Daily Prompt: 2100

The language of the future: what will it be like? Write an experimental post using some imagined vocabulary — abbreviations, slang, new terms.

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How will the language be in the year 2100? I don’t know myself, but there are plenty of thoughts out there on the subject.

The world is getting smaller and smaller as new technology grows. Some say that there will only be two languages used in the future. English and Chinese  Mandarin. Yeah, really.

I’ve done a bit of research and came up with several good articles as to why the future language might be these two. One says that it’s based on the finances of the world. If the Chinese become the top in world finances than that language will need to be learned to deal with the top dogs (so to speak).

To quote the article:

Is English or Mandarin the language of the future?

“The decline of the English language probably follows the decline of the US dollar.

“If the Renminbi is becoming the next reserve currency then you have to learn Chinese.”

Another good article that says that the future might well be spoken in Chinese is this one.

What will be the language of the future?

Lee Han Shih, who runs a multimedia company, says English is becoming less important to him financially because he is taking Western clients to do business in China, therefore you need to learn English but you also need to know Chinese.

Nǐ Hǎo – 你好 – Hello

 

Other ideas of what language will be spoken in the future or what some call ‘Globish’.

In the early decades of the twentieth century, H.G. Wells imagined what would become known as World English in his prophetic novel, “The World Set Free.”

Today World English is known by several names, perhaps the most catchy of which is Globish, a term popularized by Jean-Paul Nerrière in his book “Don’t Speak English, Parlez Globish.”

In his book “Globish” (2010), Robert McCrum diagnoses English’s “subversive capacity to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, to articulate the ideas of both government and opposition, to be the language of ordinary people as well as the language of power and authority, rock’n’roll and royal decree.”

You can read more and form your own opinion here:

What’s the language of the future?

 

No matter what you or I think the language will be in the year 2100, I do believe the world will have to accept a more universal language. I won’t be around to see it of course, but it would be interesting to see what happens. Until then I will sign off with the only language I know. English.

Till next time!