On a less exciting note, I had a rough moment in one of my "tuts" today, when the professor made the claim that once a nation attains economic power, it also attains linguistic power. In other words, if a country has a large stake in the world economy, then a large percentage of the world will learn the native language of that country as a result. Someone in the class brought up the economic relationship between the U.S. and China as an example of this claim, and I disagreed. I argue that while the number of people learning Chinese in the States may be growing, it is in no way being forced upon them by the U.S. or by China as a result of its economic power. This statement elicited a heated response from a number of Americans in the room, all of whom attend private universities and are thus exposed to students that study Chinese at school, probably with the intention of entering the international business field upon graduation. That said, the majority of college-aged students in the United States do not attend schools that afford them the opportunity to study Chinese. As a result, I do not think that it is accurate to argue that because the U.S. has a strong economic link to China, Chinese is becoming a widely spoken language in the U.S. I apologise for the rant, but I left the class feeling as though this issue had not been discussed sufficiently. I hope that we will continue the conversation in next week's "tut."
I suppose the moral of that story is that I have been hypersensitive towards any discussion of the United States since I arrived in South Africa. While I appreciate the perspective of South Africans, academics or not, I feel that there is a certain level of misunderstanding on their part. Perhaps I am being stubborn or closed-minded, but I would rather hear the South African perspective on South Africa than on the United States while I am here. With time, I hope that I can engage in constructive conversation with South Africans regarding the United States, but for now, I am still getting used to being here and learning so much about South Africa and Africa as a whole.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the situation I encountered in class today, or any experiences you may have with being exposed to discussion of the United States while abroad. Stay well!
2 comments:
I am excited to hear about your weekend getaway - and yes it sure sounds like you got the better end of the travel arrangements.
On the topic of languages, I hope you do continue your discussion.
As you may recall I tried to push you to take Chinese courses, as another language to learn, not necessarily because I felt that as China becomes a stronger super power that you would be required to know it, but because I wanted you to be better equipped from a "business trade" standpoint should you elect to work in a Sinu/American relationship in whatever future endeavors you may take on.
I agree with your position that at this stage in global communication, it is more likely than not that English will maintain its position as the "standard" language of business.
I don't know if you are aware, but in aviation, English is the standard language for all pilots, control towers...etc...on any international flights. You may want to use the communication rules of aviation as an example in your discussions as to how the global environment has dealt with communication in this situation.
I believe that the "Tower of Babel" will effectively end with only a few languages spoken throughout the globe.....but....this will occur well in the future. History has shown us that unused languages do disappear as a dialect over time. Nobody really speaks Yiddish anymore (unless some "putz" or "schmuck" does something to annoy you).
On another note, even within China, there are many dialects spoken....so how does one know which one to learn.
Notwithstanding everything I just said I believe it still behooves anyone who wants to work in the international community to have an arsenal of languages to speak. You will definitely maintain a competitive advantage if you can communicate with someone else in their native tongue.
The world is definitely changing rapidly, and American's waning effect on Global power may ultimately affect our control of language. I am sure the Chinese would love to force everyone to learn their language as the "default" language spoken internationally. Only time will tell, but if I were betting, I would bet English will maintain its status.
Interesting debate!!!
Love Dad
I think you had an interesting "discussion". I do language follows power. English is widely spoken in the world today, not because of the U.S. ascendancy, but because of the British ascendancy hundreds of years ago, continued in the current era by its former colony. When I was young, French was considered the second language to learn. Now, 50 years (or so) later, no longer - Spanish is the second language in the U.S.
Who knows which language will rise in the next 50 years. A form of Chinese, will certainly be important - but there are many dialects of Chinese - and that country will have to educate its own people in the dominant one, for it to become dominant in the world, in my opinion. But certainly, Americans should be studying Chinese. But, what about Arabic? Also, a language with many dialects. You should continue your discussion, defend your ideas, but listen with an open mind - as I think you are doing. What an amazing experience you are having.
I am sending a link to your blog to a young man I know, Ben Schneider, who is going to South Africa next term. He is a student at the U. of Rhode Island and I think he will enjoy your blog and many communicate with you.
Your trip to Durban sounds great. You are back in Cape Town as I write and I am looking forward to hearing more about it.
Love, Nana
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