World Languages? (General discussion) Language Learning Forum

World Languages?
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58 messages over 8 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next >>

SmilingStraw
Diglot
Newbie
United States
Joined 4722 days ago
35 posts - 37 votes
Speaks: English*, German
Studies: Arabic (Written)

Message 1 of 58

29 December 2011 at 1:10am | IP Logged

I was recently googling information on languages and came up with a Wikipedia entry about "World language" which mentiones what a world language is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_language

Apparently, a world language meets the following criteria:

-a large number of speakers
-a substantial fraction of non-native speakers (function as lingua franca)
-official status in several countries
-a linguistic community not defined strictly along ethnic lines (multiethnic, pluricentric language)
-one or more standard registers which are widely taught as a foreign language
-association with linguistic prestige
-use in international trade relations
-use in international organizations
-use in the academic community
-significant body of literature

In general the following are considered world languages:

-English
-Spanish
-French
-Portuguese

Some also include:

-Mandarin
-German
-Arabic
-Russian
-Hindustani

Do you agree with this outlook, or should ther ebe more or less languages listed? I also like how that out of the first four, three are Romance languages.
1 person has voted this message useful

hrhenry
Octoglot
Senior Member
United States
languagehopper.blogs
Joined 4942 days ago
1871 posts - 3642 votes

Speaks: English*, Spanish^C2, Italian^C2, Norwegian, Catalan, Galician, Turkish, Portuguese
Studies: Polish, Indonesian, Ojibwe

Message 2 of 58

29 December 2011 at 1:24am | IP Logged

SmilingStraw wrote:

I also like how that out of the first four, three are Romance languages.

I think more importantly, all four came from countries that colonized great portions of the world, or at least several continents.

While the other languages conquered and colonized greater regions, they never had the reach that the first four have had throughout history.

R.
==

Edited by hrhenry on 29 December 2011 at 1:25am
1 person has voted this message useful

Thor1987
Groupie
Canada
Joined 4546 days ago
65 posts - 84 votes

Studies: German

Message 3 of 58

29 December 2011 at 2:07am | IP Logged

Pretty cool stuff, but for the record arabic,mandarin, and russian would have to be
considered world languages.
2 persons have voted this message useful

jarm
Newbie
Australia
Joined 4724 days ago
33 posts - 55 votes

Speaks: English*

Message 4 of 58

29 December 2011 at 2:46am | IP Logged

Swahili, Persian and Malay might fit that list, as well.
2 persons have voted this message useful

Thor1987
Groupie
Canada
Joined 4546 days ago
65 posts - 84 votes

Studies: German

Message 5 of 58

29 December 2011 at 8:33am | IP Logged

hrhenry wrote:

SmilingStraw wrote:

I also like how that out of the first four, three
are Romance languages.

I think more importantly, all four came from countries that colonized great portions of
the world, or at least several continents.

While the other languages conquered and colonized greater regions, they never had the
reach that the first four have had throughout history.

R.
==

What a surprise the four most western states conlinized the largest portions
of the western world.
1 person has voted this message useful

Марк
Senior Member
Russian Federation
Joined 4868 days ago
2096 posts - 2972 votes

Speaks: Russian*

Message 6 of 58

29 December 2011 at 9:23am | IP Logged

Where does Portuguese function as lingua franca and where is it widely taught as a
foreign language?
1 person has voted this message useful

Flarioca
Heptaglot
Senior Member
Brazil
Joined 5694 days ago
635 posts - 816 votes

Speaks: Portuguese*, Esperanto, French, English^C2, Spanish, German, Italian
Studies: Catalan, Mandarin

Message 7 of 58

29 December 2011 at 3:52pm | IP Logged

Марк wrote:

Where does Portuguese function as lingua franca and where is it widely taught as a
foreign language?

Portuguese is mandatory in high school in Argentina and Uruguay, and widely taught in many other countries in South America and Africa.

It has a status of "Lingua franca" in many places of Africa and some spots in Asia.

5 persons have voted this message useful

hrhenry
Octoglot
Senior Member
United States
languagehopper.blogs
Joined 4942 days ago
1871 posts - 3642 votes

Speaks: English*, Spanish^C2, Italian^C2, Norwegian, Catalan, Galician, Turkish, Portuguese
Studies: Polish, Indonesian, Ojibwe

Message 8 of 58

29 December 2011 at 4:08pm | IP Logged

Flarioca wrote:

It has a status of "Lingua franca" in many places of Africa and some spots in Asia.

True. This year I had to translate a couple casino/vendor contracts completed in Macao, Portuguese into English. End client was an American casino.

R.
==

3 persons have voted this message useful

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