Confirmed: French is in free fall

Visitor   Tue May 18, 2010 7:23 pm GMT
Hi, I would like to confirm that French language is in free fall.

One of the most important websites tell us that French is ONLY 8th in Internet. It was 6th one year ago. The trend is very bad and it will be probably worse next year.

http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm

English, Chinese and Spanish are the most used languages on the web and the most spoken languages Worldwide.
fraz   Tue May 18, 2010 8:12 pm GMT
I spoke to a young woman from Vietnam the other day and she said virtually nobody learns French in that country anymore. It is all English. Only the older generation can speak French.
Franco   Tue May 18, 2010 8:17 pm GMT
Yeah, it is like in Europe. My grand-parents studied French at school. Meanwhile my parents and I studied English, the most useful language nowadays.

When my grand-pa generation dead nobody will speak French in Europe as second language.
Hmph   Tue May 18, 2010 9:11 pm GMT
You people are just jealous that French is such a romantic, majestic, and refined language with a deep history and great culture. French will hopefully not die out. And this is coming from an American, too, by the way.
another American   Tue May 18, 2010 9:17 pm GMT
You gave the answer ,Hmph, to all this: French had a great PAST but it lacks a brillian future. If the French speakers feel more self-confident recreating on their glorious past then good for them.
Dutch   Tue May 18, 2010 9:25 pm GMT
While you all compair global language, English laughs at all of you. Spanish and Chinese will never be important on a global level. Only Spanish one needs to know is commands to order around servants and maids. Chinese will only be needed when filing a lawsuit against their lead filled crap they export, but even then they wouldn't care. So logically we only need to learn a few Spanish phrases and ignore Chinese.
American Chinese   Tue May 18, 2010 9:36 pm GMT
Not really, Dutch

USA is becoming bilingual. So, English and Spanish, both, are the languages of your masters, my Dutch servant. You should respect more your boss.

Besides, China is the second most powerful country on Earth. So, they are also your masters, my European maid.
Carlos I de España   Wed May 19, 2010 1:44 am GMT
I speak Latin to God,
Italian to musicians,
Spanish to women,
French at the Court,
German to my servants
and English to my horses.

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Franco   Wed May 19, 2010 1:58 am GMT
Charles V didn't speak English. The true quote is:

<<I speak French to men, Italian to women, German to horses and Spanish to God. >>
Carlos I de España   Wed May 19, 2010 2:04 am GMT
"Hablo latín con Dios,
italiano con los músicos,
español con las damas,
francés en la corte,
alemán con los lacayos
e inglés con mis caballos."

- Carlos I de España

He did speak English since he was an infant,
mich better than you, by the way.
Franco   Wed May 19, 2010 2:16 am GMT
That's nonsense. English was an irrelevant language back at those times, like Dutch or even less. I doubt Charles V spend a bit of his precious time in what was considered a peasants' language.
Hernando Cortes   Wed May 19, 2010 4:56 am GMT
Charles wasn't well received in Spain due to his Hapsburg background was he?
ME   Wed May 19, 2010 6:55 am GMT
<<English, Chinese and Spanish are the most used languages on the web and the most spoken languages Worldwide.>>

The two languages I'm good at are Mandarin and English.
Hahaha... I'm the winner!
Irony   Wed May 19, 2010 7:05 am GMT
Peasants language? Much like Spanish is today? Oh the irony....
Matematik   Wed May 19, 2010 7:24 am GMT
Spanish is worthless in Europe, the extent of Italian's influence and converage in Europe and North Africa is much bigger than Spanish.