One language for everyone?

[roger1003]

Have you had that idea that we should just use one language for everyone here on Earth? In my opinion, it would be best if we just use one language, so it's easier to understand each other. Progress for the whole world will accelerate at a rapid rate if this happens. Language has been a major determinant and a major barrier to progress. 

[DivaDee]

Interesting thought, but I actually think that even though, that seems like a good idea, it's actually not... Here's why I say that: History... Not a lot of things can be translated into other languages so sadly if everyone tried to speak one language and one language only, a lot of their ancient history would be lost, which would cause many cultures to fall apart drastically, the only thing that would happen quickly is the collapse of many civilizations... Plus you also have to figure which language is the best/simplest to learn that everyone in the world could agree on, plus once that happens every other country that doesn't speak said language gets messed up...

Mostly we [the world] just have to simply improve the school systems so that way they teach at least 5 different languages, even if they're based on the countries we have the biggest business with, or even just from how may foreigners reside in your home country... We just have to learn how to speak different languages other than our own...

Also trying to make an entirely new language that has the ability to translate to any other language is even harder than having one modern/ancient language be the "Be All, End All" language of every country in the world... You'd also have to include Sign Languages and braille from each of those countries that use it, among other things...

[djordje87]

As a reasonable being and from that point of view it is a good idea. However, if you try to think as a writer or a poet we would loose, in future of course, creativity and versatility. Of course that that one language would be used as universal and the rest wouldn't just disappear but with time they would be forgotten and just a part of a folklore like some old languages already. I t would be nice that all countries adopt that one universal language and become at least bilingual. English or Spanish are obvious choices for this and for example in India a lot of people speak English and even the street name s are in English because they have some 35 or so languages, not including dialects, so they converse in English because it is very hardly to know all of them.

[Lingua Franca]

As soon as that would happen there would automatically be regionalisms. It's just not in our nature to be completely uniform and the language would change either by a natural process or forced to do so.

[sillylucy]

I think if we did that there would be people having different dialects or slang terms and it would take a long time to get it all down. Just look at the new words that are in the dictionary right now. We have a lot of new tech phrases that people are trying to catch up with. 

[Trellum]

This is my opinion... I honestly wouldn't like it if we all spoke one language... it sounds almost as ad as having a single world government.  Imagine that?  My biggest fear... yikes!  Plus what would happen with our cultures?  Because our mother languages are a big part of our cultures...   so if we had a single language being spoken all around the world I think we would be losing so much.  Plus where would be the fun in that?  Can't think of anything more boring that one single language for everyone     I hope that never happens to be honest. 

[VinayaSpeaks]

There is an interesting story in the Bible. Once people tried to built a ladder to reach heaven. Gods were frightened that human beings will reach heaven. They divided people in different groups. Now the people who were building the ladder did not understand each others language.They were confused and began to pick bones. The language division divided the people.

[kaiiren]

Like some people have said in reply, I think that it's a good idea on paper. However, I doubt it'd be a viable idea for many reasons, despite its obvious utility. I imagine some of them being: many people crying cultural imperialism/western imperialism (world language would probably be english...), loss of cultural stability from loss of mother tongue, older people generally bucking the trend and making universal adoption - these and other reasons would drive nails into a OWL movement :/

[MyNameIsFermin]

This is like the idea of having the same currency for the whole world. my question is what would that language be? beside the possible implications mentioned above in replies, there are human morals and values involved that won't let us accept a foreign country language as a good thing. its been historically a sign of defeat and submission to embrace a foreign langue over your own, I don't think it would ever happen, even if there was an official language everyone accepted, there still would exist secret language spoken forever.

[reverserewind]

This idea seems to be cool. However, it's kind real already. Basically, it's English. It's considered to be a universal language nowadays. It's the first means of communication people who don't have any mutual languages pick up. Thankfully, English is taught at schools in many countries. I'm not sure the way it is being taught is correct, though. Anyway, it's a good thing that people realize the importance of having a universal language. And, I'm sure, English fits well.

[darkchild]

It would be nice if there was one language everybody understood and others were minors. I think there would be more unity than the diversity we do have now. I wouldn't mind a unified language, I think it will make this easy and interesting.

