The most useful languages for world travel

Orlena   Mon May 12, 2008 9:13 am GMT
OK, French is spoken on five continents. But Spanish is also spoken on 6 continents and Italian on 4 (including minorities). We can be more serious:

French is important in European Union and Africa. TWO Continents, but in Europe English is the lingua franca, not French. So, you can travel from Italy to Norway (including France) only speaking English. In Africa, French is important (English and Arabic too).

Spanish is important in European Union, North America, and South America. 3 Continents. In Europe, we can say the same, English is the lingua franca, not Spanish. But it is important in North America and South America

If we do not add Europe, we can see that French is important in Africa and Spanish in North America and South America. Africa is not really important for world travel. So, you can see that Spanish is more useful.

We can see that there are 5 languages, French, Hindi, Urdu, Swahili, and German that are not in the top five because in their continent, English is really important.

In short, we can see that Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Russian are more useful because English is not very spoken in their areas.
Guest   Mon May 12, 2008 9:25 am GMT
<< French is important in European Union and Africa. TWO Continents, but in Europe English is the lingua franca, not French. So, you can travel from Italy to Norway (including France) only speaking English. In Africa, French is important (English and Arabic too). >>

French is a lingua franca in Europe. I heard lots of Brits and Americans use French to communicate let's say with the non-English speaking Germans or Italians but I never heard them using Spanish.

French is spoken in 5 continents. In South America, French is present in French Guaiana. In Asia and Pacific, it's spoken in Indochina, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, and Vanuatu. Spanish has long disappeared in the Philippines, Guam, and Marianas so it's presence is Asia remains obscure.
Guest   Mon May 12, 2008 9:35 am GMT
Portuguese is more important than Spanish.
Guest   Mon May 12, 2008 9:41 am GMT
My ass is more important than both Spanish and French.
Orlena   Mon May 12, 2008 9:47 am GMT
We can say that a language is spoken in a continent if it is spoken by 10 million people or more (we need a minimum).

Italian is also spoken in Italy, USA, Argentina, Somalia, Australia, etc. We can say that Italian is spoken on 5 continents too (if we are not serious or we are fanatics)

So, French IS NOT SPOKEN IN ASIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, French IS only important in Africa and Europe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

French, including all students that can say Bonjour and Bonsoir are, perhaps, 3-4 million people. That is the same data for Spanish. The last language is spoken by 3-4 in Asia (students and people from Philippines, Guam, Marianas, etc that can say Buenos dias and Buenas tardes).
Guest   Mon May 12, 2008 9:53 am GMT
>>We can say that a language is spoken in a continent if it is spoken by 10 million people or more (we need a minimum).<<

So languages like danish, bulgarian or latvian are spoken nowhere.

I also can say Bonjour and Bonsoir and Buenos dias and Buenas tardes. What am I, French or Spanish speaker?
Guest   Mon May 12, 2008 9:56 am GMT
<< So, French IS NOT SPOKEN IN ASIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >>

French IS SPOKEN IN ASIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, Spanish IS THE ONE NOT SPOKEN IN ASIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Orlena   Mon May 12, 2008 10:11 am GMT
>>We can say that a language is spoken in a continent if it is spoken by 10 million people or more (we need a minimum).<<

I was speaking about students and second language speakers, not native speakers.


>>I also can say Bonjour and Bonsoir and Buenos dias and Buenas tardes. What am I, French or Spanish speaker?<<


I wanted to explain that there are 3-4 million of people in Asia speaking French including people that only know a very basic French.



Italian is a good example. There are minorities that speak the language in USA, Argentina, Somalia, and Australia. We can not say seriously that Italian is spoken on 5 continents.
Guest   Mon May 12, 2008 10:16 am GMT
We're talking about how frequent a language is used in certain areas. Now those Indochinese can speak French fluently. Their French is far better than the Spanish of the Philippines.
Gotham   Mon May 12, 2008 11:07 am GMT
<< How is he a fanatic? He definitely isn't hispanic. What he listed pretty much makes sense. He didn't say anything to attack French. Is he a fanatic just because he didn't give praise to French or something? I don't understand people's definition of fanatic here.

I do agree with the point about 5 being spoken on five continents. It may be so, but it is only small minority on 3 of them. So I think it is dumb to boast about the continents claim. >>

French is spoken in 5 continents just as English. And it's a joke of you say that Spanish is spoken in 5 continents when it's just 3.

Your name fits to your personality and I DON'T FIND YOUR PRO-HISPANIC AND ANTI-FRENCH JOKES VERY FUNNY, JOKER!
Guest   Mon May 12, 2008 11:28 am GMT
<<French is spoken in 5 continents just as English. And it's a joke of you say that Spanish is spoken in 5 continents when it's just 3.
>>

Aren't we overlooking Antarctica in these counts? Surely, there are both French and Spanish speaking scientists down there.
Guest   Mon May 12, 2008 12:01 pm GMT
"French is spoken in 5 continents just as English. And it's a joke of you say that Spanish is spoken in 5 continents when it's just 3."

We do not know if you are a fanatic French or only a silly French.


Asia

French: 3-4 million people speak this language there.

Spanish: 3-4 million people speak this language there.



So, if you say that French is spoken in Asia, Spanish too. Or both, or neither.
Guest   Mon May 12, 2008 12:17 pm GMT
Como rabian los gabachos por una simple lista.
Guest   Mon May 12, 2008 7:04 pm GMT
<<Como rabian los gabachos por una simple lista.>>

Yas ves tio, a mi me sopla la polla las lista, los números y las tonterias de estos tios, lo que no entiendo es esa obsesión que tienen con nuestro idioma, porque? alomejor está pasando en estos momentos lo que ya pasó hace unas décadas. A partir de los cincuenta, con la guerra finiquitada y el inglés como el superidioma del mundo, en francia enpezó el resentimiento contra los anglos y su idioma (tadabía hoy dura la empanada mental gabacha), puede que estemos viviendo un momento igual pero con nuestro idioma. A medida que nuestro idioma avance (otros también) el francés retrocederá y verá como pierde cuotas de poder e influencia lo que producirá un sentimiento francés de rechazo hacia el o los idiomas que le superen (también hacia los países en los que se hablan esos idiomas) así es como funcionan nuestros vecinos, en fin no me alargo más, solo decir eso, que los gabachos tardaron unas 3 o 4 décadas en reconocer al ingles como idioma por encima del francés ( hoy en antimoon puedes ver a gabachos fanáticos hablando de lo grande que es el inglés aunque por dentro odien este idioma, solo para frenar al español) lo mismo pasará, hay que dehjar a los gabachos fanáticos en paz, necesitan un tiempo de reflexión y aclimatación al nuevo orden linguístico mundial, este proceso tardará décadas (no es fácil ver como tu idioma pierte toda la grandeur, asique yo no le daría importancia a estos pajarracos, hay que darles tiempo.

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡Saludos!!!!!!!!!
Guest   Mon May 12, 2008 7:19 pm GMT
Estos franceses no pueden aceptar que el español esta muy por encima de su idioma, eso sin mencionar que nuestro idioma es mucho mas sencillo que el suyo, incluyendo el inglés.

Francia: Un país pequeño con una población mediana.

Quebec: Una provincia (ni siquiera un país) con un francés antiguo, prácticamente inentendible.

África francesa: Los países mas pobres de la tierra.

Asia: Gracias a las filipinas el español es mucho mas importante que el francés en aquel continente.