International Language

[Baler]

The two most spoken language on the internet are English & Mandarin.

Why has the world not transitioned into speaking English?
And before you non-Americans get upset, I'm not specifically talking about American English.

Wouldn't this simplify exchanges between countries?

[Tethler]

It's true that it would simplify international communication, but languages have a lot of built-in cultural context, in that people use their language through their unique cultural lens. By consolidating, you have the side effect of watering down cultures. This is why you see efforts to preserve and restore world languages.

That said, in a globalized world, the extinction of non-dominant languages is likely inevitable in the long term.

[Snortles Chortles]

https://i.imgur.com/lP9CNYu.jpg

[sacman08]

We can thank Britain for so many countries speaking English. Mandarin is only in there because China is the largest single country without giant swaths of frozen tundra. Otherwise everyone would speak their own language. World languages change too, Greek was the most known language in ancient times then Latin. Dialects will always develop in localized areas into new languages.

[Baler]

We can thank Britain for so many countries speaking English. Mandarin is only in there because China is the largest single country without giant swaths of frozen tundra. Otherwise everyone would speak their own language. World languages change too, Greek was the most known language in ancient times then Latin. Dialects will always develop in localized areas into new languages.

I simply can't argue that the brit's have progressed english language internationally.
I know in some countries students learn english as a 2nd language. This kind of spurred my question.

[DMN]

https://i.imgur.com/lP9CNYu.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/OLydRrY.jpg

[BlackBellamy]

My theory is that English will eventually become what will be known as Galactic Common, and local dialects and languages will flourish and continue to evolve as long as discrete populations exist to support them. You're seeing it now, it's the International Space Station but all the dials are in English, except it's not regular English it's nerd-English so it's already starting to mutate. Seriously though we need to have the buttons labelled correctly and English has a giant leg up on that race.

We can blame Douglas Adams all we want but his invention actually prolongs separate languages among the same species. If you have a universal translator that you can talk to in your own language; why bother learning whatever. Your own street signs are in Gringolog which is great cause everyone always spoke it here and with GalGoogTranslator you can keep using it and everyone will understand your grobledywooks and spizzleworls.

Mandarin is going to die out though cause it's stupid.

[Hoppkins_Wytchfinder]

Also some people like the fact they can talk about people without others understanding.

[Jimjam]

Also some people like the fact they can talk about people without others understanding.

My wife does this. I tell her it’s rude, like whispering. She says she just doesn’t want anyone else to know what she is saying /facepalm.

The Lingua Franca will always be the language of business.

[Thrombosis]

Also some people like the fact they can talk about people without others understanding.

Are you Welsh? :D

[indiscriminate_hater]

Translator tech is getting so good that language barriers will be minimal

[magnetaress]

google translate will arguable allow a few select languages to be pretty much preserved eliminating the need to speak any other language than your native one. Because automation will allow you to effectively communicate with people who are too lazy to learn your language.

[magnetaress]

Translator tech is getting so good that language barriers will be minimal

[Hoppkins_Wytchfinder]

Are you Welsh? :D

No but i always get a chuckle out of putting the welsh channel on telly and watching my kids sit and look....and look...and say "WHAT ARE THEY SAYING????" :D

[Tethler]

Translator tech is getting so good that language barriers will be minimal

It's slowly improving, but it's not there yet. I can always spot when my students are using translation software.

[Hoppkins_Wytchfinder]

Been trying to learn japanese for 20 years on and off. Obviously never very seriously.

I can talk like a 5 year old tops. I can probably express a want of something and ask directions and probably understand brief responses.

Somehow translation software while AMAZING takes the excitement out of learning a language.

Though I can tell for some people there is little excitement. A few times in Japan i would start trying to speak in laboured japanese and the guy would just say in perfect english "look, speaking english its much easier eh?"

I chuckled and said "Ya i guess so but its nice to try eh"

[Snortles Chortles]

NANI

[Hoppkins_Wytchfinder]

:D

[fastboy21]

Translator tech is getting so good that language barriers will be minimal

It is and will get much better...but it isn't there yet. The last hurdles to overcome for true translation software are not problems of computational power; they are linguistic issues that people haven't worked out how to deal with yet, and probably won't work out a model that could be confused as perfect for some time.

The problems of wrestling with discourse representation theory, for example, aren't going anywhere. Formal pragmatics isn't going anywhere.

Of course, if you mean "break the language barrier" to mean something as meaningless in the big picture of linguistics as carrying a device that can translate "where is the bathroom?" into a hundred languages, then yes...we're there.

[magnetaress]

It is and will get much better...but it isn't there yet. The last hurdles to overcome for true translation software are not problems of computational power; they are linguistic issues that people haven't worked out how to deal with yet, and probably won't work out a model that could be confused as perfect for some time.

The problems of wrestling with discourse representation theory, for example, aren't going anywhere. Formal pragmatics isn't going anywhere.

Of course, if you mean "break the language barrier" to mean something as meaningless in the big picture of linguistics as carrying a device that can translate "where is the bathroom?" into a hundred languages, then yes...we're there.

If you can't describe mathematical physics in terms of bathrooms you're obviously not there yet.