[takibari]

At first glance, it may seem that LANGUAGE has the innate power to unite. Understandably, speaking one language means that we understand all the words we use. However, I highly doubt its power to unite. Just think of one's country - where the language is supposedly one. Are everyone in the country united? Think about one's family speaking the same language. Can one wholeheartedly say that because all the members in the family speak the same language, there is NO room for miscommunication? That said, to me language is NOT a unifying factor. Yes, it can be a tool to achieve it, but it can't guarantee that unity sought. Unity is a heart issue.

[Benoit W]

I dоn't knоw whеrе, but i rесеntly rеаd аn оpiniоn аbоut thаt. It sаys thаt, if wе wоuld сrеаtе оnе lаnguаgе tо bе tаlkеd by еvеryоnе, thеn оnly а yеаr аftеr thаt wе wоuld аgаin hаvе mаny diаlесts аnd 100 yеаrs lаtеr mаybе аgаin hundrеds оf lаnguаgеs, bаsеd оn thаt сrеаtеd.

Sоmе pоssiblе Rеаsоns:

- Pеоplе wоuld mix thеir оld аnd nеw lаnguаgеs

- Pеоplе tеnd tо build smаllеr grоups (еspесiаlly tееnаgеrs аnd сhildrеn аrе gоing tо dеvеlоp nеw vеrsiоns tо bе sеpеrаtеd by thеir pаrеnts)

- Thеrе is аlwаys а shоrtеr wаy tо sаy sоmеthing, аlwаys а wаy tо minify соmplеx grаmmаr rulеs аnd thеrе аrе аlwаys intеlligеnt but lаzy pеоplе

[wolfette]

While in theory I like the idea of everyone having one shared language there would still be differences. Take countries that speak the same language for example.

People in the UK and US spell the same words differently:

Colour/color, favourite/favorite.

They have different words for the same things:

Boot/trunk, bonnet/hood.

And regionally, words can mean something entirely different even within the same country. For example, where I used to live in England, to "knock you up" means to "get you pregnant". I was rather surprised to learn where I live now this means to "come to your house and pick you up". 

While in theory one language would be nice, in practice there would still be many differences.

[sillylucy]

I wouldn't want one language for earth because there are some things that you can't express in English, but you can express them in Spanish. There are also things that can be said in German that we don't have a word for in English and if we got rid of all of these languages and meanings I think we'd have to lose some of these concepts. Unless, this super language would include them in their definitions as well. 

[lingualbabe]

Hmmm... It would be a nice idea to have one language wherein all of us can understand one another. But only if our other languages still exist and we can still use them when we only need to talk with people who also understand our language. I mean, it would be nice to be able to talk to the Russians or the Germans, because we have this one language that we can actually understand one another. I think conflicts would at least be lessened if we can also communicate with one another easily. Not being able to fully understand what the other person is trying to tell us is what makes for misunderstandings and fights.

As others have pointed though, it's not the only reason that conflicts arise. It can be a way of communicating but it doesn't mean that it can solve all problems magically. But if we can add another solution, why not? After all, the more solutions we have, the more chances of lessening disputes there are.

But yes, I wouldn't want our languages to just disappear. It's part of our history, our culture and our traditions... We cannot remove that. I do think that English is somehow becoming this universal language that we all understand. A lot of people nowadays understand English, even if just by bits and pieces. And that's good as well, at least we can communicate at some level.

[petesede]

On 3/18/2016 at 0:43 AM, roger1003 said:

Have you had that idea that we should just use one language for everyone here on Earth? In my opinion, it would be best if we just use one language, so it's easier to understand each other. Progress for the whole world will accelerate at a rapid rate if this happens. Language has been a major determinant and a major barrier to progress. 

It will be english, and it won´t be very long.  There will always be local languages, but with the rise of the internet you see the amount of people who can speak english just skyrocket.   Partially it is due to much of the web being only in english, and the rest being poorly translated, but the other part is just that in many countries of the world, speaking english is a huge financial benefit, and because of the internet it is easy to learn from home now.   For example, where I am, working in a call center and speaking english is one of the best paying readily available jobs, working at the same company but speaking only spanish pays 1/5 and is competitive to get the jobs.

