The 3 most important world languages
I would like to know which are the 3 most important world languages. I do not like another stupid war between French & Spanish speakers. So, I say 3, and not 2.
I think that English, Spanish and French can be the answer more writen. I am not sure about other languages like German, Chinese, Arabic and Russian. You can say more than 3 if you want.
Thanks.
In 25+ years:
1 - Chinese
2 - Hindi
3 - Arabic
Spoken (native): Chinese, Spanish, Hindi
Economic: English, Japanese, Chinese
Diplomatic: English, French, Spanish
Internet users: English, Chinese, Spanish
1 - English
2 - German
3 - Russian
I more or less agree with gest2 but i'd say that In science and technology i only find english useful because it's the language that is leading the way.
<<The Romans based their culture on the Etruscan one. >>
Was Latin based on Etruscan?
No but many words are of Etruscan origin, for example Rome is Etruscan.
ROMA = AMOR if you read in reverse, isn't it romantic?
ROMA = ROMA people = LOVELY people = AMOR.
These sorts of threads do tire me. You should learn languages that interest you and the languages that are spoken a nation or region that you could see yourself spending a lot of time. Anything else is of no consequence. Language popularity is an in and out fad just as much as the clothes in your wardrobe. The current fads are Mandarin and Arabic, but in 5 years it will be something else. It's silly and utterly futile to go along with the trend merely for the sake of it.
<<In 25+ years:
1 - Chinese
2 - Hindi
3 - Arabic>>
Chinese could very well be an important one 25 years from, providing it doesn't get involved in a WWIII. There are many barriers to prevent it from becoming a lingua franca though. Geographically, it is a very limited language too.
Hindi, definitely not. In a nation where English is already an official language, Hindi doesn't stand a chance. Again, geographically, very limited.
Arabic might be an important language in security organizations and mosques but nothing more. Oil is the Arab economy and 25 years from now there will not be a market for oil due to alternative fuels. The Arab states are screwed. To say nothing of the whole dialect mess...
<<Economic: English, Japanese, Chinese>>
I think Spanish has surpassed Japanese as far as economics are concerned. The GDP, natural wealth, and labor force of the Spanish speaking world is massive and growing rapidly. It wouldn't surprise me if the Hispanophone nations surpass China in economic might a few years from now.