What do you believe are the chances of English becoming the next universal world language? Maybe you think Chinese is more likely? Spanish even? Or Arabic? You can cast your vote at: www.ubiquitouslanguage.com
It could be possible that English will. Because Chinese is harder. Аlso сhinese symbols are very hard to draw and you can't read a symbol unless you know Chinese. Do you know about "Esperanto"?
Well, right now it is quite hard to switch to another universal language. Not because English is the most simple language in the world but because it is all started from IT and it goes on. By the way, Esperanto was a language that was created by some people in order to be the simpliest language in the world so everybody could talk it. But this attempt had failed as I know.
Correct to an extent. Its purpose was indeed to simplify languages, but also the whole process of learning languages. Basically a language you learn as a preparation to easily learn other languages It is more than a 100 years old now and its certainly not extinct. I believe there is a university in San Marino (where it all started) that teaches it and the stats say that around 2m people worldwide know it and there are even 1000 people that have it as a native language. You can check how it looks on this learning site: http://eo.lernu.net/
It depends on your definition of "universal". Take 100 people from 100 countries. Their "universal" language isn't going to be Mandarin. If I had to learn 3 survival languages, they'd be English, French and Spanish. --- I'm still baffled by the fact that deaf people don't speak a universal language, and aren't pushing to create one. They could have so easily agreed on an internationally understandable language that would actually be useful for EVERYONE. Do "this" with your hands, and it means "this" in EVERY language, in every country, whether you can hear or not. We could all be using it. I could go to Japan, Russia, or Austria and sign in the same language - rather than resorting to the existing international gestures for "I urgently need to poo", or "I want to eat".
While that's a good idea, I can't really see it happening. You'd have to dig deep in the roots of people and change traditions that sometimes date thousands of years. If it is a language per se (not just signs like in your example) the best that could be achieved is the universal language to be taught as a second language. Even though gestures and sign do have their own roots in every specific country/region too. For example, all over the world people nod their heads in agreement and shake them as a sign of refusal and only in home country, Bulgaria (and a couple more like Macedonia and Albania) this is exactly the opposite.
At some point, there will likely be a convergence of languages, though I suspect that it is still a loooong way off. The Internet is already affecting the English language with new words, new abbreviations, etc., and the Internet will likely be the causative factor for ultimate language convergence. I believe that there will be an "Internetese" that may have its roots in English but will eventually become a worldwide language all of its own.
I was under the impression it already was? Not only have the English colonized enough countries in the world over history to influence their languages. Not to mention many countries that aren't native speakers of the English language teach English as a second language. Also, media (music, TV, movies) aid in teaching many people English (some relatives of mine that live in my ancestral homeland).
I hope that, because I'm studying english in this period But I'd like it would be real... speaking with people by worldwide without issues with language... A great dream!
We can't even get it together on worldwide measurement systems, never mind something as complex as a language.
I'd like to see a Firefly type universe where we use English and Chinese side by side. And space ships.
I think world change to English For example India , most of Indian people now speak English very good and in the future Indian language will dead also on Arabic countries schools changed to English specialty egypt
I vote for no universal language. Each language has its own unique features, and the language you speak is a reflection of yourself and your culture. To speak one language universally destroys diversity and promotes a single culture. I vote for Japanese, though... Or maybe Finnish, but I'm better at Japanese. 普遍的な言語を望んでいません。
The chances are linked to other factors. Political factors as in economic trade and influence plays quite a role in deciding the expansion of a language. I don't think chinese is a viable option, especially when considering that the east and west have continously held to systems of writing. Combinative vs. Referential based.