If English is superior to other languages, what makes it so?

1 Answer

Answer :

answer:The question does not make sense… Did you mean, “In what way is English superior to other languages?” And do you mean the written or the spoken language? Or both? I think an advantage of English is that it is very permissive of both neologisms and foreign borrowings, whereas other languages are more ‘hesitant’ to confront new concepts via new words. To describe new technology, for instance, French tries to come up with its own competing (and frequently parodied) neologisms, and Arabic relies pretty heavily on (often directly transliterated) foreign borrowings. Neither language, therefore, comes across as very ‘confident’ about new technology.

Related questions

Description : How might have the English language been different had king Harold's forces won the Battle of Hastings?

Last Answer : French and Latin had words and terms that Germanic/Danish languages didn’t have, so eventually Romance words would have been adopted by the English. But certainly we would be much closer to Germanic than to Norman. We would be eating roast cow, not roast beef.

Description : What "King" is "King's English" attributed to?

Last Answer : All I can contribute is a guess. I am thinking it may be a general term attributing the formality to the highest level. The term has been used a long time, and without sense of gender neutrality. If this is the case, it could easily become the crown’s English. People still say motherland also.

Description : Is English a flexible language in word choice?

Last Answer : Very. Especially the slang.

Description : Whence came the construction, "Why do you think ...?" as in "Why do you think that American English is different from British English?"?

Last Answer : It’s idiomatic speaking in place of “why do you think the differences arose between American English and British English?” Notice that everyone understood the question.

Description : Does anyone know why in the English language,they found it necessary to come up with a different name for each group of animals species?

Last Answer : It is a bit more specific than “them there”.

Description : If you grew up in the 60's or 70's; what phrase do you find you use that other people don't understand?

Last Answer : Don’t have a cow – said to someone pitching a fit Slug Bug – slang for a Volkswagen Beetle car (and if you spotted one on the road, you’d punch the arm of the person next to you and yell, “Slug Bug!”)

Description : Which phrase do you use?

Last Answer : I could not care less.

Description : Why is the alphabet in that order?

Last Answer : No, the song came later. Here. is some wonderful information. look under History'. :) In the year 1011, a writer named Byrhtferð ordered the Old English alphabet for numerological purposes. He listed the 24 letters of the Latin ... X Y Z & ⁊ Ƿ Þ Ð Æ Sorry, that's a bit wonky. I'm on my phone.

Description : Why isn't "phonetics" spelled phonetically?

Last Answer : The same sort of miserable cruelty that puts an “s” in lisp. (Also phonemes)

Description : What makes the Honeywell air purifer superior to others?

Last Answer : Honeywell makes good, solid purifiers with plenty of options. They're still easy to use, however.

Description : Do speakers of other languages play with their words the way English speakers do?

Last Answer : I know the Japanese enjoy puns and double-entendre jokes in their own language as much as we do in ours. Does that count?

Description : What are word games like in languages other than English?

Last Answer : I have seen travellers on Chinese trains doing word puzzles to pass the time. It seems crossword puzzles are possible in Chinese. The grid looks the same but the clues are in Chinese and the answers are Chinese phrases rather than words. The grid contains Chinese characters instead of letters.

Description : Is anyone here quite familiar with internet slang/slang? Especially slang in languages other than English.

Last Answer : In English and Vietnamese, yes. I’ll try.

Description : Are Pokemon names an amalgam of two words in other languages like they are in English?

Last Answer : answer:I also love the first 151, I used to know pretty much all of them by their numbers. I was shocked when I went to search for Pokémons right now and found out that nowadays there are ... Kobra. There was also Abra, Kadabra and Alakazam, they were quite the magicians ! I miss my childhood

Description : Speakers of other languages: when someone asks a question about grammar in your language (please name it), does it incite as much controversy and produce as much heated disagreement as do English grammar questions here on Fluther?

Last Answer : It can, as Finnish grammar is extremely complicated (14 different cases and 7 different verb endings)

Description : Speakers of other languages: do you notice as much incorrect and ignorant use of those languages (please name them) by native speakers as you hear and see among native speakers of English?

Last Answer : answer:I have always said of myself in my feeble attempts at best at being multilingual… “I can screw up grammar, syntax, and punctuation in about 6 languages.” Especially english, which is my native language.

Description : What are some slang expressions or idioms in languages other than English which mean that someone is very rich?

