h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You don't have to like it, it's just the way things are.

Hi KimotoCat,

'cuse me dropping in, but ...

I was wondering it the definition of a world language should be 'the language that the majority of people choose to speak as a *second* language', i.e. the language they chose to learn to communicate with people who do not speak their native language ?


Tigger |\/\/\/\/\/|

*Sigh*
why did Esparanto fail?.... actually no don't answer that one

a survey released today announced that 86.5% of webpages are written in a form of English but the second most popular domain is .de (Germany's domain)

No-no-no, my dear Tigger.
A world language is defined, not by how many speak it as a second-language but one of the two following:

1: How many speak it as their native tongue. (That's where Russian, German, French and lots of others come in.)

2: How many speak it all together, first language, second language, what ever.

As for the trivia, that probably also has to do with web-availability, but it does give one something to think about.

Hi Kimoto,

I was suggesting a possible re-definition, to perhaps make the term more useful - also to make it relevant to reality. Many times I have been in a group of people who have a variety of mother tongues (both european & mid->far eastern) and without exception, the language chosen, was English, because it is the 'second' language of the majority of peoples. (BTW, these were both social & business groupings!)

Tigger

I see your point.

This just proves that English is the leading communicative tool of our world.
I wonder if this would stick if we were to be contacted by an alien civilization or something? English as the interplanetary language? Okay, maybe that's just too far out.

But just look at the Guide - participants from the entire world, most of whom speak (write) English and most of whom actually have a quite decent English no matter where they're from.
There aren't many bad linguistic flaws on this forum, nuw are ther?

-KimotoCat the English/Danish Feline

What if the contact was successful and trade etc. was started with the aliens? We'd possibly have to start using their language for commercial relations.

I'm not sure I've got enough toes and/or I can't speak in the high ultra sonics -- i.e. I thinkthe medium maybe more important hurdle than the language, with alien comms.

Tigger -- you'd never believe I was a native English speaker, would you ?

If the lack of toes becomes a problem, then I'm sure fingers could be used to supplement them.

God, that's a great mental picture: The earth ambassador speaks to the aliens (Who speak by producing high-ultrasonics with their toes) - A guy in a suit sitting on the ground with his shoes and socks off, squirming his fingers and toes together in the name of politics.

What politicians would do to get more votes, huh?

Perhaps we'll have to use an on-the-spot developed sign-language.

But hey, what's the problem? In more than half of the movies in which I have seen aliens, they actually speak English! (Even is some of them have horrid accents or squeaky voices.)

English is not a world-language, it's a galactic language!!!

I'm not sure the Americans will appreciate having their accent being referred to as 'horrid'


Tigger |\/\/\/\/\/|

Truth be told, some Americans do have a horrid accent.

But hey, so does some Danes...

Maybe the aliens, with their highly advanced technology, could provide some sort of sub-title device.




(Grr, I can't spell aliens right, I keep spelling it alians and having to delete it).

Don't worry about that. I am sure that the alians also can deal with typos.

With some luck, there's nothing the aliens cannot deal with. Save maybe us... !?

Well, if the films are anything to go by, they can't deal with a simple computer-virus. They really should install some virus-checkers on their huge, advanced, strangely-fully-compatible-with-Mac-laptops computers.

According to HG Wells, they aren't so hot with non-computer viruses either


Tigger

Okay, but viral communication was not quite what I had in mind for a first contact...

Still think that English is the best (our-)world language.

I agree - the only problem is, that being British myself, I am
a/ privileged that it is my 1st language &
b/ part of a society that thinks we don't have to learn any one elses language, as they will have to learn ours.

This means that, in general, foreign language teaching in British schools starts too late & spends too much time on grammar & written skills, at the expense of simple conversational ones, that would be of use in normal social enviroments. This results in a lot of children being turned off learning foreign languages fairly early on.

steps down from soap-box

Tigger

I agree they make it hellishly difficult to learn foriegn languages over here.

The sad fact remains that people cannot be native world-language speakers without this making them to narrowminded with other languages...