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I just feel that the whole humanity should speak one common language. Now whether you like it or not that language is going to be English. I just dont understa

by sumedh 12y ago

I just feel that the whole humanity should speak one common language. Now whether you like it or not that language is going to be English. I just dont understand why do we need multiple languages anymore. If anyone says we need them to preserve the culture, I dont understand that either. My native language is not English, just in case anyone feels I want to force English down your throat.

Animats 12y ago
It may end up being Mandarin. Although Beijing, despite half a century of trying, hasn't been able to convert the Guangdong and Hong Kong areas. Only about 53% of China's own population has good fluency in Standard Chinese.
- morgante 12y ago
  I doubt it. There might be more people with Mandarin as a native language, but English has far more adoption amongst non-native speakers. Most Europeans, for example, know some English.
Dewie 12y ago
> My native language is not English, just in case anyone feels I want to force English down your throat. But you speak fluent English, so it's basically the same thing if you don't care about preserving your own language for cultural reasons. You're just as much of a privileged, spoilt child that is demanding that the rest of the world should get in line with something you already know, as native English speakers with the same demand are.
sidekick 12y ago
I agree a common language is beneficial, but choosing English as the one is not without drawbacks. As someone who speaks both English and a tad of Chinese, I am aware of instances where there are words in either language that can't be easily said in the other. You'd think with a good enough command of English and logic you could necessarily translate any word of any other language in the universe. However, I suspect it is not that simple. Some words invoke particular neuronal activity that encodes a particular thought which may be hard to replicate through the usage of a clumsy translation. Thus a difference in language may also be a reflection of a difference in culture and way of thinking. Since people around the world care about different things, they will use different words more frequently, attach different connotations to them, and even invent new words whose usage you'd find to be isolated to particular geographical regions. So, the selection of a common language is almost like the selection of a particular way of thinking. The notion of cultural uniformity/superiority can rub people the wrong way. So if there is to be a common language, it would be more considerate if it incorporated features from different languages, rather than be entirely from one language (English), and it should probably be engineered to be somewhat culturally agnostic.
wishinghand 12y ago
I'd rather everyone speak two languages: their local/cultural tongue and an invented language that the world shares and could contribute to, such as Lojban or Esperanto.
- panglott 12y ago
  Esperanto could work, or even Interlingua but how about Lojban get even a few native speakers before proposing it as THE language of international communication. Even a few fluent speakers? ;)
panglott 12y ago
All of humanity speaking one language, and having multiple languages, are not actually mutually exclusive. Diglossia and multilingualism are the norm. There's no reason why people can't speak a mother tongue at home and in a local community, and use an international language for math, science, and travel. The question is whether people should be coerced into abandoning their mother tongue.

by sumedh 12y ago

Animats 12y ago

It may end up being Mandarin. Although Beijing, despite half a century of trying, hasn't been able to convert the Guangdong and Hong Kong areas. Only about 53% of China's own population has good fluency in Standard Chinese.

morgante 12y ago
I doubt it. There might be more people with Mandarin as a native language, but English has far more adoption amongst non-native speakers. Most Europeans, for example, know some English.

Dewie 12y ago

> My native language is not English, just in case anyone feels I want to force English down your throat. But you speak fluent English, so it's basically the same thing if you don't care about preserving your own language for cultural reasons. You're just as much of a privileged, spoilt child that is demanding that the rest of the world should get in line with something you already know, as native English speakers with the same demand are.

sidekick 12y ago

I agree a common language is beneficial, but choosing English as the one is not without drawbacks. As someone who speaks both English and a tad of Chinese, I am aware of instances where there are words in either language that can't be easily said in the other. You'd think with a good enough command of English and logic you could necessarily translate any word of any other language in the universe. However, I suspect it is not that simple. Some words invoke particular neuronal activity that encodes a particular thought which may be hard to replicate through the usage of a clumsy translation. Thus a difference in language may also be a reflection of a difference in culture and way of thinking. Since people around the world care about different things, they will use different words more frequently, attach different connotations to them, and even invent new words whose usage you'd find to be isolated to particular geographical regions. So, the selection of a common language is almost like the selection of a particular way of thinking. The notion of cultural uniformity/superiority can rub people the wrong way. So if there is to be a common language, it would be more considerate if it incorporated features from different languages, rather than be entirely from one language (English), and it should probably be engineered to be somewhat culturally agnostic.

wishinghand 12y ago

I'd rather everyone speak two languages: their local/cultural tongue and an invented language that the world shares and could contribute to, such as Lojban or Esperanto.

panglott 12y ago
Esperanto could work, or even Interlingua but how about Lojban get even a few native speakers before proposing it as THE language of international communication. Even a few fluent speakers? ;)

panglott 12y ago

All of humanity speaking one language, and having multiple languages, are not actually mutually exclusive. Diglossia and multilingualism are the norm. There's no reason why people can't speak a mother tongue at home and in a local community, and use an international language for math, science, and travel. The question is whether people should be coerced into abandoning their mother tongue.