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Will different languages die out 09:31 - Jul 12 with 2003 viewsitfcjoe

For a lot of countries seems it is almost pointless (or counterproductive to only be able to speak the mother tongue).

Just thinking of this when looking at India, a country itself made up of lots of different languages - anyone who wants to be a global star has to speak English it seems. Whether that is cricket, politician, business etc. Even their cricket coverage on TV seems to be in English

I don't know what percentage of people speak English there - but surely those least likely to are those being born into poor situations and it is just another way of keeping them in their place.

I'm sure there are dozens of other countries where the languages are spoken by so few people that they have to learn at least one other language to get by outside that country.

I'm not saying just to have one universal language, although English is basically that in reality, but more interested in to what the benefits are for people, especially those who can't afford a good education in their own country (whether that be if it is paid, or have to leave school to work etc) to only speak a language that will tie them to that place forever?

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Will different languages die out on 09:44 - Jul 12 with 1515 viewsWeWereZombies

Mandarin Chinese is spoken by the most people, followed by Hindi and then Spanish and only then do you get to English, allegedly:

https://www.vistawide.com/languages/top_30_languages.htm

Surprised at how far down in that list French is, eighteenth.

One of the things that always impresses me when I am in Africa is how multilingual people are (a work colleague was at Cambridge Corn Exchange some years back and watched Hugh Masekela talking to his band, in a spare moment - whilst Masekela was eating a raw grapefruit - he asked the great man how many languages he spoke and was told 'oh, eleven or twelve'). There again you have to consider how deeply a speaker goes into a language, I can order lunch in quite a few languages but can only really discuss philosophy in English.

Also, have a look in your passport - English is not the only British language in there and the others are making a slow revival. They do carry senses of Wales and Scotland that English cannot convey and there is an element of education stimulating younger people to use other languages when English does not do the job.

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Will different languages die out on 09:57 - Jul 12 with 1475 viewsElderGrizzly

Ex-colonies like India have a huge take-up of English helped by work of UK government agencies such as the British Council who promote the teaching of English there.

China is their biggest market for example and they make something like £1bn from it a year. It’s huge
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Will different languages die out on 10:04 - Jul 12 with 1452 viewsitfcjoe

Will different languages die out on 09:57 - Jul 12 by ElderGrizzly

Ex-colonies like India have a huge take-up of English helped by work of UK government agencies such as the British Council who promote the teaching of English there.

China is their biggest market for example and they make something like £1bn from it a year. It’s huge


I appreciate the why's of it, especially with it being a former colony, but more interested in why in an increasingly globalised world there isn't even more of a push to do so?

With regards to getting people out of poverty, being able to speak English as a first language as opposed to Gujarati must help as it seems anyone wo has made it to the top of anything in India is fluent in English

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Will different languages die out on 10:10 - Jul 12 with 1429 viewschicoazul

Joe, I like you bubala, but the idea that India for instance might start only speaking English and stop speaking native when there are 1.3bn people there speaking I think it's 15+ different versions of a language seems weird.

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Will different languages die out on 10:11 - Jul 12 with 1419 viewsitfcjoe

Will different languages die out on 10:10 - Jul 12 by chicoazul

Joe, I like you bubala, but the idea that India for instance might start only speaking English and stop speaking native when there are 1.3bn people there speaking I think it's 15+ different versions of a language seems weird.


I'm not expecting it to be Govt policy in 2022 or anything.....

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Will different languages die out on 10:12 - Jul 12 with 1414 viewsElderGrizzly

Will different languages die out on 10:04 - Jul 12 by itfcjoe

I appreciate the why's of it, especially with it being a former colony, but more interested in why in an increasingly globalised world there isn't even more of a push to do so?

With regards to getting people out of poverty, being able to speak English as a first language as opposed to Gujarati must help as it seems anyone wo has made it to the top of anything in India is fluent in English


Almost everywhere you go in India, people have some grasp of English. There is definitely a push by the Indian Govt to increase take-up.

Then you look at the global qualifications in areas such as accountancy, financial services etc and they all demand English too. There is a huge marketing effort in these countries to get locals to take qualifications like those to give them a headstart in their careers.

