Some languages are increasingly spoken in different countries, while the usage of others is rapidly declining. Is this a positive or a negative development?

Because of globalization, some popular languages such as English or Chinese are widely spoken causing a reduction in usage of other languages. From my perspective, though this tendency might benefit the economy, it has adverse impacts on preserving some cultures

On the one hand, it is undeniable that speaking in an international language can facilitate international trade that boosts the country’s economy. This is because it is able to eliminate dialect barriers between businesses or organizations, which language is one of the reasons preventing them from cooperating. For instance, Vietnam could export products like rice or tropical fruits overseas to increase profits supporting the financial economy. As a result, this phenomenon might have several advantages of enhancing the economy that could raise citizens’ living standards.

On the other hand, the drawback of united speech may cause the distinction of some historical languages. Due to the fact that the extinction of a language results in the irrecoverable loss of unique cultural knowledge embodied in it for centuries, including historical, spiritual and ecological knowledge that may be essential for the survival of a country. For example, the vocabulary that people use can be a tool to represent the characteristics of countries. Thus, the effect of losing historical languages on culture should not be underestimated.

To conclude, in this globalized world some particular languages are spoken by many people all over the world. Even though, owing to this trend they may have great opportunities to boost their financial conditions, the drawbacks given above urge others to consider the outcomes of having a word language.