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

In this TED Talk, Jay Walker explains why two billion people around the world are trying to learn English. He shares photos and spine-tingling audio of Chinese students rehearsing English - 'the world's second language' - by the thousands.

This video was issued by TED under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported Licence, from www.ted.com

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[llenbridges11a]

Your video is a favorite on Gabon

[globalismfilms]

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

[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 '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'

[rturozamora37a]

This is one very "sudden" video. =p

[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???