Future of the languages?

NTSL   Sun Apr 08, 2007 3:46 am GMT
Sam,

Brazilian need not to speak Spanish even if they study it because they just want to further their comprehension of it. If they want to communucate with Hispanics they will still use Portuguese.
Sam   Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:18 pm GMT
Hmmm, I see that you are nervous. Perhaps, because I am right.

I am not francophobe or something else. If experts say that French will be less important, I do not care. If Chinese will be more important I do not care... but it is true.

I repeat some reports. One of them, Berlitz say that at this moment the most studied languages are the next:
1. English
2. French
3. Spanish
4. German
5. Chinese
6. Italian

But, in this study Berlitz explain that only 3 languages are increasing the number of students: English, Spanish, and Chinese. According to this article, French, German and Italian lose a lot of students.

Other interesting reports from El Pais, Instituto Cervantes, Britannica World Data, Telefonica or Unesco:

-En el mundo hay 400 millones de hispanohablantes, nueve de cada 10 son latinoamericanos y las proyecciones son fuertes: se calcula que para 2030, más de 530 millones de personas hablarán español.

-Según el Instituto Cervantes, el español es hoy la cuarta lengua más hablada del planeta, por detrás del chino mandarín, el inglés y el hindi. El 5,7% de la población mundial usa el español y para 2030 podría convertirse en la segunda lengua materna más usada, sólo por atrás del chino, según proyecciones de la Britannica World Data.

-Hay otras proyecciones. Por ejemplo, un estudio encargado por la Unesco no descarta que para el año 2050 la cuarta parte del mundo habla en español.

-En una nota publicada por el suplemento Babelia, de El País de Madrid, se planteaban algunos de los retos más importantes del español. El primero es terminar de asumir su importancia. La nota, del sábado 24 de marzo, se titulaba "España descubre el petróleo de la lengua" y habla del impresionante auge de los centros dedicados a la enseñanza de español en detrimento de los centros de alemán o francés. "Mientras el Goethe Institute (alemán) sopesa el cierre de algunas de sus sedes y la centenaria Alliance Française asiste alarmada a la contracción de la demanda, el joven Instituto Cervantes prosigue su expansión...".

Well, this last article from the Spanish newspaper "El Pais" is absolutely remarkable. The data are very serious and you can read when you want:

"España descubre el petroleo de la lengua", El Pais, sabado, 24 de marzo.
Guest   Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:34 am GMT
That's a big lie Sam. In reality, many Instituto Cervantes are closing down in many countries because nobody wants to study Spanish. That's the reality.

If Spanish is popular, how come that those Filipinos who study foreign languages aside from English take either French or Japanese? When the Philippines is an ex-Spanish colony.
Sam   Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:27 am GMT
Well, we have different sources. I read that many Goethe and Alliance Francaise are closing down in many countries because nobody wants to study German or French. I do not know who is lying.

In Philippines, there are a lot of people that speak Spanish as second or third language. Including chavacano there are 3 million of speakers, according to Instituto Cervantes report. For instance, Gloria M. Arroyo speaks very well the language (the president of the country).

It is interesting that if you do not like a report, you say that is wrong or it is a lie. All my sources are wrong?

El Pais, Instituto Cervantes, Britannica World Data, Telefonica or Unesco are wrong? I do not think so.
Guest   Wed Apr 11, 2007 6:52 am GMT
Sam, Spanish is only on a very elementray level nothing else. As compared to French, German, and Russian, the students reach the intermediary and advance level.

Nobody wants to take Spanish seriously. Admit many Instituto Cervantes are closing down.
Sam   Wed Apr 11, 2007 7:34 am GMT
Well, I have other information. But you need to say which are the reports you have read. According to my reports is the opposite:

"impresionante auge de los centros dedicados a la enseñanza de español en detrimento de los centros de alemán o francés. "Mientras el Goethe Institute (alemán) sopesa el cierre de algunas de sus sedes y la centenaria Alliance Française asiste alarmada a la contracción de la demanda, el joven Instituto Cervantes prosigue su expansión..."." El Pais, sabado, 24 de marzo.

