Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

Annyzhang · Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 14

Nowadays, the importance of learning English is known by everyone, even a child know it too. The learner who take hundreds of hours to remember word, master the grammar, practice listening and speaking hope that they could get more opportunity, development and good others something than other people who do not know English. Therefore, if we had not �English�, how could we do? French, Russian, Chinese other language? But, why we must learn those different languages? If only one language was in the world.
Wink

Winkydragonfly · Joined: 10 Dec 2005 Posts: 392 Location: China

mudd · Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 37

If it were not English, it would probably Spanish that we are learning now as an "International Language".
_________________
http://peyups.com

Outofin · Joined: 09 Feb 2006 Posts: 71

Learning foreign languages will open a whole new world in front of you. Trust me, it's worth it. And English happens to be the world language in practice.

RedRose · Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 2735 Location: GuangZhou, China

mudd · Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 37

It will be Spanish... Castellano.

Chinese is the most spoken language yet English is the international language.

Spanish is next to Chinese; English comes third.

Spanish is "almost"(not officially though) the second language in the US due to the many numbers of immigrants from Spain's former colonies.

Another thing is people won't know which "Chinese" to use if it were to be the new international langauage. In most countries in Southeast Asia and in Taiwan( I think it's Taiwan besides southeast asia), the traditional Chinese is usually used by the ethnic Chinese(80% of the overseas Chinese live in Southeast Asia and most of them greatly lack fluency in Chinese). In China, they use the simplified version.

And if the US has not been a world power, it is probable that the international language right now is Spanish.

Hispanics have penetrated the world pop culture... Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, Shakira

Spanish is closer to English than Chinese is to English.

Lastly, it's easier to memorize less than 30 letters than thousands of characters/idiograms.

Peace Very Happy

_________________
http://peyups.com

Annyzhang · Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 14

haha

everybody, my mean that we would not take some times to learning different language if only one language was in the world. in other words, if GOds who created Man had created one language, just only one, what wonderful! so, English, Chinese, Spanish or others, let them all go to hell! Wink

by the way, if it must to choose one language to as "international language", I will choose "Chinese". because it is not only the art of fine handwriting, but also is good for you. Wink

mudd · Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 37

^Of course, you'd say Chinese because you're Chinese.
_________________
http://peyups.com

Bob S. · Joined: 29 Apr 2004 Posts: 1767 Location: So. Cal

To qualify as an "international language", you have to consider not just how many people speak it but how many countries it is used for trade, law, and technology. Spanish is mostly limited to one country in Europe and throughout Latin America which is not all that powerful economically (yet). Portugese had that plus former trading colonies in S.E. Asia.
Without English, the lingua franca of the world would be French. Over the past century, the sun may have set on France as a nation, but culturally and economically (in terms of the number of countries that use French), it still ranks pretty high (2nd only to English). It is one of the most widely spoken 2nd languages internationally. Odds are, if you weren't studying English, you'd be studying French.

See here for stats.
_________________
"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper

aoikokoro · Joined: 24 Feb 2006 Posts: 22 Location: Mexico, Queretaro

The different languages are an important part in the culture from every contry, is good have many because the people think different. As an example the English literature is great becuase is based on this language.

Today we now the English is the more internatinal language, but it can change in the future (very improblable in a soon future), like in the past was the Latin.

Now the most common are the Chinese, Spanish and English, also French and German, and I believe is a blessing have this cultural differences thanks to the words, the culture from other countries is always fascinating, at least is for me Cool

_________________
"You thought I couldn't but I could, I did it and I could do it again, let's do it again!"

Lisa Simpson