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50 Comments
- inactive, on 05/26/2009, -0/+23Really it's not surprising. English is the new Latin.
- burketo, on 05/26/2009, -2/+25that was pretty weak by TED standards. All he did was make an abservation about people learning english (mostly in china) and then give an explanation. No consequences, no arguments, no nothing. Bit of a sham really. I thought he was just getting into his talk and then he said "thank you very much" and left the stage.
Anyway, I am glad that english is becoming a global language. Not for any particular love of english (I'd be just as happy to see Esperanto realizing its potential) but because it is good for people to be able to communicate around the world. - mrgarci1, on 05/26/2009, -0/+11Spine-tingling audio is right - that ***** is scary!
Also, I agree with the speaker's idea of a pluralism of language - we don't need to have a single "world language" that everyone speaks every day, we just need to have a single language that the entire world can use when they need to work with people of differing backgrounds. - LonelyTylenoL, on 05/26/2009, -1/+12Ahhh TED, your wisdom enchants my yurn for knowledge and tickles my science fancy.
- llnylov, on 05/26/2009, -1/+8I wan to speak Engrish perfectree.
- shaba1, on 05/26/2009, -1/+8this was the worst TED speech...it didn't go anywhere
- Radan, on 05/26/2009, -1/+7Dessutom är det fruktansvärt kul att kunna säga saker som majoriteten av världens befolkning inte förstår. Räksmörgås, brödrost, møøse och en tandläkarutbildningsanstalt.
- dstz, on 05/26/2009, -1/+7My sister was bitten by a møøse once, too.
- EndouOuto, on 05/26/2009, -0/+5But nobody cares about esperanto.
- dstz, on 05/26/2009, -0/+4"Esperanto FTW!"
Not being a specialist I'm not sure that an artificial language can cope with the strain of science progresses, new words, ancient words that change meaning with social or technological evolutions, as a live language can. I think that my own language, French, might be having difficulties with those issues, i can't imagine how a non widely spoken language could do it, practically - save for arbitrary decisions that cannot hope to match natural "democratic" changes. - Codeman917, on 05/26/2009, -0/+4says you
- inactive, on 05/27/2009, -0/+24. The English mania kills the diversity of the languages.????????????
I am a latin american, and started to learn english when I was 3. Did english killed my spanish? not really. With 25 I started to learn German, and now I live in Germany. Did German killed my spanish or my english? not really. I started to learn french when I was 30, and later live in Paris for a couple of years while doing my master. Did french killed my spanish, my english or my german? I don't think so. Now a days I am trying to learn Portuguese.
That neither my english, french or german is perfect, I will agree to that, but I make mistakes even in spanish, who doesn't makes mistakes when writing his mind?
What kills diversity, is being monolingual. - Paranoidmarvin, on 05/26/2009, -2/+4I hate how everyone can speak english as a second language, yet I can only speak it and nothing else.
There needs to be more pressure in schools to learn other languages... but I guess if people see no need, they won't learn it.
I'll just learn Icelandic, then I'll be in with a 350,000 or so crowd, rather than billions ;) - laserviking, on 05/26/2009, -0/+2Clicking on this I had great hopes, it turned out to be a Sunday morning infomercial for English.
He could have spoken about the relative appropriacy (or inappropriacy) of English as an international language (it is kinda simple, but then again, that's kinda relative). He could have spoken about current trends in language instruction and self-teaching. He could have spoken about anything... instead he was all "English, English, ENGLISH!". - jmones, on 05/26/2009, -0/+2Cross on the green, not in between.
- snkscore, on 05/26/2009, -1/+3I would like to add that I think a "global language" may help ease cultural issues / problems.
If the people in Iran all spoke a language that would allow them to communicate with Westerners or vice versa, somehow I don't think tensions would be so high between our peoples. - mrgarci1, on 05/27/2009, -0/+2
Tyvärr, Google översättare kan även idioter som mig förstå vad du säger. - bradmannmann, on 05/26/2009, -0/+2Subtitles: [Available in 1 language]
[English] - damack, on 05/26/2009, -0/+2As an Englishman I've come to terms with the likes of the Americans and Australians speaking my language but whenever I go to a Middle Eastern or African nation and I see the natives speaking English with their own idiosynchrasies I really marvel at the scope of this language.
