Newsgroups: alt.politics.ec,sci.lang
From: philip@storcomp.demon.co.uk (Phil Hunt)
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!rochester!udel!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!peernews.demon.co.uk!storcomp.demon.co.uk!philip
Subject: Re: English as the European language (not) (Re: Languages in the EC)
References: <3ha0n3INNmq5@SUNED.ZOO.CS.YALE.EDU> <MATTHEW.95Feb10133047@baloo.cpd.ntc.nokia.com>
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Date: Sat, 11 Feb 1995 23:57:18 +0000
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In article <MATTHEW.95Feb10133047@baloo.cpd.ntc.nokia.com>
           matthew@cpd.ntc.nokia.com "Matthew Faupel" writes:
> It is true that the educated globe-trotting elite do indeed speak English.
> 300 years ago though they spoke French and 500 years ago they spoke Latin.
> 2000 years ago it was Greek.  In each case it was the language of the
> (culturally or geographically) dominant nation of the time.  There's nothing
> that is guaranteeing English's position of dominance in perpetuity.

Agreed. In 200 years time everyone might be speaking Chinese. Or computer
translation will have been perfected by then.

OTOH, an estimated 1500 million people speak English now. It's quite 
possible that some time in the next century this might increase until
it includes 1/2 the world's population. Then English might have so much
momentum behind it as to be unstoppable. After all, the Latin alphabet's
dominance is likely to continue forever (or at least as long as people
read), because most people already use it and it would be too much 
hassle to change to something else.

-- 
Phil Hunt...philip@storcomp.demon.co.uk
Majority rule for Britain!
