Cud other languages combine to dethrone English?
Just as the saying goes, many hands make easy work!
So as Shuimo suggest, why not let other big languages unite to give English a good beating? let other languages combine to dethrone English?
That wud be far more easier to get the job done than one language working alone or even against each other!!! Don't you think so? ^_^
According to several experts the situation can be that.
George Webber says that in the top layer will be in the near future four or five languages: English, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic and perhaps Hindi.
So, English as the lonely global language is finishing. English probably will be one of the most important languages with a similar importance with another 3 or 4.
<<Just as the saying goes, many hands make easy work!
So as Shuimo suggest, why not let other big languages unite to give English a good beating? let other languages combine to dethrone English?
>>
I thought your view was that English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Hindi, Portuguese and all other Indo-European languages were already united (being only dialects of each other)? Maybe the Semitic languages are mere dialects of English, too?
We'll have to see if Chinese becomes more imporant than Indo-European in the near future.
According to several experts the situation can be that.
David Graddol says that in the top layer will be in the near future four or five languages: English, French, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, and perhaps Hindi.
Where's the cow, Shuimo?
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"We'll have to see if Chinese becomes more imporant than Indo-European in the near future."
Good one. I'm waiting for Shuimo to learn a few dialects.
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If English loses the top slot, I'll still be in good shape speaking it, so I'm not going to worry about Shuimo in his Chairman Mao jacket. I do like Mandarin. I like the way it looks and I've gotten used to how it sounds.
Ain't practical no way for us lazy westerners, but that doesn't mean we can't learn it.
Marcus minimus Thu Dec 10, 2009 11:34 pm GMT
I thought your view was that English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Hindi, Portuguese and all other Indo-European languages were already united (being only dialects of each other)? Maybe the Semitic languages are mere dialects of English, too?
We'll have to see if Chinese becomes more imporant than Indo-European in the near future.
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True!
Shuimo did say all Western languages are mere dialects of one language only!
I still think my theory is on safe gound and won't change my standpoint in the future either!LOL
I guess if you are young enough, I mean if you are not in yr 70s or 80s, you surely have the chance to witness Chinese steal show of Indo-European languages, English included even!
K. T. Sat Dec 12, 2009 2:34 am GMT
Where's the cow, Shuimo?
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"We'll have to see if Chinese becomes more imporant than Indo-European in the near future."
Good one. I'm waiting for Shuimo to learn a few dialects.
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If English loses the top slot, I'll still be in good shape speaking it, so I'm not going to worry about Shuimo in his Chairman Mao jacket. I do like Mandarin. I like the way it looks and I've gotten used to how it sounds.
Ain't practical no way for us lazy westerners, but that doesn't mean we can't learn it.
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Shuimo is now learning the French dialect, after seeking advice from our fellow lovely Antimooners like Capsian!
J'apprendre le francais all by myself!
I find there are so many familiar words in French, resembling those in English, yet with slight spelling differences!
I can quickly figure out what a French sentence means in the textbook I use!
The big pain Shuimo experiences now is to memorize all these useless gender distinction and tense-based verb inflections!
The use of articles/prep like le, la, au, du is also the pain in the neck!
Could you tell me any tips to learn French? I really hate the redundant grammatical disinctions in French!
BTW: KT, you mean you've learned Chinese and know my mother tongue?
How did you learn it?
Why does Arabic keep being mentioned in these "languages of the future" lists? Is Modern Standard Arabic spoken anywhere? What's so bright about the future of any Arabic-speaking country?
Latin union doesn't work, neither a portuguese spanish union and they are very close. I think an indoeuropean union is absurd.
Good thing is everybody is learning english round the globe as first (native) or second language (first foreign language) so english will be the most important language in future. Beside media will help english a lot.
English rule.
I'm curious as well, K.T. - where is the cow?
If we brew all continental Indo-European languages together to one odd dialect, we might be able to overthrow the Anglo-Saxon dialect of Indo-European.
What we can also do is take advantage of the current Chinese learning craze which is overtaking Europe at the moment and use Mandarin Chinese as a lingua franca between European countries, in order to force Anglophones to learn it as well.
Maybe just brewing French and German together would be sufficient.
<<The big pain Shuimo experiences now is to memorize all these useless gender distinction and tense-based verb inflections!
The use of articles/prep like le, la, au, du is also the pain in the neck!
>>
Aren't you glad that English got rid of genders, and all but two inflected tenses? However, memorizing gender can't be any worse than emmorizing all those Chinese characters, and surely articles can't be worse than tones?
"I'm curious as well, K.T. - where is the cow?"
I don't know, but she's probably chewing the cud, and more than likely
outstanding/out standing in her field.