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French vs German vs Spanish? Difficulty & Usefulness?
Well, I see that French is very important. But in which continent?
Because in Europe is THE FOURTH (after English, Russian and German, taking in account second language speakers), and in Africa THE FIFTH (after Arabic, Hausa, Swahili and English).
Everybody knows that Canada will be an English-speaking country, like other Francophone countries. I don´t speak about Haiti, because they speak creole, they don´t speak French.
So, I´d like to know this incredible fact!!! Can you shed light about this X-file????
Hispanic Fanatic wrote:
<<"There are only three truely universal languages, English, French and Portuguese"
Do you like the jokes?
THERE IS ONLY ONE UNIVERSAL GLOBAL LANGUAGE: ENGLISH.
French is more or less important in Africa and Europe, not to much, in my opinion.
The problem to the French is that in Europe the language of the business is English. So, if a Swedish want to speak to a Greek they will speak in English, of course, not in French or other language. The situation in this century is clear. There are 4 dominant languages in the 4 most important areas:
Americas: Spanish. French is THE LAST ONE LANGUAGE AFTER SPANISH, ENGLISH AND PORTUGUESE.
Africa & Middle East: Arabic. The second language is hausa, the third swahili. The fourth is English. THE FIFTH IS FRENCH.
Asia-Pacific: Chinese. French is almost unknown here.
Europe: English. English is spoken as first or second language by half of all the Europeans (Eurobarometer survey). The second most spoken language is Russian. The third is German, AND THE FOURTH IS FRENCH. (I repeat that the information is from a serious report, taking in account first and second speakers. )
Je le regrette, mes amis.
>>
<<
Well, I see that French is very important. But in which continent?
Because in Europe is THE FOURTH (after English, Russian and German, taking in account second language speakers), and in Africa THE FIFTH (after Arabic, Hausa, Swahili and English).
Everybody knows that Canada will be an English-speaking country, like other Francophone countries. I don´t speak about Haiti, because they speak creole, they don´t speak French.
So, I´d like to know this incredible fact!!! Can you shed light about this X-file???? >>
Pas mieux,
Spanish is already being replaced by Aymara, Quechua and other native american language in America. In the USA, it will be replaced by English...
In Philippines, Spanish disapeared, in Africa, replaced, and in Europe the spanish decline (very low demography...)
Stop your hispanic fanatism.
<<Je le regrette, mes amis. >>
Lo siento también...
chinese is the most economically happening language for Indians!
<<Well, I see that French is very important. But in which continent? >>
Europe, North America, and Africa and to a lesser extent Asia, and South America while Spanish is important only in North and South America.
<<Because in Europe is THE FOURTH (after English, Russian and German, taking in account second language speakers), and in Africa THE FIFTH (after Arabic, Hausa, Swahili and English). >>
There are more native French speakers than native English speakers in Europe. Just combine the total population of France, Romandie(Switzerland), Wallonia+Brussels(Belgium) and it's larger than the combine population of UK and Ireland.
English is dissapppearing while French isn't. In Ex-British colonies in Africa facing the Indian Ocean, Swahili is replacing English.
Hausa is used in commerce, government, and education and Arabic speakers in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia prefer to use French for official purposes and it is their lingua franca with Egyptians and Lebanese. Don't you know that when Algeria planned to dump French, many educated Algerians protested and Berber speakers rioted about the planned and so it was not implemented. That happened a few years ago.
<<Everybody knows that Canada will be an English-speaking country, like other Francophone countries. I don´t speak about Haiti, because they speak creole, they don´t speak French. >>
On the contrary, Mexicans are more likely to become English speakers than French Canada. Many Mexicans living along the US border speak perfect American English as compared to French Canadians who struggle with their English just to make themselves understood.
<< I don´t speak about Haiti, because they speak creole>>
Yeah more than 80% speak creole natively but at least they can also speak standard French and French is still the official language there . Look who's talking. Similar situation Guam, and Marianas(Spanish is no longer spoken and it's not even studied as a foreign language) where the native language is Chamorro, In Paraguay the native language is Guarani. In the Philippines, Younger generations Spanish descent who belong to the elite community speak English as their first language. The most popular foreign language there setting aside English are French, Japanese, Italian, then German in that order. What a humilation for the Spanish language and culture in the Philippines. And to think they carry Spanish surnames and ruled by Spain for more than 300 years. What a pity for Spanish.
If the Philippines was ruled by France instead of Spain for 300 years and the US takeover took place, then French language would not have died there and English would make a hard time replacing it just like in Mauritius where many native Creole speakers and even Indians and Chinese are switching to Standard French.
Nobody among you dares to post a message when I tell you to compare the status of the Spanish language in the Philippines, Guam, and Marianas Islands with the status of French in Mauritius(ruled by France form early 17th century until Napoleon's downfall so more or less 120 years) and Vietnam(ruled by France for just less than 70 years).
My dear Hispanic supporters, the number of francophiles outside francophone countries vastly outnumbers the number of anglophiles outside anglophone countries worldwide. Don't you know that the percentage of francophiles in US, UK, English Canada, NZ, and Ireland in relation to their respective populations combined outweighs the percentage of anglophiles in France, French Canada, Belgium and Switzerland in relation to their respective populations. Now don't reply that there are more Hispanophiles than Francophiles worldwide because wise viewer of this forum would view you as laughing stock.
Wrong: Hausa is used in commerce, government.
Correct: Hausa is not used in commerce, government.
This discussion between French and Spanish is easy to finish.