[lushlala]

I agree with Trellum on this one. Even though it may look good on paper, I don't think I'd welcome the idea of a universal language. Our language, culture and our little quirks from country to country are what sets us apart and makes life  more interesting. I believe this gives life its different shades and burst of colour. To me, having one universal language would  make the world a very dull place.

Also, i wonder how feasible it would be really? Because given our differences brought about by geographical location, culture, beliefs, lifestyle, intonation, pronunciation etc I believe that even if there were 1 language, we'd add our own nuances and take some things out of that language to make it workable to each part of the world; so that you might find out of those different variations would emerge our own unique versions of said language, which I believe would in turn mean someone from the Northern hemisphere may not necessarily understand someone from the extreme South. I doubt very much that this a possibility, even if we were to look at it hypothetically.

[Mary84]

While I think that being able to communicate with everybody is important, I wouldn't want a universal language. I love languages, they are the foundation of our cultures and it would be horrible if they were to disappear. We've had different languages for centuries and I think it should stay that way. I love my native language and its grammar rules and while I'm fluent enough in english, there are some words or concepts I wouldn't be able to express without italian, some phrases and words are almost impossible to translate in other laguages. Besides, think about all the wonderful literature from all over the world or about all the people who make their living as translators and interpreters, all of them would be without a job if we had only one universal language. I think the right approach toward worldwide communication would be to introduce a second language alongside our own or to teach at least two different languages, starting in primary schools.

[FenWoFon]

Holy jeez, it would be one of the weridest things ever, it should not be that different but people might have a lot of different accents and that could be going to make it way more interesting, that is such a crazy idea though.

[petesede]

On 3/21/2016 at 8:06 PM, MyNameIsFermin said:

This is like the idea of having the same currency for the whole world. my question is what would that language be? beside the possible implications mentioned above in replies, there are human morals and values involved that won't let us accept a foreign country language as a good thing. its been historically a sign of defeat and submission to embrace a foreign langue over your own, I don't think it would ever happen, even if there was an official language everyone accepted, there still would exist secret language spoken forever.

You are already seeing it.  Go to any country and you will see that everyone with any amount of money is already trying to learn english.   I think the confusion in this thread is that many people think of the question as forcing the language on a person..  when the reality is that most of the well educated people from Russia, China and Japan are already learning english as a way to improve their economic outlook.  In many poor countries, learning english is your ticket to a new life.  Where I live, a person who can work at an english call center earns way more than an architect, nurse or other professional, and vastly more than a teacher.

[Chris_A]

I think it would make things easier and erase some hurdles globally, but having many different languages is what defines ourselves culturally. And also, if there would be only one language, you would loose the fun of learning a new one, right?

[brooklyn218]

One of the beautiful things about this world and all of the people in it is our differences!! I love the different cultures, languages, traditions, and histories.  

As easy as one language would make the world, it is something I never want to see happen.  I feel you would lose a lot of the fantasy about other cultures, you would lose traditions, you would change a lot! 

[lingvo]

Well. We have something very close to that with the Esperanto Language. An artificial language with simple, logical rules, zero irregular words and easy to ger fluent  in a few months. Is easy even for people unfamiliar with romance and germanic language. It's purpose is to provide an universal language without encroaching other cultures. Therefore, Esperanto doesn't replace any language or culture.

So yeah, that notion exists today. One language for everyone, without being invasive as much as english do.

[Rooks57]

The simple appeal of just having one language completely overlooks our natural inclinations towards special deviations.  Look at English, there is the original British English, Canadian English, American English, Australian English, and multiple other variations.  Each one not only sounds different but can completely different slangs and even changes the meanings of the words.  My mom jokes about the time her friend asked her for a rubber, she's from England, at work and was shocked.  In America, a rubber is slang for a condom while in England it means an eraser.  A lift is an elevator in UK.  So even if you picked one language, it would end up deviating to fit the people and the culture.  Besides, there are just words and phrases that are unique to each language that never completely transfer in translation.  The lost of uniqueness of those language would be tragic and immense.