Jay Walker on the world's English mania (TED Talks, 2009)

[rturozamora37a]

This is one very "sudden" video. =p

[llenbridges11a]

Your video is a favorite on Gabon

[globalismfilms]

@llenbridges11a First connection I've knowingly made with Gabon - thanks for the comment!

[animalkingdom137]

If our students in school had half the motivation that the Chinese youngsters have I wouldn't be so worried about the future of our country. But they don't. They don't have one tenth the motivation. We are in deep do-do here in the US folks!

[ArthurDeBisu]

@globalismfilms Totally agree with u on the languages' impacts! However, may I cite François Cheng on his learning of french? "Mon mariage avec le français a été un mariage de RAISON, puis transmué en mariage d'amour" So, I was just wandering how many CHN kids could finally, after having ensured their rosy future, transmute the obligation to learn eng into a real passion...That's Y I said "pathetic"...

[ArthurDeBisu]

Althrough i speak eng/french/spanish, u don't know how much i HATED these languages when i was a college student 7 yrs ago preparing GaoKao as he mentioned. "I want to change my life! I don't want to let my parents down!" Don't u guys think this cry of hope is so pathetic, cruel and helpless???

[Mishkafofer]

the first technological breakthrough in Computer science were in UK and USA and so all programing language are in English, not knowing it, makes you at disadvantage.

[globalismfilms]

@Mishkafofer Certainly true for programming languages. During the early growth of the internet, knowing English was also really useful. However, things are quite different now with English's dominance of the 'Net declining as the 'Net grows and more languages are supported.

[098anne]

@globalismfilms I never said he was American :) He used America as the focal point. Admittedly, he said it wasn't pushing English on the world, but that the world was pulling for English. I disagree, in part.

I think that America, as a dominant figure in global politics and business, has forced the convenience of learning English because of it's general arrogance and laziness when it comes to learning languages.

[globalismfilms]

@098anne My mistake on his nationality - excuse me (got him confused with one of the other clips I'd put out).

I have certainly agreed with the point you're making in the past, but the experience of teaching it to people who want to learn it changed my perspective. As Walker says, not only is English 'the world's second language', but it also enables people to become 'part of a wider conversation, a global (one)'.

I believe that English can gone beyond something forced on people...

[globalismfilms]

@098anne

...by the Anglosphere, but has now become a tool that enables people to communicate with each other irrespective of their first language.

Historically, Britain forced English on other peoples. America continued that trend on an even wider scale. But the interesting thing, I believe, is that in doing so the two countries have disadvantaged their own people, who yes, become lazy when other people speak their language...and can then only speak one rather than two languages.

[globalismfilms]

@098anne 'Scuse the slackness on late replying. I get as swamped as everyone else does with the daily digital deluge.

America has certainly forced many things on many people, including the language it speaks, but for how long does that remain something that it has any control over? The world is no longer just organised into nation against nation. I think that English has become a tool by which people can communicate with each other whatever their 1st language, the first 'global second language'

[098anne]

I think he is attempting to spin the sort of inevitable convenience of people around the world having to learn english (americans are pretty linguistically arrogant and lazy) to do business and share ideas in the most positive light possible. It's just convenient. He would do well to remember that America is the second country to use English, not first. Not best, even. I found the mania connection disturbing.

[globalismfilms]

@098anne Agreed that the mania connection was pretty unusual! And yes, many speakers of English as a first language (British, Americans) can get very lazy when it comes to learning other people's tongues, which I think is a terrible shame.

One comment though - the speaker is South African, not American.

[emzademon]

English should not be a global language since it is very flawed instead we need to create a phonetic language (a language that is spoken as it is written unlike English) and that is simple to speak,read, and write.

[globalismfilms]

@emzademon You make an interesting point, but I'm sure that if we were in a position to choose a global language, it wouldn't be English (due to it not being the easiest language to learn, amongst other reasons). However, a wide range of historical reasons have come together to mean that there is a global language that enables people to communicate with each other the world over. Isn't there something good in that fact?

[drche420]

China ? Largest English speaking country? Ha how ironic.

[globalismfilms]

@drche420 China's rapidly becoming 'world's largest...' in all sorts of things - no great surprise that it should also become largest English speaking country!