There is definitely a move for English moving down the ‘classes’ in India
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Will different languages die out on 10:16 - Jul 12 with 1397 viewsGuthrum

Will different languages die out on 09:44 - Jul 12 by WeWereZombies

Mandarin Chinese is spoken by the most people, followed by Hindi and then Spanish and only then do you get to English, allegedly:

https://www.vistawide.com/languages/top_30_languages.htm

Surprised at how far down in that list French is, eighteenth.

One of the things that always impresses me when I am in Africa is how multilingual people are (a work colleague was at Cambridge Corn Exchange some years back and watched Hugh Masekela talking to his band, in a spare moment - whilst Masekela was eating a raw grapefruit - he asked the great man how many languages he spoke and was told 'oh, eleven or twelve'). There again you have to consider how deeply a speaker goes into a language, I can order lunch in quite a few languages but can only really discuss philosophy in English.

Also, have a look in your passport - English is not the only British language in there and the others are making a slow revival. They do carry senses of Wales and Scotland that English cannot convey and there is an element of education stimulating younger people to use other languages when English does not do the job.


Thing about Mandarin is that it is geographically concentrated and limited, as is Hindi (itself a relatively modern codified form of north Indian dialects). Spanish and English were spread globally by settlement and colonialism. The first two may expand through technology and commerce in the future, but I doubt they will gain quite the same traction.

The French, having lost out in India and North America during the 18th century, ended up with relatively less populous regions such as Saharan north-west Africa and the Pacific island groups (Algeria/Tunisia and Vietnam being the only real exceptions). There wasn't mass emigration in the same way the Spanish and Britiish went to the New World. Belgian Congo was Francophone, but not greatly developed in the sense of the culture penetrating outside the big cities (deliberately, in the early decades, to aid exploitation).

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Will different languages die out on 10:17 - Jul 12 with 1393 viewschicoazul

Will different languages die out on 10:11 - Jul 12 by itfcjoe

I'm not expecting it to be Govt policy in 2022 or anything.....


If anything, it'll be English that will die out since it isnt spoken in the vast majority of homes in China Africa India Indonesia and Brazil. That's 70% of the world's population. And English is a mongrel language constantly developing and evolving. It's an interesting point though.

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Will different languages die out on 10:22 - Jul 12 with 1367 viewsGuthrum

Will different languages die out on 10:10 - Jul 12 by chicoazul

Joe, I like you bubala, but the idea that India for instance might start only speaking English and stop speaking native when there are 1.3bn people there speaking I think it's 15+ different versions of a language seems weird.


It's not even 15 versions of the same language, but that many distinct languages, some of them not even from the same language groups.

Thus English becomes a useful common universal way to communicate, much as French was in 18th century Europe, or Church Latin amongst diplomats and scholars five centuries before.

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Will different languages die out on 10:27 - Jul 12 with 1342 viewsWeWereZombies

Will different languages die out on 10:16 - Jul 12 by Guthrum

Thing about Mandarin is that it is geographically concentrated and limited, as is Hindi (itself a relatively modern codified form of north Indian dialects). Spanish and English were spread globally by settlement and colonialism. The first two may expand through technology and commerce in the future, but I doubt they will gain quite the same traction.

The French, having lost out in India and North America during the 18th century, ended up with relatively less populous regions such as Saharan north-west Africa and the Pacific island groups (Algeria/Tunisia and Vietnam being the only real exceptions). There wasn't mass emigration in the same way the Spanish and Britiish went to the New World. Belgian Congo was Francophone, but not greatly developed in the sense of the culture penetrating outside the big cities (deliberately, in the early decades, to aid exploitation).


The traditional view is that French is the language of diplomacy but nowadays it is English that is the lingua franca (what's the Latin for that?). In the upper reaches of the civil service you still find one or two French words used in preference to their English equivalents as a marker for those who have the ability to get things done. Bl00dy Normans.

I am going to carry on this train of thought in answering chicoazul's point.

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Will different languages die out on 10:29 - Jul 12 with 1331 viewsfooters

Soon the language of love shall become the new lingua franca. Forget French, English or Mandarin and start learning massage instead.

