[鳳凰院 凶真 Hououin Kyouma]|[alt: 黃家駒 Wong Ka Kui]@sh.itjust.works to Showerthoughts@lemmy.world · 1 day agoPeople around the world are trying to learn English because it's the Lingua Franca, but imagine if the Lingua Franca of the world was a Tonal Language and the writing system was Logographic.message-squaremessage-square21fedilinkarrow-up139arrow-down16
arrow-up133arrow-down1message-squarePeople around the world are trying to learn English because it's the Lingua Franca, but imagine if the Lingua Franca of the world was a Tonal Language and the writing system was Logographic.[鳳凰院 凶真 Hououin Kyouma]|[alt: 黃家駒 Wong Ka Kui]@sh.itjust.works to Showerthoughts@lemmy.world · 1 day agomessage-square21fedilink
minus-squareOnomatopoeia@lemmy.cafelinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up16arrow-down1·edit-21 day agoTonal and Logographic didn’t become Lingua Franca because they’re more difficult to learn and standardization is even more challenging than with Alphabetic languages. This is like language 101 stuff. This is well explained in Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet by The Great Courses.
minus-squaretrolololol@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up2·9 hours agoI’d be inclined to square the blame on economic and cultural imposition. Which means that in maybe 50 years it will be like you say because of China’s increasing weight on world affairs.
minus-squareessell@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up1·8 hours agoI suspect if China wanted to impose a Lingua Franca on the world, they’d be pragmatic about it and invent something the world could learn and accept. They seem to be very outcome focused rather than worrying about how they get there.
Tonal and Logographic didn’t become Lingua Franca because they’re more difficult to learn and standardization is even more challenging than with Alphabetic languages.
This is like language 101 stuff.
This is well explained in Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet by The Great Courses.
I’d be inclined to square the blame on economic and cultural imposition.
Which means that in maybe 50 years it will be like you say because of China’s increasing weight on world affairs.
I suspect if China wanted to impose a Lingua Franca on the world, they’d be pragmatic about it and invent something the world could learn and accept.
They seem to be very outcome focused rather than worrying about how they get there.