On the other hand, Spanish is at this moment spoken by 475 million people around the world: more than German, French and Italian together!!!!

Finally, Spanish will be the second world language, because is and will be the second language of USA (in 2050 will be 100 million of Spanish speakers in USA).
Guest   Wed Apr 11, 2007 8:34 am GMT
<<Finally, Spanish will be the second world language, because is and will be the second language of USA (in 2050 will be 100 million of Spanish speakers in USA). >>

In 2050 those Hispanics will be totally anglicized having no knowledge and amor to the Spanish language.

In 2050, 2/3 the populations of Mexico, Central America, and Puerto Rico will become English speakers.
Sam   Fri Apr 13, 2007 11:51 am GMT
You need to support that with reports. I have some reports that support the next idea:

In 2050, all the American countries will have Spanish as first or second language except Canada.

El Pais, Instituto Cervantes, Britannica World Data, Telefonica or Unesco are wrong? I do not think so.
JLK   Fri Apr 13, 2007 12:17 pm GMT
LOL, spanish is a third world language. The reason why there are so many hispanics in the USA is because their countries are third world....
Ozie   Fri Apr 13, 2007 1:50 pm GMT
<<You need to support that with reports. I have some reports that support the next idea:

In 2050, all the American countries will have Spanish as first or second language except Canada.

El Pais, Instituto Cervantes, Britannica World Data, Telefonica or Unesco are wrong? I do not think so.>>

there you go again with your pure inventions, Sam. There were no such report by either UNESCO or World Data. You must hav got your false information from Instituto Cervantes.

Look at the Mexican, Central Americans and Puerto Ricans and you'll observe that most of them speak American Englsh nowadays.

Most of the real Yankees don't even speak a smattering of any foreign language and that includes Spanish and they don't even bother to.

So you have to accept the reality that thepeople of those areas will someday hav English as their foreign language. Second generation hispanics in the US of A will evntually become mono lingual English speakers.

From Oz/Australia
Sam   Fri Apr 13, 2007 5:14 pm GMT
"Another key Spanish market is the Hispanic population in the US. Today, there are more than 44 million Hispanics living in the US— almost the same population as Spain. This number represents approximately 15% of the entire US population. What is more, this group is growing 4 times more than the average national population. By 2050, the US Census Bureau estimates that 25% of the US population will be considered Hispanic. In the L.A area alone, a whopping 80% of the population between 12 and 19 years old is Hispanic!"


If you don´t like the Instituto Cervantes reports, perhaps you prefer another one: According to the US Census Bureau, by 2050, 25% of all the population will be Hispanic.

JLK, if you think that Spanish is a third world language, the USA will have a problem...
Ozie   Sat Apr 14, 2007 4:13 pm GMT
<<If you don´t like the Instituto Cervantes reports, perhaps you prefer another one: According to the US Census Bureau, by 2050, 25% of all the population will be Hispanic. >>

Nonsense. Do you have to be told repeatedly that those hispanics will be anglicised the moment they become used to Yankee culture and language?

Linguist are very alarmed that by 2050, many people in Mexico, Central America, and Puerto Rico will become English speaker since many of them nowadays speak Yankee English fluently without a thick accent.
Sam   Sat Apr 14, 2007 6:17 pm GMT
Well, perhaps, quizá si, quizá no...

At this moment Spanish in USA is spoken by:

45 million of Hispanics (officially).

4 million of people in Puerto Rico (an Associated State, where everybody speak Spanish).

8-10 million of Americans study this language at school, High School or at University.

10-12 million of illegal Hispanics live in USA.


So, at this moment 70 million of people living in USA (and Puerto Rico) speak Spanish in different degrees. I don´t think Spanish will desapear in the States.
ih ih   Sat Apr 14, 2007 7:13 pm GMT
Well I do'nt know the answer, NOBODY does, but one thing is for sure: the idiocy and filthy ignorance of the people of "English speaking countries" HAS NO END
Ozie   Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:47 am GMT
Sure Asm, it's becase of illegal immigration. But I don't think that Spanish will replace English in the US. Not a chance. As I told you before 2nd generation hispanics will no longer speak Spanish as their first language in the Yankee soil.