One World, One Language

      With everything advancing in our world, it is easy to forget the progression of language compared to the massive innovations made in technology and science.  A language identifies and unifies a set of people, much like country or religion does.  It is a source of pride and celebration of one’s heritage.  But how far should people go to preserve their own culture, at the expense of progress?  English, Mandarin and Spanish are quickly becoming the most popular languages spoken today.  However, today language is just an accessory, it is what you learn to fit in where you wish to be.  It seems like the heritage of a language is slowly being diluted and forgotten in place of more pressing matters.  The plain fact of accessibility makes English an important language to learn.  To me, language is merely a common sense and need-to-know basis.  When I babysat for children who spoke Mandarin, it was necessary I learn what they needed to communicate.  When I go to Germany, it is necessary that I be able to relate to others in the native language.  The big debate of whether the expansion of English is good or bad has not a whole lot to do with culture to me.  I feel no ethnic ties to the English language and would love to speak others besides it.  The main point is that the direction things are going in, a unified dialect would probably be for the best.  We could communicate with each other more directly and hopefully shed some racially charged stereotypes through the unification of language.  At the same time, I believe knowing and experiencing other languages makes for a well rounded person.  It is a difficult to determine whether the pros outweigh the cons.  For now, I will enjoy the diversity of languages and know that it certainly won’t be like that forever.