Does English risk being replaced?

<The matter here, though, is that English has already been spread far and wide, both with respect to native speakers and with respect to non-native speakers, and unless another language manages to both displace English in its currently established role amongst its non-native speakers and to overcome the influence of its widely spread (and generally wealthy overall) native speakers, it is unlikely to replace English.> <if there is anything that is going to diminish the role of English as a global lingua franca, it is simply dialect divergence within itself> Travis

English having already been spread far and wide does NOT mean nor guarantee its eternatlity in the role of a lenggua franca, not to mention its possible splitting into several mutually unintelligble sub-languages. Viewed historically, throughout the human history known to present day people, we just know that there are and have been human langugaes dying off and emerging up in this small planet called earth in this vastless universe. And further, for the lengua franca issue for the human beings, history has shown that only a few lucky enough languages can be ever said to have acted as an international language of different degrees, such as Latin, and possiblly French (besides both Latin and French only within Europe), and today's English. Without any close examination, we easily find that without no exception, behind the role of a particular language acting as a lengua franca lies a powerful country and nation and people with exceptionally and unquestionably strong hard power (economic power, science and technology power, military power) in a certain period of time. SO WHAT?! Nothing is more clearer than THIS implication: THE FATE AND DESTINY OF A PARTICULAR HUMAN LANGUAGE SUBMITS ITSELF TO THE RISE AND FALL OF THE NATION AND THE PEOPLE SPEAKING THAT PARTICULAR LANGUAGE. If a country is powerful, so is the status and influence of the language in which the language is spoken. No truer or starker truth is ever revealed governing the status of languages in human society. The same truth holds true of the acting language undertaking the role of lengua franca for cross-culture, cross-nation, cross-people, cross-race communication!!! Based on that, we can safely predict that the replacement of English as lengua fanca by another language is simply a matter of time. The only unpredictable thing is just the exact time of when and by which language!!!

<<"Well you have to remember that the climate in California is very hot year-round."

Yeah, tell that to the thermometer outside that reads 32 degrees, then tell me that it's very hot here in California year-round. Geez, we do have winters! California isn't just L.A. and Hollywood--It's a pretty damn big state, just so you know!>>

LOL. It's currently 42º F / 6º C this morning in Los Angeles. It's expected to reach a high of 63º F / 17º C this afternoon. That isn't "very hot" in my book.

George, don't u have eyes? yr post above has nothing to do with the subject in question!

<<George, don't u have eyes? yr post above has nothing to do with the subject in question!>>

Okay. No, English is not in any danger of being replaced anytime in the near future (at least for a good 30-50 years), but damn, it sure is chilly in L.A. today!

>> LOL. It's currently 42º F / 6º C this morning in Los Angeles. It's expected to reach a high of 63º F / 17º C this afternoon. That isn't "very hot" in my book.<<

In International Falls, Minnesota the low is going to be 11ºF/-11ºC. The high is 35ºF.

>> Females are the work of Allah and Allah does not make any thing in the universe ugly. But your Western females do the work of Shaitan by dressing in shamefull clothes that lead men from Allah. Shame on your females! <<

Even though George thinks it's "chilly" in L.A. it will still be pretty darn hot in the afternoon:

>>high of 63º F / 17º C this afternoon<<

Can you believe it? 63º F in the Winter!

I think at least for our lifetime and even for some time afterwards English will definitely holds its position as the number one international language. So we need not worry for ourselves or for our children which foreign language to give preference to. Well, if some global catastrophe (ecological, nuclear terrorist attack etc) will not wipe this card-house civilization from the face of the earth, that is... Other option is that we may not need common language at all. We will all have high-tech translators who will be able to translate from any ant into any language. Who then will care to learn languages?

<Who then will care to learn languages?>
What a shallow point of view!
Alas! Man is simply imprisoned in language! Who can claim not to care to learn languages unless he just wants to isolate himself from the rest of the world?

You misunderstood me. I am myself working in language teaching and I the situation when nobody will learn languages is the least thing I want to see... However, te technology is improving ad we may some day (maybe not very soon though) come to situation when perfet translation machinbes will be developed and then nobody will need to strain their brains to learn languages. After all, why bother learning multiplication tables and stuff if one has a pocket calculator.

Pity on you if that is yr true intention!

What is my true intention?

<"After all, why bother learning multiplication tables and stuff if one has a pocket calculator.">

D u really think language learning to interpersonal communication is what pocket calculator to learning multiples? That is yr root of problem! I assure u, my fellow, that is never the case. Think it over again!!

Must you type as if this is a chat room...?

Don't you believe that some day there'll be created perfect translation mashines which will replace the need to learn languages? It all comes downt to whether such thing is possible or not?

that is a diffinate possibility. but look at all the advantages one gets with knowing more than one language.