Re: The chain-of-dialects

David Hanig: It's very difficult at this time to predict how languages will further "evolve". On the one hand, there are homogenizing trends: 1) In a commercial culture (such as our current world), a lingua franca can steadily replace local dialects or languages, e.g., Greek koine came to dominate the eastern Mediterranean 2000 years ago. Something similar may be happening now. For example, a recent article in the NY Times observed that business people in Europe routinely conduct business in English, even if none of the participants are native speakers! 2) There are technology shifts which may accelerate this trend. TV, radio, and the net all propel people toward using a common language. It appears that such media may be "softening" American regional dialects, which have gotten closer to "standard" spoken American. The net is a particularly interesting medium since, unlike TV, it fosters reciprocity. The fact that we are using English on a site originating from Russia highlights this point. 3) Mobility is affecting this trend as well. Mobility within regions has the effect of shifting language toward a standard (e.g., the migration of northerners to American South is affecting historical dialects.) Movement across national boundaries increases acquisition of loan words and the utility of knowing a lingua franca. On the other hand, there are still some centrifugal linguistic forces: 1) After a century of agonizing warfare, we should be careful not underestimate the power of ethnic loyalties to shape behavior. There are a few examples of modern cultures reviving moribund or dead languages - notably the revival of Hebrew in the Middle East - and similar efforts continue from Native American tribes to Ireland. But, I don't know how successful these efforts will be in long term. 2) Despite the homogenizing effect of technology, I have begun to wonder whether it might actually promote local dialects and languages. Altavista has a translation program on the Net which is still fairly primitive (it often misinterprets nuance and idiom.) But such programs are advancing rapidly, so rapidly that simultaneous translation will be a familiar utility within a decade. As some point, we may be able to wear an earphone that instantly translates an obscure dialect to English (and back again). Fairly soon, we should be able to participate in multinational audiovisual conference calls in which computers will provide simultaneous translation. Will such devices actually promote linguistic insularity? After all, why take the time to learn a language when a machine can translate, in real time, for you? Interestingly, the homogenization of language does not seem to inhibit wholesale shifts in vocabulary and pronunciation. The California "Valley Girl" accent appeared laughable when it was lampooned by Frank Zappa a couple of decades ago. It is now dominant in many circles across the country. And that particular shift appears to reflect cultural, not commercial, pressures, since it was considered more "cool". I suspect that, even if people were to adapt a universal language, that language would continue to shift over time. Re: English as the emerging lingua franca. To me (a native speaker), it has always seemed a graceless tongue, and the orthography is terrible! The best thing it has going for it is its unabashed willingness to borrow, steal or co-opt words from other sources. ----------------------------------------------------------- gerry reinhart-waller wrote: original article:http://www.egroups.com/group/cybalist/?start=707 Mark Odegard writes: If an elite language maintains its elite status over time, it may totally replace the original language, as Greek displaced Pelasgian, as Arabic has displaced Coptic in Egypt and Aramaic everywhere else, and as Latin-Romance displaced all other languages (save Basque) in Iberia, France and Italy. But a very long period of bilingualism seems the rule before such a thing happens. Gerry: In the past, immediate written communication was not available nor was instant publishing. Today we have both options thanks to the internet. That a very long period of bilingualism existed then is understandable; however, since English is also the language of "trade" and of stocks and bonds it would appear that a long bilingual period is less likely than a total English take-over. Placing an historical spin on the issue at hand, it appears that Vulgar German wins out in the end and sadly, money talks. Mark: At present, no other language presents any real competition to English as the 'world language'. I don't see English replacing any national languages for a long time yet, but eventually, something like this will probably happen. Gerry: And I think your long time is sooner than you think.