language of 20th century?

Mandarin gaining popularity, Spanish losing

For a long time, I have held the view that China is going to dominate the world as an economic power during the next few decades. Relating this to languages, I enjoy discussing whether this will create a change in terms of using English as a business medium.

My conclusion in the past has been, unfortunately, that it is far more likely for the Chinese to learn English than vice versa. This is simply because I believe they are becoming more international in their business thinking and have already established it in their school system.

However, this news article talks about Hispanic Americans in Chile, Panama, and Venezuela wanted to learn Mandarin and replce their Spanish with it.

Stay tuned to find out at http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/167430.html

Spanish is dead in Hispanic America!!!!

<< To to person who keeps posting shit about Ghana in support of French: It doesn't really matter what happens in Ghana or even the rest of the African Francophone. Wow, French is being used in Ghana! Big deal. Is that the best you can do? >>

To to person who keeps posting shit about the Spanish speakers in Hispanic America support of French: It doesn't really matter if there are large number of Spanish in all Hispanic America. Wow,, Spanish has large number of native speakers! Big deal. Is that the best you can do?

<< FRANCOPHONE AFRICA EMIGRATE TO SPAIN !!!
FRANCOPHONE AFRICA EMIGRATE TO SPAIN !!!
FRANCOPHONE AFRICA EMIGRATE TO SPAIN !!! >>

True and that country will become Francophone in instant Bwa hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Chinese will never have importance because all the Chinese will die from air pollution before it happens. They can't do anything because their brains are muddled from their filthy country.

<< << To to person who keeps posting shit about Ghana in support of French: It doesn't really matter what happens in Ghana or even the rest of the African Francophone. Wow, French is being used in Ghana! Big deal. Is that the best you can do? >>

To to person who keeps posting shit about the Spanish speakers in Hispanic America support of French: It doesn't really matter if there are large number of Spanish in all Hispanic America. Wow,, Spanish has large number of native speakers! Big deal. Is that the best you can do? >>

Good try. But Latin America wins out over Africa any day. The poorest, most corrupt, violent, disease riddin, backwards (tribal systems, ethnic cleansing) places in the world. This is way French in Africa is insignificant.

<< However, this news article talks about Hispanic Americans in Chile, Panama, and Venezuela wanted to learn Mandarin and replce their Spanish with it. >>

Uh, I don't think anyone said they wanted to "replace" their native language. Another Frenchie twisting facts.

I'll tell you what will get replaced though: French in as a studied language in South America. This news article is actually bad new for you because the more students there study Chinese, the less they will study French. We know that English isn't going anywhere, so there's just less room for French.

An example of French as a foreign language gradually erroding, which is too bad because that's all it has going for it outside of France these days. Bwa hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

French is gone. At my high school in America these languages were offered:

(in order of popularity)
1. Spanish
2. German
3. Japanese

I asked a Argentine friend about his high school there:

1. English
2. Italian
3. Portuguese
3. Russian

I asked a Peruvian:

1. English
2. Portuguese
3. Italian
4. French (finally!)

Spanish is gone. At my high school in Europe these languages were offered:

(in order of popularity)
1. French
2. German
3. Russian

I asked a German friend about his high school there:

1. English
2. French
3. Italian

I asked a British :

1. French
2. German
3. Italian
No Spanish

<< Uh, I don't think anyone said they wanted to "replace" their native language. Another Frenchie twisting facts.

I'll tell you what will get replaced though: French in as a studied language in South America. This news article is actually bad new for you because the more students there study Chinese, the less they will study French. We know that English isn't going anywhere, so there's just less room for French. >>

An example of Spanish being replaced by the language of people being looked down by them, which is too bad because that's all it has going for it outside of Spain these days. Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

In Spain French is seen as the language of the poors. Many black Africans come to this country and speak French. There are tons of them around Madrid. Why don't they migrate to their metropolis instead?. It's so disgusting.

<< << << To to person who keeps posting shit about Ghana in support of French: It doesn't really matter what happens in Ghana or even the rest of the African Francophone. Wow, French is being used in Ghana! Big deal. Is that the best you can do? >>

To to person who keeps posting shit about the Spanish speakers in Hispanic America support of French: It doesn't really matter if there are large number of Spanish in all Hispanic America. Wow,, Spanish has large number of native speakers! Big deal. Is that the best you can do? >>

Good try. But Latin America wins out over Africa any day. The poorest, most corrupt, violent, disease riddin, backwards (tribal systems, ethnic cleansing) places in the world. This is way French in Africa is insignificant. >>

Good try. But Francophone Africa wins out over Hispanic America any day. With the culture of corruption, violence, vanity, and indolence hampers progress in the past, present, and future.

In France Spenish is seen as the language of the of the poor rats. Many Hispanic Rats come to this country and speak French not Spanish. There are tons of them around Paris. It's so disgusting that they keep on begging for money to spent for vanity instead of asking for a job.

