used as an international language in a number of spheres, and instead of discarding it and picking an entirely different language and re-training humanity to use it, it makes much more sense to continue pushing forward with it.
- slaslasla 7y ago
  Based on OP the number of English and Mandarin speakers is roughly the same, and considering written Chinese is mostly shared between languages that would mean that more people can currently read Chinese than English. You have your qualms about Mandarin, but anyone can complain about a language they do not speak, and claim it is too difficult for this or that reason. Compared to English, Chinese grammar is very simple, the written language is compact, and there is little confusion about pronunciation. It seems as good as any (if not better than most) as an international language. It seems you realize it as well, as it is hinted in your own posts; you will never convince everyone to pick your preferred language and convert to it. It is like trying to convert everyone to the same religion. You may think that your choice of [language/religion] is the best one, the one that makes the most sense, without realizing your own bias.

Sure, why don't we start this initiative by learning Mandarin? Or does it have to be YOUR language that everyone should be obligated to learn and communicate in?

dang 7y ago

"Be kind. Don't be snarky." "Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

azangru 7y ago

Firstly, it isn't mine. At least not by birth. Unfortunately. Secondly, this kind of moral objection ("does it have to be YOUR language"), intended to shame the proponent of this idea for their presumptuousness, will never get us anywhere. Why don't we start this initiative by learning Mandarin, you say? Why not Arabic, someone replies. Why not French, another says. Why not Spanish, joins yet another. And Welsh, let’s not forget about Welsh, another cries. Framing the question of why pick language X instead of language Y in moral terms is pointless. Sure, one can try to argue from a purely linguistic perspective, pointing out unwieldiness of Chinese characters as opposed to Latin-based alphabets; or the general rarity of tonal languages, such as Chinese; but that’s a crappy argument. A good argument, I think, is that we are at a point where English is already used as an international language in a number of spheres, and instead of discarding it and picking an entirely different language and re-training humanity to use it, it makes much more sense to continue pushing forward with it.

slaslasla 7y ago
Based on OP the number of English and Mandarin speakers is roughly the same, and considering written Chinese is mostly shared between languages that would mean that more people can currently read Chinese than English. You have your qualms about Mandarin, but anyone can complain about a language they do not speak, and claim it is too difficult for this or that reason. Compared to English, Chinese grammar is very simple, the written language is compact, and there is little confusion about pronunciation. It seems as good as any (if not better than most) as an international language. It seems you realize it as well, as it is hinted in your own posts; you will never convince everyone to pick your preferred language and convert to it. It is like trying to convert everyone to the same religion. You may think that your choice of [language/religion] is the best one, the one that makes the most sense, without realizing your own bias.