'There is no language that is superior to another' - Ramaphosa

[ponder]

English borrowed from Greek, Latin, French, etc. Kudos to them for merging them into the language so seamlessly.

English has a rich, wide and historic background like many other languages and it's celebrated. It's still a fscked up language as far as I'm concerned with all its nuances & lose rules, it could be a lot simpler and I say this as a high school first language student (I still don't know how that worked as it was not my first language but we did all the same Shakespeare and whatnot stuff as the 'English' kids.). Then I did English & Latin for varsity, English sucked and Latin was very interesting as you could see how it influenced other languages. And years later they scrapped Latin for legal studies due to demographic complaints...

As a society they embrace the influences of the romans, normans, vikings etc

They even make documentaries about their colonisers and how it benefitted them, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_the_Romans_Did_for_Us

 

[ponder]

I don't think that has ever been Lesufi's narrative though. He's always maintained that he disagrees with schools that use a language other than English as a means of shutting out non speakers of that language. If he had a problem with Afrikaans, he'd ban the teaching of Afrikaans altogether but instead he's running after Afrikaans medium schools. As much as I was and still am sympathetic to people who felt their language is being attacked (which I personally don't believe is a fair assessment), the day the same crowd was up in arms because Lesufi supported the name change of school named after Hendrik Verwoed, it very much dampened my view to them as people and unfortunately my sympathies thereof.

You're just as bad as lesufi.

 

[ponder]

The more the speakers of a language, the more the chances of it developing.

I doubt it, would you for example say Zulu is advancing?

 

[wombling]

This president is an idiot. Languages definitely have worth and value. Languages like English, Mandarin or French rate far higher than Zulu in value simply because you can communicate with more people. This opens doors and opportunities that speaking Khoza or Swati or Tsonga certainly do not.

Last time I looked Zulu didn't even have a periodic table of elements.

 

[Polymathic]

This president is an idiot. Languages definitely have worth and value. Languages like English, Mandarin or French rate far higher than Zulu in value simply because you can communicate with more people. This opens doors and opportunities that speaking Khoza or Swati or Tsonga certainly do not.

Last time I looked Zulu didn't even have a periodic table of elements.

Nor does English, the periodic table is Greek

 

[ArmatageShanks]

Praat jou kop se kak man.

 

[Zoomzoom]

BS - the ANC have clearly opted for English to have more weight than other languages. Until they offer first language education at primary school and only introducing English as a second language from Grade 3 onwards with a shift to English as an optional medium of education in high school they are talking through their rear end. As for 'offering traditional languages' yeah doesn't mean squat when you are depriving your people of the ability to learn to their maximum capacity in their own language. Want to fix South Africa - one of the key components is EDUCATION!

 

[konfab]

Nor does English, the periodic table is Greek

With symbols derived from names like plumbbum and wolfram...

There is a lot of Latin, German, French and English in it as well.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbol_(chemistry)

 

[Polymathic]

With symbols derived from names like plumbbum and wolfram...

There is a lot of Latin, German, French and English in it as well.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbol_(chemistry)

Weren't all of those Hellenised to fit with the convention of the existing elements?

 

[konfab]

Weren't all of those Hellenised to fit with the convention of the existing elements?

In terms of the symbol name? No.

 

[TheChamp]

No language superior to another , he says while in a library , home of written language ,something not achieved by some peoples in the world .
I am willing to bet not all languages have a word for every single thing we know of with an english name.

English also doesn't have words for some things in the African languages, isn't that just wonderful?

 

[TheChamp]

This president is an idiot. Languages definitely have worth and value. Languages like English, Mandarin or French rate far higher than Zulu in value simply because you can communicate with more people. This opens doors and opportunities that speaking Khoza or Swati or Tsonga certainly do not.

Last time I looked Zulu didn't even have a periodic table of elements.

WTH is Khoza?

 

[Sinbad]

This is a lie. English is obviously superior to Pedi, as there is no word in Pedi for "hermaphrodite".


Just like Finnish is superior to English because it has a word for getting drunk alone at home in your underwear.

 

[ForceFate]

I doubt it, would you for example say Zulu is advancing?

The average middle and upper class Zulu family in GP speaks English and other languages most of the day.

 

[ForceFate]

This is a lie. English is obviously superior to Pedi, as there is no word in Pedi for "hermaphrodite".


Just like Finnish is superior to English because it has a word for getting drunk alone at home in your underwear.

Isn't that word of Greek origin?

 

[yebocan]

Klingon for the win

 

[Ninja'd]

'There is no language that is superior to another' - Ramaphosa

 

[The_Right_Honourable_Brit]

English is clearly the lingua franca.

Like it or lump it!

 

[Sinbad]

Isn't that word of Greek origin?

Probably. But it was appropriated without compensation, so tough titty.

 

[satanboy]

'There is no language that is superior to another' - Ramaphosa

The language of love.