How long until everyone just speaks English?

[LogGrad98]

I was thinking about this, partly due to the conversations we have been having about appropriating the race/culture of other groups, but mostly due to meetings I had been having here in Germany at work. Today we had 3 meetings that really got me thinking. The first was a group of Germans, and me, and it was a pretty heated conversation about our current project (as a bit of background, we are having major systems issues within IT and our WMS...it's not good 4 days after Go-Live for the facility). That lasted about an hour, and was entirely in German, with some exceptions I will address shortly. Directly following was a meeting with the project team that consisted of a lot of folks from all over...spain, england, india, etc. This meeting was mostly in English, some German and some other languages mixed in. Lastly we had another meeting with our senior management, which again was mostly in German.

Ok, so the point of this was that in the first meeting it struck me how often they used an English word in place of a German equivalent. They call it "eingedeutscht" or "en-german-ed" you might say. I started making hash-marks to count the eingedeutscht words. Then I kept it going in the same notebook during the next 2 meetings. I tried not to mark the same word twice, but this was anything but scientific. I was somewhat surprised to see my total well over 50 (not counting straight up conversation in English of course, which also took place). During a break I asked an Indian member of the team about some words I heard them use, and he said there are a lot of English words they use in place of Indian words, often since the English term is easier, or the concept is not well defined in Hindi (one of he languages they were speaking together, kind of a universal language in much of India), or simply because they learned to use the term dealing with English speakers so often. (to be fair most of the Indians also learned English along-side Hindi and other dialects in India...it really is almost a 2nd language in many circles there).

So I wondered from this, how far away would we be from simply using English everywhere all the time? Could we see something like this happen in the next 20 years? 50? Ever?

 

[RandyForRubio]

We're stealing and taking away from their culture! Jk.

I think most educated people around the world can speak English, it's just those who aren't that can't. I know my cousins in the Netherlands learned English pretty young in their schools. I'm not sure if people will ever only speak one language, seems unlikely, but it would probably end up pretty similar to Babylon.

 

[Revolution 9]

I' thought everyone already did.

 

[Darkwing Duck]

English is the world's universal language at this point. Can mainly thank the imperialistic British Empire for that. A worldly language is good. Language exists as a means to communicate. The more people can understand each other, the better off everyone is.

We're stealing and taking away from their culture! Jk.

This is the rub. Language is absolutely important to one's own culture.

Here's an example. Spanish conjugates verbs due to person. Como, comes, come, comemos, comen. Korean conjugates verbs due to respect. 3 different words for eat. 3 different common ways to conjugate, all based on the respect level you are supposed to give to the person you're talking to and the person being talked about.

These things, based on cultural norms, are lost in English, or any universal language that doesn't pick up on any specific language's idiosyncrasies.

Would be best if everyone was bilingual at worst.

English has just as many borrowed words as any other language.

Even something as simple as "tea" isn't an English word. It's Chinese.

 

[bigb]

English is becoming the universal language, everywhere but in America. That's becoming Spanish.

 

[babe]

Lawyers speak one language at work, and another at home. So do doctors, scientists, artists, and engineers. It's the mamas who mostly teach language, not the breadwinners. If you and your wife both work, you kids will speak the way the teacher does at school, or the nanny at home, or more likely the way the characters on Sesame Street talk. . . . .

Log, the Philippines was wild with that language appropriation forty years ago, and forty years before that. Same with some Caribbean areas under linguistic assault from Spanish, French, and English. Something like that in India as referenced above, but today in virtually every language because of technological necessity for standard terms.

I'll still be here, more or less, after that roll out IT/ computer program gets on track. . . . .

 

[JazzForLifee]

Chinese is still the most used language in the world. There are just so many Chinese lol

 

[[size/HUGE] boobs [/size]]

English becomes most learned because **** is toughest sounded cuss world of all the languages. First words is always the cuss. This is what missionaries at BYU tell me when come home.

 

[The Midnight]

Chinese is still the most used language in the world. There are just so many Chinese lol

Would love to learn Korean though

 

[Siro]

Chinese is still the most used language in the world. There are just so many Chinese lol

It has the largest number of native speakers. But it isn't the most used. That's English, by far. A large part of the world's population speak English to some extent. It is the de facto language of international relations, business, education, etc. And this is likely to continue to be the case, regardless of how prominent China becomes in the future, simply because of the writing system.

 

[♪alt13]

It has the largest number of native speakers. But it isn't the most used. That's English, by far. A large part of the world's population speak English to some extent. It is the de facto language of international relations, business, education, etc. And this is likely to continue to be the case, regardless of how prominent China becomes in the future, simply because of the writing system.