I bet the people that first spoke this language had no idea it would become this big considering it came from a tiny little island nation that at one time had the biggest empire in history but regardless was still a tiny little dot on the world map.
English truly is becoming universal and for us Brits it's a really strange thing to see others emulating our language since we nearly feel as if we've arrived in another Britain when we go abroad and see people using our mannerisms and language. - inactive, on 05/27/2009, -1/+3Hi,
funny to see americans and australians speaking "your" language? no comments.
The first people to speak english were... germans! right, english is a germanistic language.
That it is a glue for the world, I agree.
That it is difficult to learn, I would say impossible!! And I mean, regarding pronunciation. There are words that only native speakers know how to say, because even if you can write it, reading it is something else.
Some examples of my own regarding pronunciation.
Blood, Floor, Door, but Pool and Cool.
*****, Cut, Duck, but Put and Jules.
Heart but Earth.
Smile, but Smith.
Mile but Mine.
Anyway, this guy is better
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1spqX4sIDo
The Chaos
by G. Nolst Trenite' a.k.a. "Charivarius" 1870 - 1946
Dearest creature in creation
Studying English pronunciation,
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse
I will keep you, Susy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye your dress you'll tear,
So shall I! Oh, hear my prayer,
Pray, console your loving poet,
Make my coat look new, dear, sew it!
Just compare heart, beard and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's written).
Made has not the sound of bade,
Say said, pay-paid, laid, but plaid.
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as vague and ague,
But be careful how you speak,
Say break, steak, but bleak and streak.
Previous, precious, fuchsia, via,
Pipe, snipe, recipe and choir,
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, shoe, poem, toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery:
Daughter, laughter and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles.
Exiles, similes, reviles.
Wholly, holly, signal, signing.
Thames, examining, combining
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war, and far.
From "desire": desirable--admirable from "admire."
Lumber, plumber, bier, but brier.
Chatham, brougham, renown, but known.
Knowledge, done, but gone and tone,
One, anemone. Balmoral.
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel,
Gertrude, German, wind, and mind.
Scene, Melpomene, mankind,
Tortoise, turquoise, chamois-leather,
Reading, reading, heathen, heather.
This phonetic labyrinth
Gives moss, gross, brook, brooch, ninth, plinth.
Billet does not end like ballet;
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet;
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Banquet is not nearly parquet,
Which is said to rime with "darky."
Viscous, Viscount, load, and broad.
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation's O.K.,
When you say correctly: croquet.
Rounded, wounded, grieve, and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive, and live,
Liberty, library, heave, and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven,
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the difference, moreover,
Between mover, plover, Dover,
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police, and lice.
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label,
Petal, penal, and canal,
Wait, surmise, plait, promise, pal.
Suit, suite, ruin, circuit, conduit,
Rime with "shirk it" and "beyond it."
But it is not hard to tell,
Why it's pall, mall, but Pall Mall.
Muscle, muscular, gaol, iron,
Timber, climber, bullion, lion,
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, and chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor,
Ivy, privy, famous, clamour
And enamour rime with hammer.
Pussy, hussy, and possess,
Desert, but dessert, address.
Golf, wolf, countenance, lieutenants.
Hoist, in lieu of flags, left pennants.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rime with anger.
Neither does devour with clangour.
Soul, but foul and gaunt but aunt.
Font, front, won't, want, grand, and grant.
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say: finger.
And then: singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, age.
Query does not rime with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post; and doth, cloth, loth;
Job, Job; blossom, bosom, oath.
Though the difference seems little,
We say actual, but victual.
Seat, sweat; chaste, caste.; Leigh, eight, height;
Put, nut; granite, and unite.
Reefer does not rime with deafer,
Feoffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Dull, bull, Geoffrey, George, ate, late,
Hint, pint, Senate, but sedate.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific,
Tour, but our and succour, four,
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, guinea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria,
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean,
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion with battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, key, quay.
Say aver, but ever, fever.
Neither, leisure, skein, receiver.
Never guess--it is not safe:
We say calves, valves, half, but Ralph.
Heron, granary, canary,
Crevice and device, and eyrie,
Face but preface, but efface,
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust, and scour, but scourging,
Ear but earn, and wear and bear
Do not rime with here, but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew, Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, clerk, and jerk,
Asp, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation--think of psyche--!
