Forums > Social Chat > What is the language of the future?

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caniffisSILVER Member
member
60 posts
Location: the world at large (mainly UK)


Posted:
Hi all thought I would put this out to see what comes back!

I have just finished a CELTA course in the UK that now means I can go and teach English to foreigners. Having done the course I wonder now though what is the future language of English? There are so many different types. American English and British English are steadily diverging and with all the sub categorise with just these variations the changes in English is vast.

ubbideaMy question is as a community that speaks only in English on the web, how are we changing the language, and were are our generation taking it?

lets see were you think we are going? peace ubbloco
peace peace

What you don't know won't hurt you? well i intend to get to know as much as possible so that i can make sure no one else has to so they carn't get hurt.


Astarmember
1,591 posts
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada.


Posted:
We are ruining it. Picture newspeak like in 1984 but without any political agenda, only defined by sheer lazyness and wacky trends. That is the future of english. It is a bleak future.

GnorBRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
5,814 posts
Location: Perth, Australia


Posted:
Since going in the chat room I have learnt a whole new language.....and it has been fun.

Language is not a static thing and should never be. My only beef with the way language is going is that crudity is becoming too prevalent.
I dont like hearing excessive swearing being part of a normal conversation

Is it the Truth?
Is it Fair to all concerned?
Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?

Im in a lonely battle with the world with a fish to match the chip on my shoulder. Gnu in Binnu in a cnu


vanizeSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,899 posts
Location: Austin, Texas, USA


Posted:
Quote:

American English and British English are steadily diverging



Well, that was true, but I think that they will start to come together again soon thanks to global media. I hope we don't loose regional dialects though.

English is the most spoken language on Earth, being spoken in at least some degree by nearly a third of the people on the planet, and about one in 5 are fluent to whatever degree the study decided was good enough to qualify as fluent.

French comes in as the 9th most known language, which makes me wonder what 2-8 are? Probably got Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and maybe Arabic and Hindi? But even if the last two are correct, that leaves 2 other languages before French. What are they???

It certainly isn't any African language - unless they are talking about language groups, in which case I guess all the bazilion variations on Bantu (Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, and 4 others officially recognized in South Africa alone, and at least 50 variations on it in west Africa) could qualify, but really they are not that similar to each other except in structure, and someone 200 km from home isn't like to find any one who understand much of what he is saying.

Unfortunately the article I read on the subject only talked about English and French.

Anyway, back to the subject of the thread. English is one of the most flexible languages out there. It may change. But as long as I can still understand what is being said, I personally don't care.

And though variations on the language are rapidly being developed, the globalization of english will also ensure some stability as well as variation. In other words, there will be some standardization of some aspects of the language, though the actual vocabulary may well get mixed up from one view point or another.

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!


GottaLoveItSponge
883 posts
Location: Stevenage


Posted:
People use language as a form of identity, like globally it's easy to find the examples then you reach into England and the English language, you get people speaking it normally, people speaking "common" english, the rude boi's with "innits and sorted" yeah all my examples are stereotyped but it's true people use the way they speak their language as an identity even my boyfriend and I do and my friends and family. It's just about as easy to manipulate as the way you dress.
And as for this having relevance to the subject I don't know what will happen to languages, I can only speak English and a stupidly small amount of German "Wo sind die toiletten?" (How many grammer mistakes did I just make????) hehe.

Monkeys monkeys and bananas


KyrianDreamer
4,308 posts
Location: York, England


Posted:
Chinese and Arabic are good future languages, just remmeber many chinese dialects bear far less raltion to each other than say english and hebrew......prolly Russian is string, Spanish is strong, Hindi is strong. Portuguese? They have brazil....... i don't know what the top ten languages are these days. French has a lot of colonies, remmeber, so german, for example, is going to be a lot lower on the scale.

As far as english, some dialects are already unintelligable to each other, and in truth i think american "black enlglish" is far more divergent than british english. British english appears to have different words but the same grammer, whereas most black english is a strongly different grammar, more so than anything else save accent.

