Should there just be one language in the world?

[Admiral Yi]

English is de facto the globally accepted common language. Not necessarily the English that British or Americans speak, but some pidgin variant that is understood everywhere.

A million years ago I read somewhere that the true international language is broken English.

[Martinus]

So, the problem is that there is no globally accepted official common language. True.

Official? There is no authority that could define a common language.

English is de facto the globally accepted common language. Not necessarily the English that British or Americans speak, but some pidgin variant that is understood everywhere.

It's not about authority really - it's about stuff like Germans or the French insisting that shit is translated into their language rather than into English (vide the horrible inefficiency of conducting the official EU business in French and German where English could just suffice).

The problem is not about people wanting their local language not to die out, but some language groups (I think in Europe the French are the most annoyingly silly about it) insisting their language rather than English becomes the international language.

[Martinus]

To give you an example how this silliness works - when making an application to the EU institutions (such as the European Commission or the European Court of Justice), you can write in your local language of the EU member state, but also have to translate it into English, French or German, and the commission or the court will respond in that language.

Most people in Europe speak English, and therefore it would make sense that the language of communication (whether as a translation or not) is just English - but because of political bickering, tons of snotty idiotic Germans and French write their applications in their silly language - and get a response in the same language. Which means the body of European case law is not uniform and you have to translate it sometimes into English, when a certain deicision is not available in English.

[Razgovory]

I'd rather not have to learn Chinese.  From what I understand it's a fucking nightmare to learn.

[Warspite]

No. Humans are perfectly capable to learn multiple languages. You can gain all the advantages you name by just teaching everybody English as a second language.

This. Everyone keeps their cultural distinctiveness and identity, and also get to communicate with everyone else.

[Viking]

No. Humans are perfectly capable to learn multiple languages. You can gain all the advantages you name by just teaching everybody English as a second language.

This. Everyone keeps their cultural distinctiveness and identity, and also get to communicate with everyone else.

I grew up speaking two languages. Icelandic at home and English outside. I was so completely unphased by this that when I went back to Iceland at age 3 I actually was a bit distressed when I found out that all the other kids didn't speak English outside. I also sort of presumed all the kids in England spoke Icelandic at home just like I did.

[Monoriu]

I'd rather not have to learn Chinese.  From what I understand it's a fucking nightmare to learn.

Chinese do not expect non-Chinese to speak Chinese. 

[Razgovory]

I'd rather not have to learn Chinese.  From what I understand it's a fucking nightmare to learn.

Chinese do not expect non-Chinese to speak Chinese.

So do the Chinese agree that their language is inflexible and difficult to learn?

[Monoriu]

So do the Chinese agree that their language is inflexible and difficult to learn?

It is difficult for, say, English native speakers to learn. 

[Zanza]

To give you an example how this silliness works - when making an application to the EU institutions (such as the European Commission or the European Court of Justice), you can write in your local language of the EU member state, but also have to translate it into English, French or German, and the commission or the court will respond in that language.

Most people in Europe speak English, and therefore it would make sense that the language of communication (whether as a translation or not) is just English - but because of political bickering, tons of snotty idiotic Germans and French write their applications in their silly language - and get a response in the same language. Which means the body of European case law is not uniform and you have to translate it sometimes into English, when a certain deicision is not available in English.

So your argument is that a uniform language would make your job a bit less of a hassle?

[Neil]

No. Humans are perfectly capable to learn multiple languages. You can gain all the advantages you name by just teaching everybody English as a second language.

This. Everyone keeps their cultural distinctiveness and identity, and also get to communicate with everyone else.

Cultural distinctiveness and identity is stupid.

[Eddie Teach]

So your argument is that a uniform language would make your job a bit less of a hassle?

Also traveling.

[LaCroix]

Cultural distinctiveness and identity is stupid.

yes to uniform language, and yes to one world government. it may not happen in even five hundred years, but then i doubt the question posed by timmay demands that it be constrained by feasible reality. the existence of other languages means that there will be those who speak the non-globalized one at home, to their children, etc, which threatens the goal of one language. the objective should not be a world where everyone knows how to at least sort of communicate with each other, but a world where everyone can communicate perfectly with one another

edit: wrong emoticon, stupid 56k

[Razgovory]

So do the Chinese agree that their language is inflexible and difficult to learn?

It is difficult for, say, English native speakers to learn.

The lack of an alphabet would seem to make it somewhat inflexible.  Harder to add new words into the language.

[Valmy]

I'd rather not have to learn Chinese.  From what I understand it's a fucking nightmare to learn.

If it were used all the time I would consider it.

But it is not like you are bombarded by Chinese all the time.  I am not tempted to learn it so I can enjoy the latest popular movie in the original or just must read the latest amazing book in the original or be among the elite in world culture.  Chinese is spoken by alot of people but is not really a big cultural presence, at least not visibly from where I sit.