Is a paling, stout and spikey,
Won't it make you lose your wits,
Writing "groats" and saying "grits"?
It's a dark abyss or tunnel,
Strewn with stones, like rowlock, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict, and indict!
Don't you think so, reader, rather,
Saying lather, bather, father?
Finally: which rimes with "enough"
Though, through, plough, cough, hough, or tough?
Hiccough has the sound of "cup."
My advice is--give it up! - sodoh, on 05/26/2009, -0/+2Most of the TED speakers who are scientists have papers written failing that they have one or more books written with more research material.
He is most likely just repeating from one of them.
A bit like the Dan Ariely stuff for example is brilliant unless you have read his stuff already and then you would notice he is just repeating what he is has written before.
Still the presentations are great to give quick insights for people to research the material further. - evilregis, on 05/27/2009, -0/+2One of the strangest things I discovered is non-native speakers having difficulty hearing the tonal difference between 'sheep' and 'ship'.
As well, a major hang up among English students seems to be English's extensive use of phrasal verbs. Look for. Look into. Look up. Look out. - Djupblue, on 05/26/2009, -3/+4Who cares about having your own language? The important thing is to communicate and that is much easier when everybody speaks the same one. My native tongue is not English so i can say this. Like he said in the speech, its not about imperialism, England or USA pushing it, its about standardization and that's a good thing.
Now if everyone could just accept the metric system and driving on the right side of the road... - cplusplus, on 05/26/2009, -0/+1I think we already know this.
- Visarga, on 05/26/2009, -1/+2An American friend told me once the same thing. There are amazing languages out there to learn - German, French, Japanese (not to mention the obvious Spanish). With each language your mind is expanded. Plus - you get the privileged position of knowing a language while being able to observe it from the outside, not just from the inside like the native speakers. Japanese people probably don't even know how delicious their language is to foreigners. English is super fun too - trying to learn an accent, getting the inside jokes...
- doctorgrim, on 05/27/2009, -0/+1It's already that way in California at least and has been for a many years. You can't graduate High School without taking some kind of foreign language.
- evilregis, on 05/27/2009, -0/+1By all means... pick a language and learn it.
I have a 3-hour commute to and from my job. I used it to learn Spanish. I'm currently using it to re-learn French (had to learn it in school as a child, but forgot it all) and to start learning Mandarin.
A lengthy commute is handy, but a simple half-hour every couple days is all you need. There are online lessons, there are books in stores, audio lessons, PC software. If you want to learn a language, the only thing stopping you is you. Best of luck! - EndouOuto, on 05/26/2009, -0/+1Why are you so retarded?
- elbergel, on 05/26/2009, -1/+2TED:
The Edutainment Department - TEDChris, on 05/26/2009, -0/+1...except to present jawdropping video of a phenomenon few are aware of, slip in the little nugget that China is about to become the world's largest English speaking country, and challenge people to consider whether they shd be scared or excited. Not bad for 4 and a half minutes.
- inactive, on 05/27/2009, -0/+1While one may argue that it is more complex, at least grammatically, it does offer an immense amount of efficiency and usability with regards to other languages. The large vocabulary allows for precise communication both written and verbal, and the Latin alphabet and phonics makes it superior to character based languages for reading/writing, especially digitally. While the economics/power base certainly has something to do with English's domination over the past 200 or so years, it was fortuitous that such a useful language has become the "winner".
- cyrix, on 05/27/2009, -0/+1I've learned through the course of learning new languages and talking to foreign students on our campus that English in general is far harder to learn than many other languages. If it weren't for the early economically influential countries being more english prone I wouldn't see it as being at the same level of world wide use as it is today at all.
- knickknolte, on 05/26/2009, -1/+1Wow, what a complete waste of 5 minutes. He stated 2 or 3 facts that everyone knows and then draws some meaningless conclusions without backing any of it up.
As a kid, if I gave this speech for my 10th grade English class I should expect a B. - Blink1337, on 05/26/2009, -1/+1Someone commented on this video saying, "Communication is essential in solving global problems." While I agree with this statement, it is only the very beginning to solving global conflict. There are some differences in opinions between countries that will never be set aside.
