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In the heat of the moment · Joined: 22 May 2015 Posts: 393 Location: Italy

No language in history has dominated the world quite like English does today. Is there any point in resisting?

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jul/27/english-language-global-dominance

Mr. Kalgukshi · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 8:59 pm Post subject:

Attempts to derail this thread will not be successful and they will result in severe sanctions, as warranted.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

I think there are many upsides to having a common-ish language in which many people from many parts of the globe can communicate.

It doesn't really matter, IMO, about different accents and grammatical/vocabulary gaps - negotiating meaning is useful for a lot of reasons.

I also don't see that English 'corrupts' local culture - the Dutch, for example, speak pretty darn good English overall, and yet are still extremely 'Dutch' - they haven't lost their distinctive culture because of English. Hopefully this is generally true in most cultures.

In the heat of the moment · Joined: 22 May 2015 Posts: 393 Location: Italy

I agree; saying English dominance is bad is like saying Coke (the drink) or TV (the medium) are bad, because so many people find them more convenient and useful. They're popular because Lilt (which I really liked, tagline "It's a miracle, but we made it") and Stereoscopes didn't catch on or were superseded by betters.

schwa · Joined: 12 Oct 2003 Posts: 164 Location: yap

That's a wide-ranging, well-researched, & carefully written meditation on language in the world today. Provocative. Thanks for sharing it.

RunItTwice · Joined: 17 May 2018 Posts: 36 Location: Scotland...for now

I can see why people would want to hold onto dying languages. Original records of ancient history are written in dead (or nearly dead) languages. It forms an important part of the identity of certain people. I guess there's a matter of pride in being one of a few of anything in the world.

I've been one to be willing to throw away tradition if it makes for a better future. But I don't criticize people for valuing their possibly dying language.

Of course, I have no self-interest in the promotion of English as the dominant worldwide language that everybody should speak. Nope. Not me. Not like I'm an English language teacher or anything like that.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

The spread of English does not imply that other languages are dying. It's just becoming the norm that most people speak two or more languages. Except some English language teachers, obviously Rolling Eyes