I would add that the country with the largest number of English speakers is now China.

English is the world's universal language at this point. Can mainly thank the imperialistic British Empire for that. A worldly language is good. Language exists as a means to communicate. The more people can understand each other, the better off everyone is.





This is the rub. Language is absolutely important to one's own culture.

Here's an example. Spanish conjugates verbs due to person. Como, comes, come, comemos, comen. Korean conjugates verbs due to respect. 3 different words for eat. 3 different common ways to conjugate, all based on the respect level you are supposed to give to the person you're talking to and the person being talked about.

These things, based on cultural norms, are lost in English, or any universal language that doesn't pick up on any specific language's idiosyncrasies.

Would be best if everyone was bilingual at worst.

English has just as many borrowed words as any other language.

Even something as simple as "tea" isn't an English word. It's Chinese.

Bilingual at worst?

Losing languages sucks. We think in language. When we lose a language we lose a 'way to think'.

 

[Siro]

I would add that the country with the largest number of English speakers is now China.

More than India?

 

[Siro]

Bilingual at worst?

Losing languages sucks. We think in language. When we lose a language we lose a 'way to think'.

He clearly meant that everyone should know at least 2 languages.

 

[♪alt13]

More than India?

That's what my homie told me. He teaches English in China so he could be biased. It makes sense though. China has developed rapidly and most chinese see learning English as absolutely necessary. India still has more of it's people living a subsistence lifestyle. India has hundreds of languages and is much more diverse with more local pride. Further there has been somewhat of a backlash against globalization and the rise of Hindu Nationalism as of late.

 

[♪alt13]

He clearly meant that everyone should know at least 2 languages.

doh

 

[Darkwing Duck]

Would love to learn Korean though

It's difficult. Not much similarity grammar wise with English.

The one thing Korean does have in common with English is its big vocabulary. Korean often has the same word both in Korean and Sino-Korean (Chinese root), and each are used commonly.

Numbers are very complex in Korean because of this, and that's one of the easy things to learn.

Family structure is extremely important in Korean as well. While English can use "aunt" for father's older sister, father's younger sister, mother's older sister, mother's younger sister, father's older brother's wife, father's younger brother's wife, mother's older brother's wife, mother's younger brother's wife, Korean has a different word for ALL of them.

 

[The Midnight]

It's difficult. Not much similarity grammar wise with English.

The one thing Korean does have in common with English is its big vocabulary. Korean often has the same word both in Korean and Sino-Korean (Chinese root), and each are used commonly.

Numbers are very complex in Korean because of this, and that's one of the easy things to learn.

Family structure is extremely important in Korean as well. While English can use "aunt" for father's older sister, father's younger sister, mother's older sister, mother's younger sister, father's older brother's wife, father's younger brother's wife, mother's older brother's wife, mother's younger brother's wife, Korean has a different word for ALL of them.

@__@ OK I give up.. HAHAHAHA...

 

[Deleted member 848]

That's what my homie told me. He teaches English in China so he could be biased. It makes sense though. China has developed rapidly and most chinese see learning English as absolutely necessary. India still has more of it's people living a subsistence lifestyle. India has hundreds of languages and is much more diverse with more local pride. Further there has been somewhat of a backlash against globalization and the rise of Hindu Nationalism as of late.

The level of the English speakers in India far exceeds China.


Side note: Japan is probably the last developed nation of the world that hasn't really given a particular **** for the English-boom. Chinese and Korean citizens speak far superior English to the Japanese.

 

[JazzForLifee]

It's difficult. Not much similarity grammar wise with English.

The one thing Korean does have in common with English is its big vocabulary. Korean often has the same word both in Korean and Sino-Korean (Chinese root), and each are used commonly.

Numbers are very complex in Korean because of this, and that's one of the easy things to learn.

Family structure is extremely important in Korean as well. While English can use "aunt" for father's older sister, father's younger sister, mother's older sister, mother's younger sister, father's older brother's wife, father's younger brother's wife, mother's older brother's wife, mother's younger brother's wife, Korean has a different word for ALL of them.

how do you know all these info?

 

[Darkwing Duck]

The level of the English speakers in India far exceeds China.


Side note: Japan is probably the last developed nation of the world that hasn't really given a particular **** for the English-boom. Chinese and Korean citizens speak far superior English to the Japanese.

My experience was Koreans in Korea want to try their English on you but they're generally really bad at it. Info from friend who has visited Japan several times is that many in the cities speak it well enough to pass. Anecdotal, but that's been my experience.

how do you know all these info?

Lived in Korea for a year.