El español conquista Brasil

En la pizarra de una de las clases de español del Colegio Édem, de Río de Janeiro, se puede leer: "¿Qué cuadro pintó Picasso en 1937?". La profesora no pretende enseñar sólo el idioma. Se esfuerza en hablar de música, pintura o cine español. Una de las alumnas, Julia Kligerman Antunes, de 16 años, que estudia segunda media (que equivale a 1º de bachillerato español), resume la opinión de muchos jóvenes brasileños: "Estudio español porque estoy convencida de que, para cuando yo entre en el mercado de trabajo, esta lengua va a ser fundamental en Brasil. Pero, además, me gusta todo lo que tiene que ver con España".En Brasil, las universidades, los colegios y las academias de idiomas no han esperado a que se apruebe definitivamente la ley que impondrá la enseñanza obligatoria del español en los tres últimos años de primaria para impartirlo. Muchas de ellas van más allá y lo enseñan en casi todos los cursos. Las últimas enmiendas a la ley se aprobaron el pasado agosto en el Senado y ahora sólo queda esperar la ratificación del Congreso.

Un deseo antiguo

El colegio Édem está situado en la calle de las Palmeras del castizo barrio de Botafogo. Las clases de castellano ya son allí obligatorias en el primero y segundo año de enseñanza media (que equivalen a los españoles 4º de ESO y 1º de bachillerato) y optativas en el tercero (2º de bachillerato). Es un colegio privado con 500 alumnos, muy buscado por las familias de clase media por las posibilidades de sus medios educativos. Su director, Rico Cavalcanti, justifica así el haber decidido colocar el español como asignatura obligatoria: "Para nosotros era un deseo antiguo. Siempre hemos considerado que el español es la lengua más próxima a la nuestra. Lo hemos hecho pensando en el futuro bilingüe al que se encamina Brasil".

Today I want to give you some information about the world of languages and the development of second language learning. There is an interesting study from David Graddol, ‘English Next’ (British Council, 2006) which gives a good analysis of the future of languages. I’ll try to summarize some of the findings here below.

Economic, demographic and cultural changes have driven the development of foreign language education, not only English as the world’s primary language for international communication, but also other growing languages such as Spanish, Arabic or Mandarin and spreading of languages as Japanese, French and German. The Internet has made the world smaller, technology enabling new patterns of communication in ways which also have implications for language learning.

The massive increase in the number of people learning English is likely to reach a peak of around 2 billion in the next 10–15 years, with a significant increase coming from Chinese students, estimated now at around 250 million English learners, increasing of about 20 million per year.

Also other languages, including lesser-used languages, are now proliferating, and Mandarin and Spanish are challenging English in some territories for educational resources and policy attention.

The attractiveness of Mandarin to learners across the world is growing, and language schools in many countries are expanding their provision to include it. In many Asian countries, in Europe and USA, Mandarin has emerged as the new must-have language.
An estimated 30 million people are already studying Mandarin worldwide, and China very ambitious goal is to have 100 million foreigners studying Mandarin by end 2010. The Chinese government now actively supports the growing interest worldwide in learning Chinese as a foreign or second language through a program- Hanban- and a worldwide network of ‘Confucius Institutes’.

Spanish has grown to be roughly the same size as English in terms of native-speakers, and may overtake it. The language is growing in economic importance in both Latin America and the United States, challenging English in some parts of the USA. Brazil, one of the most important new economies outside India and China, passed a law in July 2005 requiring all secondary schools in the country to offer Spanish courses, allowing students to choose it as an alternative to English..

Arabic is growing, demographically, faster than any other world language. The generation of Arabic speakers now growing up will determine its future as a world language. Spoken Arabic is likely to acquire a more transnational standard form as Al Jazeera and similar international agencies provide a model equivalent to ‘BBC English’.


No french of course

http://www.myngle.com/blog/2007/09/29/the-market-for-foreign-language-learning

ANTI-FRENCH SENTIMENT IN AFRICA

Tens of thousands of protestors marched through Djibouti Saturday to slam French moves to have senior local officials arrested for allegedly blocking a probe into the 1995 death of a French judge.

Several government ministers, deputies and religious leaders joined the rally, during which demonstrators shouted slogans denouncing France’s "racist justice system" and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. "Don’t touch my president," they screamed. "Shame on you Sarkozy." Organisers estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 people took part in the demonstration, which was to protest against recent developments in the investigation into the death of judge Bernard Borrel. But police put the figure at around 35,000.

Anti-French sentiment ran high Saturday in the tiny former French colony in east Africa which is home to France’s main military base on the continent. The marchers paraded in front of the French embassy but stayed clear of the base. A Frenchwoman in the capital said: "I was insulted … and I really felt the hatred. We French expatriates here feel we are being scapegoats." French investigators have called for Djibouti’s chief prosecutor Djama Souleiman and the head of the country’s secret service, Hassan Said, to appear in a French court over the affair.

http://harowo.com/2007/10/21/thousands-protest-frances-investigation-into-djibouti-officials/