Survival of the fittest language

POST:
The Ugly American Programmer, By Jeff Atwood, Coding Horror, March 29, 2009

I, for one, believe fervently in the death of minor languages and in a Darwinian struggle for those that remain.

In language, I don't want diversity; I want effective communication.

I will speak whatever the winner speaks, but I suspect English wins. Why? You need only a small vocabulary to proceed. KISS wins, as usual.

And for the Orwellian toss-backs, I need only point out how easily English absorbs foreign influences.

So no, we won't all be reduced to doubleplusgoods.

(Thanks: Neotraditional Librarian)

Comments

[Joe Dixon]

English is a mutant language. It has evolved over centuries to become what it is today, perhaps the most effective language. In terms of "speaking what the winner speaks" I feel that this too is the only way that the world will succeed. Only by speaking the same language will there be nothing "lost in translation", and messages understood exactly as they are intended. As for the internet, it is a truly global medium, but as English is the language spoken by the majority of people using the internet sine its beginnings, it seems only natural that English became its lingua franca.

Eric Raymond's point about it not being a case of cultural imperialism is entirely valid. It is not a sense of self-righteousness, it's just the way it is. The British conquered most of the world, spreading the English language as they went. Of course the founding of what is presently the world's most culturally dominant nation helped!

In terms of nationalism, perhaps a single "global" language is not desirable, being as languages are key definers of cultural boundaries. But Dr. Barnett's statement "In language, I don't want diversity; I want effective communication" is exactly the point of the article.

Unfortunately, the only way for the internet to function effectively, to its full and astonishing capabilities (which I believe are still far from being fully realized (This final word is an interesting case in point. As an English, as opposed to an American, speaker, I would naturally spell realize with an 's')) is for there to be one sole language in which the vast majority of its content is published. That this language happens to be English is mere happenstance.

[Michael Liss]

You cast a wide net in your source material. Coding Horror? I am a regular reader of this blog - but I am in the software industry. How does this post get on your radar.