Opinion Babel Revisited By SCOTT T. HARDS	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
バベル再訪 バベル再訪 英語は、世界で最も多くの人々が話す言語だという。 インターネットによって英語を使う人口が増え、 少数民族の言語がすたれることが懸念されているが 果たしてそれは悲しむべきことなのだろうか。

I recently read a thought-provoking article about language. It explained how the growth of English, fueled by economics and the Internet, has not only made English the most widely-spoken language in the world (passing Chinese), but is causing hundreds of languages around the world to become extinct. In fact, the article says, nearly two-thirds of the world's languages are expected to vanish in the next 30 years or so. Almost all of these are obscure tongues spoken by only a few members of native American or Australian tribes, tiny regions in India or other small ethnic groups. Still, many lament this trend, calling language an important part of culture, and equating the death of a language with the death of an important part of human knowledge. Some groups have even gone so far as to resurrect dead languages by studying old texts and forming clubs to speak them. Personally, I'm not concerned about this great language die-off. Certainly, I think it's important for scholars to record as much as they can about extinct and dying languages, but resurrection? I think we have better things to do. After all, when considering the incredible benefits of a common tongue, I believe that promoting the further globalization of English is one of the most important efforts that should be made in education today. Chapter 11 of the Bible's book of Genesis begins "Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words." This is the famous story of the Tower of Babel. The people of the world were trying to build a tower to the heavens. Not pleased, God "confused their language" and "scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth," thereby preventing any cooperation to build such a tower. A cosmic act of mischief on God's part, indeed. While language serves to unite peoples and help define cultures, it also divides, as God understood. With few exceptions, wars are fought between groups who speak different languages. On the other hand, when everybody understands each other, many good things begin to happen. Consider the Internet. I believe that the Internet is the greatest invention in history. I think it will go on to change and improve our society more than anything that has come before it. And what made the Internet possible in the first place? A common computer language called TCP/IP. This common language, which lets all computers - desktop or mainframe, Windows or Macintosh - communicate freely with each other is the fundamental core technology behind the Internet. It has let us create a vast pool of knowledge greater than any library in history. And it can be accessed from anywhere in the world, as long as you understand English. Yes, there are huge numbers of web pages in Japanese and other languages, but they are a tiny fraction of the information that is available on the Net in English. Just imagine what could happen if everybody in the world had equal access to that! God has an opinion about that, as he says in Genesis 11:6, "they are one people, and they all have the same language, now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them."

Shukan ST: Aug. 25, 2000

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