But anyway...good question...mmore if my brain is ever not fried.

-Kyri-

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....


fireboyAn angry young man with a passon for metal
252 posts
Location: Wagga Wagga, N.S.W, Australia


Posted:
1337 5p33|(

Fireboy

<<SINister miNISister>>
remeber kids jesus slaves


EeraBRONZE Member
old hand
1,107 posts
Location: In a test pit, Mackay, Australia


Posted:
Anyone remember Esperanto?

There's also a worrying trend for Klingon emerging.

There is a slight possibility that I am not actually right all of the time.


Tao StarPooh-Bah
1,662 posts
Location: Bristol


Posted:
Personally, i reckon everyone should learn BSL (brisitsh sign language) or even a foreign sign language as they're so easy to pick up. Not much good on the internet, but alrhight in noisy places.



Best not try it while doing poi either...





Peace. XxX

I had a dream that my friend had a
strong-bad pop up book,
it was the book of my dreams.


Noir_deluxemember
58 posts
Location: Canada


Posted:
In all honesty, I think in the future there will be a much simpler language, one that is known by all. Of course we have to wait for the technology but the digital language could be the wave of the future. I've heard people are already working on some kind of universal translator thing, I dont know how it works, but its prolly fairly complex. At the moment is also prolly the size of a large truck. haha. But apparently any thing that is said can be translated into any language you want, with little or no error. I say in about 20 years, we're gonna have these kind of technologies, so a universal language will not be necessary, we will all be able to understand anything said to us. Haha, at least we will be able to understand what those shop vendors in foreign countries are saying to us, and maybe we'll figure out why those old ladies keep yelling.... does it have anything to do with these balls, on fire, on chains? hahahaha ANybody agree with me?

Noir_DDELUX


MikeIconGOLD Member
Pooh-Bah
2,109 posts
Location: Philadelphia, PA - USA


Posted:
Honestly, I think the laziness exhibited on the net is a good thing. All we are doing is shortening words and terms. In most cases, it just makes how we read and understand things faster. We are just progressing naturally making things smaller and faster to be more efficient. I believe that eventually, computer talk will evolve into its own language and will end up the #1 language.

Let's turn those old bridges we crossed into ashes.
We'll blaze a new trail,
and torch the rough patches.

-Me


NickCMonkey Wrangler
183 posts
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada


Posted:
10110001 00101101 10101011

musashiistarring Skippy the green llama
1,148 posts
Location: Seattle, WA


Posted:
100:10100

First intention, then enlightenment..
Ars Pyronomica

" Life is programmed. Whether death is programmed or not is yet to be determined."


arsnHow do you change this thing???
1,903 posts
Location: Behind the couch...


Posted:
And for the record... 1001110110000010110100!... yeah... tongue

I can't hear you... I have a banana in my ear.

"You mean I'll have to use my brain?... but I use staff!!!" ~ ben-ja-men


ValuraSILVER Member
Mumma Hen
6,391 posts
Location: Brisbane, Australia


Posted:
bloody binary rolleyes

TAJ "boat mummy." VALURA "yes sweetie you went on a boat, was daddy there with you?" TAJ "no, but monkey on boat" VALURA "well then sweetie, Daddy WAS there with you"


KatBRONZE Member
Pooh-Bah
2,211 posts
Location: London, Wales (UK)


Posted:
Goopa!

I think it will be Ewok biggrin

Come faeries, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame.

