From: Gerry Reinhart-Waller
Message: 714
Date: 1999-12-30
>
> 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.
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