LL-L 'Language politics' 2007.01.10 (04) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 10 January 2007 - Volume 04

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From: Paul Finlow-Bates <wolf_thunder51 at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L 'Language politics' 2007.01.10 (02) [E]

I personally look forward to it; maybe then we'll get our language back.  I
actually expect the Great Chinese Miracle to collapse in a heap in the next
couple of decades at most, but at least everyone will have learned another
language, and that's got to be good news.
Paul Finlow-Bates

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language politics

Being used by about one quarter of mankind as a native or non-native
language, Mandarin is undoubtedly one of the most "important" languages on
earth, and China's "global reemergence" will no doubt add to this.  However,
for Mandarin and for written Chinese to come even close to competing with
English on a global basis would take a lot of time and doing.  Written
Chinese as it is now has certain "neutrality" advantages, but it is far too
cumbersome to handle and its acquisition is far too time-consuming to be
suitable as an international medium.

I regard the mentioned article and its headline as being nothing short of
sensationalist and actually silly.  Talking of English as a potentially
endangered language at this time is ludicrous.  It seems to be merely an
attention-grabbing stunt and has a xenophobic scare-tactics ring to me.

As far as I know, the government of Mainland China does not embrace
Confucianism, at least not officially.  To the contrary.  The philosophy's
(and its spin-off religion's) hierarchically based premise has always run
counter to socialist ideas.  Furthermore, considering the general global
tendency toward wanting to increase social equality, it would have a
snowball's chance in hell of becoming accepted worldwide.  While Taoism and
Buddhism are (after Islam and the Baha'i Faith) currently the fastest
growing philosophies and religions in the "West" (especially among
intellectuals), Confucianism has hardly any followers that are not East
Asian or of East Asian descent.

Most countries that can afford it donate funding and materials to foreign
educational institutions for the purpose of promoting their languages,
cultures and ultimately ideas.  China is now in a financial position of
joining in on this.  There is nothing remarkable about this.  Interpreting
it as a sign of impending global take-over seems to me rather silly.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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