English or Chinese?
English has been the global
language but, nowadays, there are other languages which are becoming more and
more important. For instance, many people study Chinese Mandarin because they
consider it the language of the future. So, what happens with English? Is it
going to be as significant as it has been till now?
On the one hand, it is
suggested that the economic power China has is making people study its language
in order to do business in this Asian country. Moreover, it is argued that
there is a direct relationship between the language and the economy. In this
sense, it is asserted that the English language is going to decline as the
dollar did. In addition, the Chinese currency –the renminbi– is becoming the next reserve currency and, hence, the
language should be studied. It is also suggested that Mandarin first has to
conquer its area and, then, the rest of the world. Indeed, it appears Chinese
is conquering part of Asia. In this regard, in some schools in Malaysia
teachers do not employ English as they used to but Chinese. That’s why in an article of the BBC News it is mentioned that a boy from Malaysia has to go to Singapore every
day since in his home country English is not the main language at school as it
is in Singapore.
On the other hand, it is
claimed that it is quite difficult to consider Chinese the rival of English. In
this sense, there are many companies which look for people who not only speak
English but also Mandarin. Thence, it seems reasonable to suggest that what is
taking place in the South East Asia is bilingualism, i.e. both Chinese and
English coexist together. Moreover, this bilingualism regarding languages is
also present with respect to culture. In this regard, it is mentioned that English
will remain significant in Asia till Hollywood exists since some American films
are quite important in the Asian culture. A possible example would be Kung FuPanda which showed the most popular Chinese animal and made Asian people learn
English while watching it.
Hi!
ResponderEliminarI have decided to write about English and Chinese because I'm really interested in both language (although English is the apple of my eye). So, I would like to see your opinion about my entry and that's why I'm going to explain to you mine.
Personally speaking I feel Chinese is becoming more and more important all around the world, especially in relation to business since there are many companies whose business is carried out in this Asian country. Therefore, it is necessary for the employees to speak Mandarin. However, in my opinion, English was, is and will be very important. So, personally speaking, both Chinese and English will coexist in the future creating a situation of bilingualism. Indeed, this is one of the reasons why I study Chinese. I find it a very significant (and entertaining, by the way) language which plays and will play a relevant role.
Chinese may become the language for bussiness in the future, true, it may overthrow English as the exchange laguage, true. I say may because, even though it seems more than likely, there is no way to be sure about it.
EliminarHowever, it is also true that we are still ways off from that. English language 'conquered' the world throughout the years, it takes time for a language to spread all around the world and become the second language of most people. Still, globalization has a very important role to play in that aspect, maybe (and I say maybe again) Chinese will now spread in far less time than English did.
So, you think Chinese may become the language for business and, therefore, English will not be used, don't you?
EliminarGlobalization plays a very significant role but Chinese is becoming more and more important. So, maybe, we may create a situation of bilingualism. I mean, it cannot be called 'bilingualism' because it would imply using both languages perfectly and this would be a very difficult issue. Therefore, I would say both languages will be important and people would not only study English but also Chinese.
I don't think Chinese is the language of the future mainly for one reason: CULTURE. It may sound silly, but I think an important aspect related to the establishment of a lingua franca is culture. If the world is used to the language traditions, then it can work, but I don't think Western people are ready to Chinese culture. Then, as you mentioned, Chinese may be used in business, but not a the global language.
EliminarHowever, this is just my opinion :) :)
Well, of course, culture plays a really important role in language acquisition. However, in some companies, Chinese is a requirement. Consequently, if people need to make a living in companies, they would need to learn Chinese. Consequently, it would become more and more important. In fact, some years ago, people did not believe that Chinese would not become as important as it is nowadays. However, only time will tell :)
EliminarWith respect to the film ‘Kung Fu Panda’, I think it’s wonderful! Have you seen it? If not, you should. If you are interesting in it, you can click on the movie’s name and you can see the trailer.
ResponderEliminarI see you really like linking web content to your articles, it is good that you apply all characteristics of the Web 2.0 to your articles. Let's show the world what we have learn! :D
EliminarWell, I decided to include the link because some of you may not have seen it. But, yes, you're right, I really like using links :)
EliminarYes, I saw it! However, I found it a little bit boring :S:S:S:S
EliminarAlso, as Robert says, now that we know so many things related to technologies, we should use them, for sure! :)
Really? I love it! I found it really funny! :):)
Eliminar