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Will different languages die out on 10:30 - Jul 12 with 1332 viewsitfcjoe

Will different languages die out on 10:17 - Jul 12 by chicoazul

If anything, it'll be English that will die out since it isnt spoken in the vast majority of homes in China Africa India Indonesia and Brazil. That's 70% of the world's population. And English is a mongrel language constantly developing and evolving. It's an interesting point though.


English will never die out - Rule Britannia!

But seriously though, whilst that is 70% of the worlds population, is there anywhere where their languages are spoken as a second language? These people are the ones having to learn a second language to fit into a globalised world

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Will different languages die out on 10:31 - Jul 12 with 1328 viewsGuthrum

Will different languages die out on 10:17 - Jul 12 by chicoazul

If anything, it'll be English that will die out since it isnt spoken in the vast majority of homes in China Africa India Indonesia and Brazil. That's 70% of the world's population. And English is a mongrel language constantly developing and evolving. It's an interesting point though.


Latin did not die out in medieval Europe, despite being spoken by almost nobody in day-to-day life. Because it was the pan-continental language of diplomacy, administration and scholarly discourse, plus having a significant body of literature (which was rediscovered and popularised during the Renaissance), people continued to learn and become fluent in it.

Yes, the language changed, became codified, bastardised and pronunciation altered (to the point where it would have been virtually unrecogniseable to Julius Caesar), but it was still Latin.

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Will different languages die out on 10:34 - Jul 12 with 1323 viewsElderGrizzly

Will different languages die out on 10:17 - Jul 12 by chicoazul

If anything, it'll be English that will die out since it isnt spoken in the vast majority of homes in China Africa India Indonesia and Brazil. That's 70% of the world's population. And English is a mongrel language constantly developing and evolving. It's an interesting point though.


Interesting point, but It’s going the other way in terms of English proficiency and take-up in each of those continents/countries you mention
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Will different languages die out on 10:34 - Jul 12 with 1322 viewsGuthrum

Will different languages die out on 10:27 - Jul 12 by WeWereZombies

The traditional view is that French is the language of diplomacy but nowadays it is English that is the lingua franca (what's the Latin for that?). In the upper reaches of the civil service you still find one or two French words used in preference to their English equivalents as a marker for those who have the ability to get things done. Bl00dy Normans.

I am going to carry on this train of thought in answering chicoazul's point.


It's more an 18th century leftover than Norman*, a reflection of the trend-setting influence of Louis XIV's court.

* Tho it's the other way around in the field of law

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Will different languages die out on 10:35 - Jul 12 with 1322 viewsWeWereZombies

Will different languages die out on 10:17 - Jul 12 by chicoazul

If anything, it'll be English that will die out since it isnt spoken in the vast majority of homes in China Africa India Indonesia and Brazil. That's 70% of the world's population. And English is a mongrel language constantly developing and evolving. It's an interesting point though.


it is the 'mongrel' nature of English that has encouraged its spread, especially compared to French. Because the Académie française have such a stranglehold on what words can be deemed part of the French language the result is a degree of ossification, youth culture for example is more likely to co-opt English words even into French patois.

However, the spread of English may be its own worst enemy as different dialects get in the way of understanding (the uncouth use of 'pussy' can cause confusion between Americans and the English being a case in point). I wonder if new languages with more of an Asian influence will develop in the future?

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Will different languages die out on 10:36 - Jul 12 with 1306 viewslinhdi

Will different languages die out on 10:27 - Jul 12 by WeWereZombies

The traditional view is that French is the language of diplomacy but nowadays it is English that is the lingua franca (what's the Latin for that?). In the upper reaches of the civil service you still find one or two French words used in preference to their English equivalents as a marker for those who have the ability to get things done. Bl00dy Normans.

I am going to carry on this train of thought in answering chicoazul's point.


I'm selfishly happy that the English don't bother to learn other languages. It meant that I could cherrypick the most interesting jobs and clients (having business-level French and German).

French is very useful in the Arab world; I was quite surprised at first, but then realised that Arabic + French pretty much covers you from North Africa all the way round the Med.

Travelling for leisure these days, it is surprising perhaps how often you find people in France, Germany, Spain and Italy who have no English. And I don't see our influence increasing in the near future.

