There were many lingua francas of which French was supposedly the first global lingua franca. That changed and it became English (from what I understand). We will probably see another language become the lingua franca, so my question is: should it be English? Are there better candidates out there? Why / why not?

  • idegenszavak@sh.itjust.works
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    9 days ago

    English is a global lingua franca, not just european. And it’s not just because of the american and british influence, but because it’s a relatively easy language.

    Also the translator programs are better and better, this is actually a good and fitting usecase of current LLMs. I think we are not far away from the babel fish.

      • jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de
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        8 days ago

        Now try to learn Portuguese, or German, or Russian. English has wonky phonetics, but has a relatively simple grammar. As a bonus it’s not properly standardized, so whatever you come up with is going to be correct in at least one of the existing dialects.

        • FundMECFS@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          8 days ago

          As someone who learnt both German and English as a second language, German was easier.

          Consistent spelling and pronounciation make a massive difference.

          • bugg@lemm.ee
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            7 days ago

            I’m learning German now and it’s insanely logical. I’m angry people dissuaded me as a kid from learning German. I truly love the language and Germans are also very kind.

            Side note: are there any German communities on Lemmy you know of? I’d like to join. I’m a fan of Staiy and Spacefrogs.