Will USA wake up and start learning to speak Mandarin Chinese.?

Question

China has become a huge economic force and is getting more powerful everyday. Surely it makes at least economic sense to learn their language and keep up.

Answer 1

It does make sense for Americans to learn Mandarin, but Americans are unwilling to admit that another country could possibly rise above the United States.

Also, as many people pointed out, Americans are EXTREMELY lazy when it comes to learning foreign languages. Most Americans have the ethnocentric attitude "They should learn English", and expect people from other countries to know their language.

Actually, China has been a major world power (politically and economically) for quite a while. Americans SHOULD be learning Arabic, Hindi, Mandarin, Japanese.... but there are still very few Americans learning any foreign language compared to other nations.


If you look at the people who DO speak another language and represent us when dealing with foreign nations, you will notice that they are typically immigrants who CAME FROM a nation that speaks the language, rather than Americans who studied the language.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Only half the population of China even speaks Mandarin and those are CCP numbers that are guaranteed to be padded. I've studied Chinese and the more I study it, the less of a point I see in studying it. China's GDP growth due to it's factories. Factory workers are from the poorest parts of the country and don't speak Chinese for crap. Any Chinese that was chosen to have a good life (ie. is father works for the government) has had private English lessons shince he was three.
Besides, the economic power is less likely to be China as it is to be India (China's economy is headed for a very hard landing. If you thought Japan's recession was bad, just wait), so start learning Hindi. But even the educated India learn English.
I learned Chinese, but it's no good because I hate talking to Chinese anway, Chinese may have a lot of speakers, but they all live in China and China isn't THAT important. Chinese will never become a global language. China, isn't a Chinese speaking America. The US has 3 million immigrants a year while China has 500,000 people who leave the country every year. 2/3 of all students who study abroad don't go back.

If there will be a second global language, it's going to be Spanish. Second most spoken language in the world and one of the most widespread

Answer 4

As English is the most spoken and taught language in the majority of countries around the world, it would be better and quicker if the Chinese learned this rather than visa versa!
Like it or not, it's already universally accepted: anyone who can communicate in the English language, will no doubt be able to advance in all earthbound countries !

ps...I'm Italian!

Answer 5

Sorry, I opened a tag as I was writing my answer to your question and lost the whole of my reply. I will try again when I get over being upset about that accident.
OK back I am studying Chinese for a long, long time. But, I think the real thing we need is people here who are educated enough to keep us ahead of the Chinese technologically. We have lost it for this century and we don't have any where near enough the natural resource of educated people. We are all probably going to be learning Chinese anyway.

Answer 6

Im guessing it wouldnt happen so fast unless a country starts exporting culture, like japan is doing now and america did in the 50ies and 60ies.

it is going to take a while, but eventually countries will be starting to learn mandarin. im guessing 20-50 years from now. im quite sure the amerians will be last to follow though. many of them still need to master their first language.

then again, Saudi Arabia has played a very important economic role in the last century, and i dont see many people learning arabic.

Answer 7

Ah yes, China is of course the next economic power, and nothing in current trends could possibly change...Weren't we all supposed to learn Japanese 20 years ago? Oops.

The US may be in a dunghole, but English continues to be a language of trade elsewhere.

Answer 8

On the day that a fairy princess floats down to earth and not only sends me to the ball but gives the next ten grand national winners and a cadbury's cream egg the amercians will learn Mandarin.

Answer 9

i dont think that there is a need as english is more of a universal language. also the ecomomy in china is only growing becouse of europe and america if 1 or the other were to stop trading then china would feel it hard

Answer 10

just cause a country is powerful doesn't mean people from the U.S.A. (like me) should learn their language. The world doesn't need to have the same languages spoken everwhere.