@翻了个译，MTI专业辅导@翻了个译，MTI专业辅导ThelanguageI'mspeakingrightnowisonitswaytobecomingtheworld'suniversallanguage,forbetterorforworse.Let'sfaceit,it'sthelanguageoftheinternet,it'sthelanguageoffinance,it'sthelanguageofairtrafficcontrol,ofpopularmusic,diplomacy--Englishiseverywhere.Now,MandarinChineseisspokenbymorepeople,butmoreChinesepeoplearelearningEnglishthanEnglishspeakersarelearningChinese.LastIheard,therearetwodozenuniversitiesinChinarightnowteachingallinEnglish.Englishistakingover.Andinadditiontothat,it'sbeenpredictedthatattheendofthecenturyalmostallofthelanguagesthatexistnow--thereareabout6,000--willnolongerbespoken.Therewillonlybesomehundredsleft.Andontopofthat,it'satthepointwhereinstanttranslationoflivespeechisnotonlypossible,butitgetsbettereveryyear.ThereasonI'mrecitingthosethingstoyouisbecauseIcantellthatwe'regettingtothepointwhereaquestionisgoingtostartbeingasked,whichis:Whyshouldwelearnforeignlanguages--otherthanifEnglishhappenstobeforeigntoone?Whybothertolearnanotheronewhenit'sgettingtothepointwherealmosteverybodyintheworldwillbeabletocommunicateinone?Ithinktherearealotofreasons,butIfirstwanttoaddresstheonethatyou'reprobablymostlikelytohaveheardof,becauseactuallyit'smoredangerousthanyoumightthink.Andthatistheideathatalanguagechannelsyourthoughts,thatthevocabularyandthegrammarofdifferentlanguagesgiveseverybodyadifferentkindofacidtrip,sotospeak.Thatisamarvelouslyenticingidea,butit'skindoffraught.Soit'snotthatit'suntruecompletely.Soforexample,inFrenchandSpanishthewordfortableis,forsomereason,markedasfeminine.So,"latable,""lamesa,"youjusthavetodealwithit.Ithasbeenshownthatifyouareaspeakerofoneofthoselanguagesandyouhappentobeaskedhowyouwouldimagineatabletalking,thenmuchmoreoftenthancouldpossiblybeanaccident,aFrenchoraSpanishspeakersaysthatthetablewouldtalkwithahighandfemininevoice.Soifyou'reFrenchorSpanish,toyou,atableiskindofagirl,asopposedtoifyouareanEnglishspeaker.It'shardnottolovedatalikethat,andmanypeoplewilltellyouthatthatmeansthatthere'saworldviewthatyouhaveifyouspeakoneofthoselanguages.Butyouhavetowatchout,becauseimagineifsomebodyputusunderthemicroscope,theusbeingthoseofuswhospeakEnglishnatively.WhatistheworldviewfromEnglish?Soforexample,let'stakeanEnglishspeaker.Uponthescreen,thatisBono.HespeaksEnglish.Ipresumehehasaworldview.Now,thatisDonaldTrump.Inhisway,hespeaksEnglishaswell.AndhereisMs.Kardashian,andsheisanEnglishspeaker,too.SoherearethreespeakersoftheEnglishlanguage.Whatworldviewdothosethreepeoplehaveincommon?WhatworldviewisshapedthroughtheEnglishlanguagethatunitesthem?It'sahighlyfraughtconcept.Andsogradualconsensusisbecomingthatlanguagecanshapethought,butittendstobeinratherdarling,obscurepsychologicalflutters.It'snotamatterofgivingyouadifferentpairofglassesontheworld.
