tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19798349.post8325275075151796523..comments2024-03-22T12:20:48.920+00:00Comments on open...: Words Fail UsGlyn Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436885795882611585noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19798349.post-27203246482829581132008-08-29T08:08:00.000+00:002008-08-29T08:08:00.000+00:00I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this on...I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. I'm a great believer in the power of diversity, and being able to choose - not least how you express yourself. <BR/><BR/>For me, every language that is lost represents the loss of a way of saying, thinking and seeing the world: we are all the poorer for it.Glyn Moodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04436885795882611585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19798349.post-51946800273454616592008-08-28T21:57:00.000+00:002008-08-28T21:57:00.000+00:00Languages should be like file formats: open and st...Languages should be like file formats: open and standardized; and the fewer the better.<BR/><BR/>Maybe that's too harsh and silly to say; however, the world is so much smaller today than it has ever been in human history, so there's no need for so many [spoken/written] languages. Out of 7bn people, I figure 90% speak fewer than a dozen languages:<BR/><BR/> 1. Chinese (937,132,000) <BR/> 2. Spanish (332,000,000) <BR/> 3. English (322,000,000) <BR/> 4. Bengali (189,000,000) <BR/> 5. Hindi/Urdu (182,000,000) <BR/> 6. Arabic (174,950,000) <BR/> 7. Portuguese (170,000,000) <BR/> 8. Russian (170,000,000) <BR/> 9. Japanese (125,000,000) <BR/>10. German (98,000,000) <BR/>11. French (79,572,000)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com