World language

[Clementine]

Should everyone learn and speak the same language?

If so, what language would it be?

[tinybear]

I'd say English. But I bet there are many who would disagree. In fact, I can think of one particular guy who would strongly disagree.

Genesis 11:1-9 :

" And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children built. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth."

[barts]

There is one world language, and it's English. Of course, not everyone speaks English, but the lingua franca of the world is English. Often when Europeans from different nations meet, the one common language they often have is English because they all learned it in school as a "second" language. The Chinese, when they study a second language, it's rarely German or Spanish, it's English.

[Jack]

We tried Esperanto, but that didn't get very far.

[Dan_77]

We tried Esperanto, but that didn't get very far.

William Shatner made a movie using it... LOL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incubus_(1965_film)

[Morality Games]

As everyone said, the political and business language of the world is English. Pretty predictable considering the United States is the largest consumer (customer is always right) and most politically significant nation in the world -- although China, Russia, and the European Union in its totality are strong contenders in the second category, especially China.

[Clementine]

We live in the U.S., close to Quebec, so my children learn French in school. No offense intended, but I think that is completely pointless. We have the "Muzzy" program in attempt to give them some base of Spanish. I wish they could learn Chinese.

[tinybear]

Chinese is notoriously difficult to learn. That's why my dad insisted that I learn Chinese starting from the age of 5. Today, I'm more fluent in English than I am in Chinese despite starting to learn English at age 12.

[barts]

As everyone said, the political and business language of the world is English. Pretty predictable considering the United States is the largest consumer (customer is always right) and most politically significant nation in the world -- although China, Russia, and the European Union in its totality are strong contenders in the second category, especially China.

English, of course, comes from England not the United States. It just so happens that the most recent great empires currently the United States and prior to the first world Britain were English speaking. The United States is English speaking because it was comprised originally of colonies of Britain.

Of course, you no doubt know that twice as many people speak Mandarin than English.

[Stevejavson]

Unless you make that language everyone speaks very very diverse, then no. Some things just don't sound right in English, and some things don't sound right in Italian.

[Morality Games]

Of course, you no doubt know that twice as many people speak Mandarin than English.

I imagine necessarily; it would be the 'dominant' language in Asia. Nonetheless, Chinese businessmen in international venues learn English in greater ratios than native English speakers learn Chinese. Again, the customer is always right. If there is an international language between nations and corporations, it is English.

[grandpa]

A multi-lingual world is inconvenient if you don't speak all the languages in question, but there's no reason to impose a single language upon people. And I'm not sure one language is necessary or desirable in any case. As any student of language knows, things said in one language are often more unique and beautiful than they would appear in another, and people can learn about this at just about any age. And languages tend to grow and intermingle naturally anyway. On top of that, I'm sure talks in Geneva on resolving the Georgian conflict weren't held in a single language, for example.

Grandpa h.