Thursday, June 26, 2003, 09:51 GMT
>>> Like it or lump it, the international language is English. English didn't come to be the international language because someone thought it should be. I was not the product of a campaign to make it a well known language. Nobody set out with a plan to make English the international language. Natural forces made it so.<<<
I love English so I'm not disturbed by the fact it's the international language. However, I can't figure out which natural forces you're speaking about. English is widespread because of the past colonisation and because the current most powerful country speaks it. So, a political power has played a great role in spreading it and now, economical power is reinforcing it all. I think that the fact that English is more flexible than French counts for only 10% in this spreading.
I think a political will could impose ANY not to hard language as the very international communication tool. But I doubt all the country leaders would come to an agreement on this.
>>> Yes, Jim, we know that the only IL will be chosen from natural selection. We (the people of the world) are not going to say tomorrow, "all right, let's make Afrikaans the IL."<<<
Latin wasn't chosen from a natural selection during Antiquity. We can say this is more or less the same thing for English. I doubt a language can become an international communication tool whithout a political will.
I love English so I'm not disturbed by the fact it's the international language. However, I can't figure out which natural forces you're speaking about. English is widespread because of the past colonisation and because the current most powerful country speaks it. So, a political power has played a great role in spreading it and now, economical power is reinforcing it all. I think that the fact that English is more flexible than French counts for only 10% in this spreading.
I think a political will could impose ANY not to hard language as the very international communication tool. But I doubt all the country leaders would come to an agreement on this.
>>> Yes, Jim, we know that the only IL will be chosen from natural selection. We (the people of the world) are not going to say tomorrow, "all right, let's make Afrikaans the IL."<<<
Latin wasn't chosen from a natural selection during Antiquity. We can say this is more or less the same thing for English. I doubt a language can become an international communication tool whithout a political will.