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Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 3:07:12 PM   
PainSmith


Posts: 53
Joined: 12/30/2007
From: the Republic
Status: offline 		This is my 'hello world' topic, posted here instead of haunting Castle Glampenstein for once.

A couple of years ago, the British Council published a report showing that English had become such a global language that, in some professions at least, everyone speaks it. The way things are going, in a decade or so, almost everyone will speak English in any profession that requires brains. Being an English speaker will be nothing special. Many people will speak another language. Monolingual English people will not. Polyglots can think in the way of their other languages. Monoglots cannot. Thus polyglots will have the advantage. That's why the British Council believe native English speakers need to learn another language. English has become too successful.

There's a good summary here (from Mandarin speakers; I couldn't resist):
http://english.people.com.cn/200602/18/eng20060218_243850.html

You can download the report here:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-research-englishnext.htm

This suggests to me people who want to standardise a country on English alone are people who want to make their country fail. Of course, this could never happen in the UK, it has too many native languages. But might it happen in England itself? Or America?

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 3:22:21 PM   
kittinSol


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Status: offline 		I think you're overall correct.

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 3:25:11 PM   
LadyEllen


Posts: 10931
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From: Stourport-England
Status: offline 		wil way doh wunt no furreign spek, olroight?

E

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 3:26:50 PM   
kittinSol


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Status: offline 		Awoight we won't tork foreign then.

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 3:30:40 PM   
Raechard


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From: S.E. London U.K.
Status: offline 		I only speak English and morse code.

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 3:33:05 PM   
Real_Trouble


Posts: 471
Joined: 2/25/2008
Status: offline 		Well, it's a good thing that knowing languages is the only differentiator of skill among humans, or some of the points the British Council is making would be pretty stupid...

oh wait.


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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 3:50:56 PM   
LotusSong


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Status: offline 		I'm all in favor of having  common language in which to transact business and/or to unify a nation. It makes sense.  And it should be in the language of those that made the most contribution for the betterment of said nation.  

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 4:10:37 PM   
kittinSol


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Status: offline 		Huh?

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 4:14:55 PM   
LondonArt


Posts: 101
Joined: 4/14/2008
Status: offline 		Can we count Latin, Esperanto, and Klingon as viable second languages?

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 4:20:00 PM   
LadyEllen


Posts: 10931
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Status: offline 		Thats what amazes me about Brits, LondonArt - "oh, I cant learn another language, I'm rubbish at that sort of thing"

One infatuation with some moralising future crap known as Star Trek later, theyre babbling along in Klingon.

E

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 4:25:44 PM   
JohnWarren


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quote:

ORIGINAL: LondonArt

Can we count Latin, Esperanto, and Klingon as viable second languages?


I managed to convince my graduate committee (doctorates are expected to know a second language) that my knowledge of COBOL, FORTRAN, LISP, BASIC, SNOBOL and 8086 assembly constituted a more valuable knowledge set than French or something like that.

< Message edited by JohnWarren -- 5/5/2008 4:28:07 PM >

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 4:30:38 PM   
GreedyTop


Posts: 52100
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From: Savannah, GA
Status: offline 		heh. most of the words I know in non-english languages are the kind of words you do NOT repeat in polite company..LOL

(actually, I can say hello, please, and thank you in a few languages..)


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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 4:33:16 PM   
popeye1250


Posts: 18104
Joined: 1/27/2006
From: New Hampshire
Status: offline 		Well, there's a lot of truth to that , English (is) the language of business and it is very widely spoken in Western (first world) countries.
You can get along very well in the world speaking English only.
If you speak Romanian only or hundreds of other languages you'll have problems if you leave Romania or your native country.
The only exception I can think of is German as it's used a lot in engineering.

< Message edited by popeye1250 -- 5/5/2008 4:34:42 PM >

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 4:41:55 PM   
Racquelle


Posts: 600
Joined: 4/21/2008
Status: offline 		I have long considered it a disadvantage.  I live in Southern California.  I wish I spoke Spanish and Vietnamese.  I have nothing but admiration for those who can speak more than one language, and especially those who can use sign language.  Our ability to conect with one another verbally is a rather important human experience.  I don't think it is WRONG that I speak only English, but speaking more languages certainly would be a talent.

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 9:09:47 PM   
Marc2b


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Status: offline 		I can count to ten in Japanese. 

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 9:12:22 PM   
christine1


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Status: offline 		oh you think that's neato?  i can count to ten on my fingers and toes, so there!

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 9:42:07 PM   
Marc2b


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quote:

oh you think that's neato?  i can count to ten on my fingers and toes, so there!


You can only count to ten on your fingers and toes?  I sorry to have to tell you this but you're only half way there.  Keep trying!

(cue the theme from Rocky)




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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/5/2008 11:08:52 PM   
popeye1250


Posts: 18104
Joined: 1/27/2006
From: New Hampshire
Status: offline 		I can count to 21 if I'm naked.

And I can count to 10 in Irish.

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/6/2008 1:34:38 AM   
stella41b


Posts: 4258
Joined: 10/16/2007
From: SW London (UK)
Status: offline 		Ah but can u spk mdn Eng? (But can you speak modern English?)

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RE: Monolingual English is a disadvantage - 5/6/2008 4:24:36 AM   
Lucylastic


Posts: 40310
Status: offline 		I speak english, gibberish and typonese...not well, but I get by:)
Lucy

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