"Digital Minoritization"

[Judge]

Interesting term, as well as an article citing a claim that the use of the Internet is creating a "linguistic casualty". Where a language spoken by a majority of people is being abandoned based on a need to communicate in a minority language in the digital world. An article which focuses on how Icelandic is being abandoned in favor of English based on their need to use the Internet.

Though I suspect there are any number of other languages exposed to the same concern. The continual dominance of the English language over my lifetime never fails to amaze me. I've always been aware how English displaced French as the language of diplomacy, but I guess I never gave any thought to the cyberworld's contribution of advancing the use of English as well.

Imagine if the real "Tower of Babel" wasn't measured in feet or centimeters, but rather bytes and bits. Hmmmmmmmmmm. Nebuchadnezzar would have loved it, but he'd have needed a keyboard.

Icelandic language battles threat of 'digital extinction'

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

Loads of reasons for the proliferatipn of english.

My take on our 26 letter alphabet,compared to historical systems, is the simplicity of it.
Trends in spoken language seems to be (through trade perhaps) is paring down complexity - simplicity wins.
Im lften astounded at the development of american english.
The neologisms, the idioms, I always think are super creative.
Its language growing in front of you.
Mass media also provided a consitency (tv) which, in somes ways stopped localisation of language.
And digitilisation perhaps is a trend beyond that.

Didnt i read that emoji was recognised as a language?

But my thoughts on the simplicity of trades languages are running concurrently with the reinvention of heiroglyphics.... ie the use of symbols.

One wonders in a global context, if using emoji, one can agree ttade terms or use it functionally imstead of just for leisure at some point in the future.

Man, I habe to read that back.

 

[Progster]

I don't think that English will ever entirely replace other native languages, but I can see a situation where the two languages will coexist in a similar way to the way they do in Canada or Wales, where there are two official languages. The case of India also comes to mind, where English is used alongside other languages, but does not replace them.

Even though, as a teacher of English I facilitate this process, I would never want my language (English) to take over and repalce any native tongue. I would encourage more native English speakers to take an interest in learning other languages, so it becomes more like an exchange, a two-way thing. But most people are lazy and it doesn't happen. Speakers of other languages tend to have more of an incentive to learn English and learn it well, whereas English native speakers have little incentive, because most of what they read on the internet is in English. So when, for example, a German speaker and an English speaker meet, they usually speak in English, even when the English person might speak some German, because this is the strongest common language.

 

[Catana]

Some languages will almost certainly disappear, mainly because there aren't enough native speakers to keep it alive in the face in international pressures. But there's sometimes a pushback when a language is in danger of being lost, as in Native American languages that are being taught again in order to restore and preserve cultures that were almost totally destroyed by the European immigrants. For a while, France fought a rear-guard battle against any pollution of its language, particularly by English, but is now adapting.

 

[Judge]

Interesting too in considering other catalysts of the proliferation of English. One which came much earlier than the Internet- pop music. Or as Gareth the vampire called it, "The Second British Invasion".

I mean, how many songs have Golden Earring or ABBA released in their native tongue?

Funny to think I enjoyed most of those Sergio Mendes/Brasil 66 songs that were in Portuguese rather than in English. Oh well...

 

[Progster]

I mean, how many songs have Golden Earring or ABBA released in their native tongue?

Yes, and how many of the Eurovision's entries are sung in the respective country's native tongue?

Edit: two - the British entry and the Irish entry.

 

[WereBear]

On the other hand, Esperanto never caught on.

 

[Chance]

Some languages will almost certainly disappear, mainly because there aren't enough native speakers to keep it alive in the face in international pressures. But there's sometimes a pushback when a language is in danger of being lost, as in Native American languages that are being taught again in order to restore and preserve cultures that were almost totally destroyed by the European immigrants. For a while, France fought a rear-guard battle against any pollution of its language, particularly by English, but is now adapting.

I have a friend who is half Mexican, half white, and he doesn't know hardly any Spanish. His family has never felt the need to teach him, and so he (of all people) is illiterate in his own families language.

However he has taught me most of the dirty words... : ) Strange how we can remember them and not something intelligent.

 

[Mr Allen]

I did both French and Spanish at school, but I've forgotten most of both apart from little bits of French, I could just about order a Beer in a French Ale house, er "Je Voudrais un Bier sil vous plait, merci"

 

[Catana]

I have a friend who is half Mexican, half white, and he doesn't know hardly any Spanish. His family has never felt the need to teach him, and so he (of all people) is illiterate in his own families language.
<snip>

In the early part of the 20th C., it was common for immigrants from Europe to try to become Americanized as quickly as possible. Some of the older people refused to learn English at all, but the kids generally put their native tongues behind them in favor of English.

 

[Progster]

Sheesh, I honestly didn't know that Golden Earring was Dutch. Radar Love was one of my favorite cruising songs, but for some reason I thought they were an east-coast band. Talk about being clueless.

Another such band is the Scorpions, who were actually German but sang in English.

 

[Mr Allen]

And Celine Dion, who is French Canadian but did Switzerland's Eurovision entry a few years back.