- W B Yeats


borismcnorrisprofessional pedant
137 posts
Location: Bristol


Posted:
there are 10 types of people who understand binary: those who do, and those who dont.


ubblol

A warrior always returns to the fray. He never does so out of stubbornness, but because he has noticed a change in the weather - Paulo Coelho


Noir_deluxemember
58 posts
Location: Canada


Posted:
Well ya I dont understand binary... only those wierd people who programed computers along time ago can understand it. Now the cmputers understand it for us. Hell Bill gates prolly dont even understand binary, lol. (well duh, its Bill gates, of course he dont. ^_^)

Noir_DDELUX


Matthew B-MLemon-Aware Devilstick-wielding Operative
605 posts
Location: East London Wilds


Posted:
I feel obliged to post the obligatory geeky:

Billboard Poster

Not sure I'd want to work for them, though... wink

Luv 'n' Lemons
purity :: clarity :: balance


originalsmitSILVER Member
addict
469 posts
Location: nottingham, england. cornwall wales denmark or pra...


Posted:
I post with reference to the posts by noir deluxe and royal, have either of you ever read 1984??
I Personally think that the derrivation of the english language is a terrible thing, im in nottingham and while a regional accent is part of the makeup of this country lazy speaking really hacks me off,listen to these adidas and kappa wearing rude boy idiots going Y'KNOW and SAAFE and like yknow not sort of like talking in like a way that makes any like sense y'know . intelligent people have spent hundreds of years working on language because at the end of the day it is the best way we have of getting what is in the brain, out of the brain.
on the net yes all good type quickly, play around, shorten Do wht evr u wnt 2
but insofar as this lazy way of doing things becoming a new language.... its all verging a little bit close to double plus good to me.
to anyone who reads this and hasnt read 1984, whats your excuse?? go and read it now, , famous phrases such as room 101 and big brother is watching you, all from this book. go and read it
please feel free to heavily criticise back, im at work and really bored

my original signature was tooo long.
this one is shorter


Maylinnmember
14 posts
Location: Östersund, Sweden and London, UK


Posted:
Ah a fellow TEFL teacher, cool!
Pick up the excellent TEFL supply from Guardian Weekly, packed with good ideas onthe language of the future. Common consensus is it will be what we call "global English", which means it is basically English but made easier and without any "correct" accent. See for example the african countries, where English is widely spoken but with a completely different intonation. My bet is English will continue to grow but will be made easier grammatically, and that Queen´s English in a bunch of years will be seen only as yet another odd variation of dialect. I also guess that you Brits and Americans will start feeling a bit like you´re losing out when the rest of the world will soon be able to speak their mother tounge, English and maybe yet another language fluently, and you guys will still be stuck "only" knowing English. Job market not looking too good for you guys! In case of desperacy I can give free classes of all Scandinavian languages...

Mind that grammar!!!


Matthew B-MLemon-Aware Devilstick-wielding Operative
605 posts
Location: East London Wilds


Posted:
Many people here learn French, and other languages are also common. I know a lot of people who know a bit of Japanese (some who know rather more than just "a bit"). In the States, my understanding was that many knew (some) Spanish too. I may just know weird people, though.

Luv 'n' Lemons
purity :: clarity :: balance


Djnnmember
79 posts
Location: flames of the netherlands


Posted:
Symbols, ubblove
The world confused will return to symbols biggrin
just look ubbideahow visual hugwe are here beerchug

beerchug beerchug

Tao StarPooh-Bah
1,662 posts
Location: Bristol


Posted:
Quote:

intelligent people have spent hundreds of years working on language because at the end of the day it is the best way we have of getting what is in the brain, out of the brain.






ooooohhhhhhhhhhh. Controversial statement. Language (even between people who speak the same one) has been responsible for milions and millions of vital misunderstandings. I mean, even fatal ones - just look at the problems between religious groups - same god/different god. If language is the best way we have of getting what is in the brain, out of the brain then we're all idiots - i'd rather rely on actions speak louder than words.


Peace. XxX

I had a dream that my friend had a
strong-bad pop up book,
it was the book of my dreams.


Rouge DragonBRONZE Member
Insert Champagne Here
13,215 posts
Location: without class distinction, Australia


Posted:
(this may have already been said but) written-wise i think the slack internet and txt msg spelling will creep in more and more. just look at the way chaucer spelt (urg, i have to study it this year!) and the way we now spell! its completely possibly that simplified spelling will become the normal.

i would have changed ***** to phallus, and claire to petey Petey

Rougie: but that's what I'm doing here
Arnwyn: what letting me adjust myself in your room?..don't you dare quote that on HoP...


