QUOTE(dkk @ May 22 2012, 11:50 PM)
But after reading what you posted, I feel like I want to argue with you. Because it would make me feel better to be not on your side.
In other words:
QUOTE(dkk @ May 22 2012, 11:50 PM)
Thirdly, nobody is going to force your kids to compulsorily learn languages like Tamil, Mandarin, Cantonese, Kelantanese, or whatever.
But that's precisely what we're arguing about. Look at the first post.
"Why not make it compulsory for all Malaysian kids in school to take up mandarin, tamil, cantonese, arabic and perhaps kelantanese dialect just for a few years, let say Standard 4,5 & 6." -- We're all opposed to this, and we're stating our reasons why.
QUOTE(dkk @ May 22 2012, 11:50 PM)
But at the same time you deny others the choice to learn something else besides English.
No, I dont think anyone promoted denying anyone the choice of learning another language. We're not anti-language, we're pro-English.
QUOTE(dkk @ May 22 2012, 11:50 PM)
I see you *DO* hava a superiority complex. If it isn't a superiority complex, then what is it?
It's the internet. Don't worry, you'll get used to it.
And this next part...
QUOTE(dkk @ May 22 2012, 11:50 PM)
That's what Esperanto is for. But unlike the Taliban, they were not all-conquering, and all they succeeded in doing was to add yet another language.
BTW: the proposal of have the entire world speak English is
un-Christian.
Alright, so let me go ahead and explain how English got to where it is.
A thousand years ago, the island nation of England realized it would required a powerful navy in order to prevent further invasion from it's neighbors. Over time, navigation tools were developed that allowed ships to sail all over the world, so a few select nations could "claim" new territories. England, France, and Spain were the primary players in the competition to claim new land, which is why those languages are so wide spread. Aggressive trade and colonizing from these 3 happened, and they brought their language with them.
England had the advantages of being geographically isolated, and having more focus on it's naval supremacy.
During this time, each player was invading someone, somewhere, around the globe. They took whatever gold, valuables, or jewels they could find. On the way back to their home countries (for example, Spain), the other 2 players (France and England) would be out to take from their ships whatever gold or jewels Spain had just took from someone else.
Because a full scale war against each other would have been expensive and impractical, but still wanting to raid their ships and take their gold, the English and French royalty issued "letters of marque" to captains, allowing them to "defend themselves" (read: raid Spanish galleons) on the high seas. Spain did the same against England and France.
Over time, these countries became pissed enough at each other that war finally DID happen. Spain got together all her ships and went straight for England in the 1580s. England lit tiny ships on fire and crashed them into the huge Spanish ships. With this tactic, Spain lost, and England was now capable of world domination.
Now if that tactic hadn't worked,
we would all be speaking Spanish right now! But it did work. England would go on to win it's competition against France, culminating in the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. England had become the world super power, and thus had access to setting up colonies anywhere it damn near pleased.
This is how the cards played out! England won. With that, its language also won. Had any number of battles happened differently, then we would be having this discussion in either French or Spanish. English just happened to become the world's dominate language.
What was Malaysia doing during all this time? Utterly nothing. This region of the world did not have the right kind of culture, attitude, or mindset needed for expanding, seizing opportunity, or developing technology and bringing it to other places. Malaysia kept to itself, and so it's language did not go far.
There is no "superiority complex" here. This is history. This is how it happened.
Because England won the "Colonies" game, the colonies set up in America were English. And they spoke English. And they began having these crazy ideas like "all men are created equal" and "each are endowed with inalienable rights". They even said these truths were "self evident". Madness! This mindset won the world during the next few centuries, culminating in the most developed and advanced nation to ever exist.
While in Malaysia, they knew to sit down, keep quiet, and do whatever the king told them. I mean honestly just check any of the other threads on this board. We can see it clearly in posts like this one:
http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2311287/+40 See the following:
QUOTE(tat3179 @ May 1 2012, 03:31 PM)
Actually all this have been discussed to death. Will the Malays ever going to change? No. Will the non-bumis ever going to get what they want? Also no
So back to work everyone. Change will come in a form of a deep economic crisis when this country could not maintain its current lifestyle.
In other words: "We cant. We're helpless. Lets not try, and hope it gets better". That, in summary, is Malaysian thought. And you cannot accomplish anything when you think like that. This is why Malaysian influence stays mostly with Malaysia, while America and England influence the world.
If Malaysia developed a navy and expanded it's boarders, THEN things would be different. If Malaysians developed a rational-inquiry type mindset or a competitive spirit, things would still be different. But if you sit and do nothing while the British colonize you, then sit and do nothing while the Japanese invade you, then sit and do nothing while the Americans liberate you, then sit and do nothing while all 3 develop you, then you don't get to put your language as a serious piece to consider in global communications. Of course you're not obliged to do anything either - it's perfectly fine to sit and do nothing, but you have to take what comes with the territory. Doing nothing = getting nothing. A thousand years of "change will come from somewhere else" does not lend itself to being influential anywhere, at home or abroad.
Again, this is not "superiority". English
does dominate the globe. Bahasa, Tamil, and Cantonese
do not dominate the globe. And now you know why.
Added on May 23, 2012, 8:40 amThe world GDP for 2011 was 78 trillion.
More than
half came from English speaking countries, and there are 4,000 other languages on the planet.
http://www.fasebj.org/content/20/1/29.long - nearly all published research is done in English.
Go to google. Type in something. What language is it most probably shown in?
Go to a library. What are most of the books written in?
But the real question is... when did "reality" become synonymous with "superiority"?
This post has been edited by Kasey Brown: May 23 2012, 08:44 AM