Well, let´s go to see where is more important. A comparison between French and Spanish in the different points:
The most spoken, total speakers: Spanish
The most spoken as mother tongue: Spanish
The most important economically: Spanish
Internet users: Spanish
Countries as mother tongue: Spanish
Countries as official language: French
Well, in more points Spanish is more important.
It doesn´t matter, but Spanish is more important in different areas!!!
<<This discussion between French and Spanish is easy to finish.
Well, let´s go to see where is more important. A comparison between French and Spanish in the different points:
The most spoken, total speakers: Spanish
The most spoken as mother tongue: Spanish
The most important economically: Spanish
Internet users: Spanish
Countries as mother tongue: Spanish
Countries as official language: French
Well, in more points Spanish is more important.
It doesn´t matter, but Spanish is more important in different areas!!! >>
I have a doubt, lot hispanic "fanatics", have the same speech, i think they are the same person, De puta madre!
<<Well, in more points Spanish is more important. >>
Antonio Banderas, Spanish has surely no points in science, medicine, arts, philosphy, literature, space exploration and so on.
But in quantity, yes no doubt about it. Spanish needs it because in quality it's rather poor.
<<The most spoken, total speakers: Spanish
The most spoken as mother tongue: Spanish >>
Spanish comes to third in this category after Mandarin Chinese and Hindi.
Lafayette, if you had actually read his post, you might have noticed he was only including Spanish and French, not all languages.
I don't really think Quechua and Aymara are that important as you say. You must be from Europe far away from the reality.
Are you questioning the validity of Quecha. Did you know that 99% of Paraguayans use Quecha. And how is Europe far away from reality. Reality is everywhere, proof of that is that I am sitting on a chair, and heavens behold, my chair is REAL>
Franco, "The only good thing about French is the System Internationale." There you go. Another intelligent remark.
Thanks, I am an intelligent person, so from me should be expected intelligent remarks.
And the only thing good about German is Robert Bunsen, though I bet he was really a Spaniard in disguise.
Other interesting comparison. The countries where the language is more spoken (3 countries):
SPANISH: Mexico, USA, Spain. 200 million people.
GERMAN: Germany, Austria, Switzerland. 95 million people.
FRENCH: France, Algeria, Morocco. 82 million people.
If you read where are the 15 more important countries ECCONOMICALLY,only Spanish has these countries: USA 1, Spain 8, and Mexico 13. (WORLD BANK)
Well, I came across the following message in another forum that had the same tone and even counterparts (and nicks) than this. I beg the pardon of the author to paste here without even asking (and how to ask, anyway?), but here it goes, even when i think he is a bit too indulgent (or polite) no citing more clearly his (I suppose) own mother tongue (that "...S..."...?) In that forum (by the way, it is called "Why Spanish will never be an universal language"), I also appreciate contributions like those of Pete and Sam, the first a "no-fanatic", and the second a "fanatic" but argumentative one.
"Igamado
Arts, literature, philosophy...are not really (or above all) useful...but important by themselves (=valuable)... Arts, literature...at least in both those fields Hispanic heritage is better known as a distinctive one...and if culture has anything to do with arts, literature.. then Spanish as a language of culture is an unuseful and at the same time valuable one...just no better or worse, just one more in this our world...At least, as far i can know, and concerning literature, while Spanish could be written, and not only spoken.
I will not argue here about the usefulness of Spanish; it depends on what you want it for. In contrast, the value of a language is not mainly linked to individual interests, or countries and figures (if so, latin and ancient greek could be seen as archaeological rubbish). Languages are not only a medium to translate or communicate; each of them are a background of experiences, summed and struggled troughout history (thinking and speaking? or speaking and thinking?). Spanish has a long evolution as a language; being romance it is also a mixture of different origins, it has enriched others, and being enriched itself, in contact with different peoples, far away the "castillians" who first spoke it...This is not an unparalled sort of story: other languages had or have their own path, with their golden or silver ages, in science, medicine, technology, arts, literature, philosophy, politics...in the future, nowadays or in the past, being at the same time as languages independent of any particular achievement in science, medicine, technology, arts, literature, philosophy, politics...but to prove it can be thought and expressed.
Languages like English, French, German, Russian... C... J... S... ... are highly useful languages today, more or less imposing/imposed depending what and where; they are also highly valuable ones, freely chosen no so depending where or who. They would even be invaluable as Languages in a barren post apocalyptic world, where just I, a humble Spanish Spaniard speaker, were the only survivor one, to speak silently to myself."
This post was an answer to this one:
"Vlad
<<Oh sure. Sorry, I forgot. Now that I remember my mother had a Russian Mathematics book translated when she was studying. It was like 20 years ago... or more... Thanks for reminding me of the importance of the Russian language when it comes to Science. >>
Zdravsvuytye Pete,
Thank you! I'm sure the whole world will begin take Spanish lessons in..... oh sorry I can't tell it when will that be. Ah, now I know, once it has proven itself in science, medicine, technology, arts, literature, philosophy, and other useful fields.
As of now it does excel in songs, soap operas, and commerce which investors are eager to learn it so that they can invest in Hispanic America because of it's large number of people to tap their purchasing power."
As you can see, it´s the same old story...If you read Igamado´s post carefully, it discredits the above kind of argumentation. The value of a language is not his usefulness here and now...even when an invaluable language (like Spanish and the other invaluable languages) can also be "highly useful"...depending more or less on "who, what or where".
I have quoted "invaluable", so please, do not start an argument about what language is more "invaluable"... And if you insist, I would advise you to revise the problems of continuum of Cantor and commensurability of grades of infinities beforehand.
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