Matthew B-MLemon-Aware Devilstick-wielding Operative
605 posts
Location: East London Wilds


Posted:
Quote:

i'd rather rely on actions speak louder than words.




So, how do the actions pass from generation to generation without corruption? What about all of the wonderful literature that's been written (in many languages)? How does this fit into your worldview?

umm

Luv 'n' Lemons
purity :: clarity :: balance


Matthew B-MLemon-Aware Devilstick-wielding Operative
605 posts
Location: East London Wilds


Posted:
Quote:

its completely possibly that simplified spelling will become the normal.




Please, no.

Luv 'n' Lemons
purity :: clarity :: balance


Tao StarPooh-Bah
1,662 posts
Location: Bristol


Posted:
Quote:

Quote:

i'd rather rely on actions speak louder than words.




So, how do the actions pass from generation to generation without corruption? What about all of the wonderful literature that's been written (in many languages)? How does this fit into your worldview?

umm




Ok, so obviously it would be stupid of me to say language isn't helpful in everyday life. You can't really go wrong with 'salt & vinegar crisps please'. But it's when you get in to words for feelings and concepts that things start to go wrong because of connotations etc.

In an ideal world (and i stress ideal ) people would be able to say what they meant, but haven't you ever been in the situation where you just can't tell someone how much you love them - sometimes there just aren't the words and only action (hug) will do. Actions are humanity's purest form of communication, and if it comes from your heart then no one will misunderstand you.


Peace. XxX

I had a dream that my friend had a
strong-bad pop up book,
it was the book of my dreams.


Matthew B-MLemon-Aware Devilstick-wielding Operative
605 posts
Location: East London Wilds


Posted:
You've carefully avoided my question. Well done. smile

Quote:

But it's when you get in to words for feelings and concepts that things start to go wrong because of connotations etc.




Out of interest, have you ever read any of Shakespeare's sonnets?

If you want to express your feelings for future generations to understand, and to add to the richness of the human experience, how do you do that with actions?

Quote:

Actions are humanity's purest form of communication, and if it comes from your heart then no one will misunderstand you.




Communication can be to a party you can't see (most of modern technology enables this). Newspapers, the television, films, theatre, music etc. are all forms of communication. In many ways, Mozart and Beethoven are communicating to those who listen to their music (as are the musicians in this case). Shakespeare is communicating to those who watch his plays (as are the cast and direction). None of those things would be possible without written expression. These things are often very powerful, many times because of the choice of words or expressions, and the associated connotations.

If, as you suggest, actions are "humanity's purest form of communication", why do we bother to study history or literature? After all, only the actions are important...

umm

Luv 'n' Lemons
purity :: clarity :: balance


Tao StarPooh-Bah
1,662 posts
Location: Bristol


Posted:
Ok, you got me! I do like to read and I'ma stage manager so i'd be f****d without Shakepreare!

However, i still think that language causes more communication problems than it should. Maybe if we all (me included!) took the time to really, really think about what we were saying before we say it, then some of these wouldn't happen.

As a general point, i think what i've said in previous posts is probably still true, but about everyday spoken word, and also, not all the time. ubbrollsmile

*congratulates herself on getting out of a sticky situation...* beerchug


Peace. XxX ubbangel biggrin

Oh, and i have read a couple of Shakepeare's sonnets - i once tried to read the complete works, but only made it about 1/2 the first play. I need actors!

I had a dream that my friend had a
strong-bad pop up book,
it was the book of my dreams.


Matthew B-MLemon-Aware Devilstick-wielding Operative
605 posts
Location: East London Wilds


Posted:
I just find the sonnets are wonderful at expressing emotion. Though there are parts of the plays that reflect life in scary ways.

smile

Luv 'n' Lemons
purity :: clarity :: balance


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