- Laudermale, on 05/26/2009, -1/+1Did you ever think it was edited down some?
- budikerja07, on 07/13/2009, -0/+0Good review ! I am Budi. I am a teacher of Senior High in Indonesia. I would like to be your friend in sharing ideas in Teching Learning process. Here are my URL :
www.budisenglishzone.blogspot.com
www.awesome-reviews.info
email : budi_kerja07@yahoo.com - TEDChris, on 05/26/2009, -1/+1"2 or 3 facts everyone knows"
Really? You think everyone knows that China will soon have more English speakers than America? That English is taught in giant stadiums with thousands of kids learning from one instructor? That video he presented is pretty amazing.
Either you had one helluva great English class, or you just read the talk transcript and missed the video which was kind of the whole point! - inactive, on 05/27/2009, -1/+1thanks Nazigrammar.
Auf Deutsch, man kann "heutzutage" sagen; en francais; on peut dire "au jour d'aujourd'hui"; y en español dirias "hoy día".
Did you enjoy finding a mistake in a text I wrote in a languege that is not my mother language??
But honestly, thanks. I know that I can avoid THAT mistake in the future, I wont't foget. - sloonark, on 05/27/2009, -1/+1Volapuk!
- Plotinus, on 05/27/2009, -1/+1Nowadays. One word.
- record200, on 05/27/2009, -0/+01. You seem to be good at languages. But didn't you think that one day all your good language skills could get completely useless when everyone around you started speaking one semi-valid language alleged as English?...
2. But I meant something different. The languages die when no one speaks them. This happened to the Cornish language in Cornwall in the 18th century after the bilinguals like you had stopped using it completely.
Just a link on the recently extinct languages to think over:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinct_language#Rece ... - 786598, on 07/07/2009, -0/+0I tend to agree that if more people from insulated societies like Iran were able to understand English (at least read it), then relations would eventually improve. And, there is hope that the desire to learn English is starting to grow within such nations as their citizens gain more access to International websites and, therefore, as they become more familiar with and, in turn, less afraid of people in English-speaking countries.
The recent post-election discontent in Iran proved that inventions like Twitter have some power to break through the rhetoric of dictatorial governments.
Facilitating such access to western Englsih media is an organization here in Toronto (The Munk Centre for International Studies at The University of Toronto) that has developed some kind of anti-censorship software that allows people in rogue states to view external websites. How terrific is that?!
With these smart people now dedicated to getting the message out to the victims of oppressive governments, I am more optimistic about the future of our world than I used to be.
Thanks for reading,
Robbie McMullan
Principal
Chelsea Language Academy
2221 Yonge St., Suite 503
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4S 2B4
www.ChelseaESL.com - record200, on 05/27/2009, -1/+01. The English mania fortunately declines imo.
2. The English language they learn is such a mess that it's more of an insult to English to call it so.
3. The wide adoption itself of a foreign language shows that there are problems within a country.
4. The English mania kills the diversity of the languages. - Zanrook, on 05/26/2009, -2/+1I don't think so, Tim.
- wisam, on 05/26/2009, -2/+1Esperanto is meant to be an auxillary language for communication between peoples of different nations. It is never meant to be a "first" language. In that sense, Esperanto could serve the purpose very well.
- newromantik, on 05/26/2009, -4/+1Now if only we could get people to learn (and use) it in this country. Especially in Southern California. I forget what country I'm living in half the time. Perhaps we could work out some sort of exchange program, we'll take your English speakers for one our our non English-speakers. I'd vote for that.
- generalalcazar, on 05/26/2009, -10/+5Esperanto FTW!
- Danggerblog, on 05/26/2009, -7/+1Waste of time. I'm burying this *****. Also, do not get so excited English speaking people. Eventually, you WILL have to learn a second language.
- Ric33r, on 05/26/2009, -8/+1i thought this was about jay walkers, not Jay Walker's!!!!
- agentpx, on 05/26/2009, -23/+1I beg to disagree. Learning English is not a way to make a living.
Why English?
In a "single word" Opportunity for a better life? Job?
To be able to pay for school?
Put better food on a table? I didn't know you can eat "English Language"
And he gets an applause?
Why is he so racist?
Why is he so racist?
oops double post My Bad!
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