Multilingualism is the norm in international business, other than for native English speakers. But it isn't just about linguistic capability, it's also about being comfortable with other cultures and being able to see the world through others' eyes.
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Will different languages die out on 10:40 - Jul 12 with 1285 viewsWeWereZombies

Will different languages die out on 10:29 - Jul 12 by footers

Soon the language of love shall become the new lingua franca. Forget French, English or Mandarin and start learning massage instead.


Be careful how you use that 'language of massage' now, always get permission first. More seriously, not all communication is through the spoken or written word. All manner of hand gestures and bodily signs can intimate or add to what is said or unsaid.

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Will different languages die out on 10:42 - Jul 12 with 1277 viewsGuthrum

Will different languages die out on 10:12 - Jul 12 by ElderGrizzly

Almost everywhere you go in India, people have some grasp of English. There is definitely a push by the Indian Govt to increase take-up.

Then you look at the global qualifications in areas such as accountancy, financial services etc and they all demand English too. There is a huge marketing effort in these countries to get locals to take qualifications like those to give them a headstart in their careers.

There is definitely a move for English moving down the ‘classes’ in India


Modern Hindi has a large number of English loan words in it.

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Will different languages die out on 10:45 - Jul 12 with 1268 viewswkj

Did you just take the Professional skills literacy mock exam or something Joe? This is the exact subject of the comprehension test

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Will different languages die out on 10:47 - Jul 12 with 1252 viewsfooters

Will different languages die out on 10:40 - Jul 12 by WeWereZombies

Be careful how you use that 'language of massage' now, always get permission first. More seriously, not all communication is through the spoken or written word. All manner of hand gestures and bodily signs can intimate or add to what is said or unsaid.


An ex of mine is a twin and she always banged on about telepathy. Completely nuts, or is there something to it? Written and spoken languages may become primitive compared to what's to come...

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Will different languages die out on 10:49 - Jul 12 with 1244 viewswkj

Will different languages die out on 10:47 - Jul 12 by footers

An ex of mine is a twin and she always banged on about telepathy. Completely nuts, or is there something to it? Written and spoken languages may become primitive compared to what's to come...


I also dated a twin once, I once couldn't tell them apart, she looked beside herself.

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Will different languages die out on 10:51 - Jul 12 with 1238 viewsWeWereZombies

Will different languages die out on 10:36 - Jul 12 by linhdi

I'm selfishly happy that the English don't bother to learn other languages. It meant that I could cherrypick the most interesting jobs and clients (having business-level French and German).

French is very useful in the Arab world; I was quite surprised at first, but then realised that Arabic + French pretty much covers you from North Africa all the way round the Med.

Travelling for leisure these days, it is surprising perhaps how often you find people in France, Germany, Spain and Italy who have no English. And I don't see our influence increasing in the near future.

Multilingualism is the norm in international business, other than for native English speakers. But it isn't just about linguistic capability, it's also about being comfortable with other cultures and being able to see the world through others' eyes.


That last point is vital, if all you have is English when you travel then you can surf the surface of a country but you never get to any real depth. Although, what with booking.com, Trip Adviser, skyscanner and so on, it is very easy to make your own arrangements it can also reduce cities to the equivalent of provincial High Streets - nothing but the same shops, the same sports, even the same type of music. I'm finding that the British Isles is a richer place too if you take a bit of Gaelic on board, you learn about history and nature from a different perspective. Does not mean you have to agree with it but you understand why things are as they are a bit more.
[Post edited 12 Jul 2019 10:52]

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Will different languages die out on 10:52 - Jul 12 with 1235 viewsfooters

Will different languages die out on 10:49 - Jul 12 by wkj

I also dated a twin once, I once couldn't tell them apart, she looked beside herself.


It was quite easy to tell with my two. One was beautiful, kind and fun. The other was my girlfriend.

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Will different languages die out on 10:55 - Jul 12 with 1223 viewswkj

Will different languages die out on 10:52 - Jul 12 by footers

It was quite easy to tell with my two. One was beautiful, kind and fun. The other was my girlfriend.


Beautiful as in Naomi from Romford beautiful?

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