Last Answer : ' ricachon'' in spanish. the word for rich is rico, and when you put ' achon'' or ' azo'' or ' aco'' at the end of the word, it means to imply big or more. so ricachon is kind ... you are wrapped in the money. the opposite would be ' pelado'' meaning skinned. note: spain spanish, not mexican spanish

Description : Word appears with a wavy red underline signifies_______: a) Month spellings b) words from languages other than english c) word is unable to recognize those spellings d) Italics e) None of The Above

Last Answer : c) word is unable to recognize those spellings

Description : (Visual) Its English name has nothing to do with energy or raking in the moolah. This cereal reminded some ancestral Dutch genius of beech-nuts and hence the name. In some European countries ... the crusades-it is possible that returning crusaders brought the grain back with them. What cereal?

Last Answer : Buckwheat

Description : How common is heteronymity in non-English languages?

Last Answer : I took four years of French in school, and while I’m not really fluent, I haven’t ever come across any that I can recall. That’s not to say there aren’t any, but I’d suspect that they aren’t too common.

Description : Do most languages and/or cultures use the same numeric symbols that the English language uses?

Last Answer : No. Without googling, (which is what you should be doing,” I can think of Hebrew, Greek, Cyrillic, Farsi, Arabic, Sanscrit, Hindi, for starters.

Description : According to Article 120 of the Constitution of India, the business in Parliament shall be transacted in- (1) English only (2) Hindi only (3) English and Hindi both (4) All the languages included in Eighth Schedule of the Constitution

Last Answer : (3) English and Hindi both Explanation: Article 120: Language to be used in Parliament- (1) Notwithstanding anything in part XVII, but subject to the provisions of article 348, business in Parliament shall be transacted in Hindi or in English.

Description : In the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India, which languages were added subsequently? (1) English, Sindhi, Marathi, Sanskrit (2) Sanskrit, Sindhi, Konkani, Manipuri (3) Sincihi, Konkani, Manipur, Nepali (4) Marathi, Orlya, Konkani, Nepali

Last Answer : (3) Sincihi, Konkani, Manipur, Nepali Explanation: The Eighth Schedule to the Indian Constitution contains a list of 22 scheduled languages. Via the 92nd constitutional amendment 2003, 4 new languages Bodo, Maithill, Dogri, and Santhali - were added to the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Description : Which one of the following languages is not specified in the Eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution? (1) Urdu (2) English (3) Sindhi (4) Sanskrit

Last Answer : (2) English Explanation: The Eighth Schedule to the Indian Constitution contains a list of 22 scheduled languages. English is not one of them.

Description : According to the author, it is easier for (1) Indians to have a profound knowledge of Arabic literature and science than learn English. (2) Indians to learn Sanskrit than for Englishmen to ... foreigners to learn Indian language than for Indians to learn foreign languages. (4) Indian to appreciat

Last Answer : 3) foreigners to learn Indian language than for Indians to learn foreign languages

Description : The official languages of Canada are __________ (A) British English and American English. (B) Canadian English and French. (C) Canadian English and American English. (D) English and Indian.

Last Answer : (B) Canadian English and French. 

Description : According to Article 120 of the Constitution of India, the business in Parliament shall be transacted in (A) English only (B) Hindi only (C) English and Hindi both (D) All the languages included in Eighth Schedule of the Constitution

Last Answer : Answer: B Article 120: Language to be used in Parliament 1) Notwithstanding anything in pa rt XVII, but subject to the provisions of article 348, business in Parliament shall be ... member who cannot adequately express himself in Hindi or in English to address the House in his mothertongue

Description : Why do so many americans think they are superior to other nationalities?

Last Answer : I don't know a single American who thinks she is better than anyone else. This question can only be answered by an American who actually believes this. And to say that racism has pretty much disappeared ... Americans as a group are no more prone to racist thoughts than Europeans , as a group.

Description : What is so superior about an eagle?

Last Answer : Eagles are big beautiful bold powerful predators. Other birds are also beautiful in their own ways. But eagles are more captivating than lesser shy birds. Folks generally identify better with an eagle than birds such as a snipe or a Prairie Chicken.

Description : Is it that the US produces superior athletes, or the fact the US is so large the percent of good athletes are a given?

Last Answer : Doping.

Description : If the new and enlightened method of child rearing is so successful and superior to the older ways, why is bullying and intolerance apparently increasing?

Last Answer : I don’t think there actually is more bullying and vandalism going on today, it’s just that we are much more aware of it. There was plenty of it going on when I was in school, I know that.

Description : I am not satisfied with my current carpet cleaners so who can I call in Austin, Texas to get superior service?

Last Answer : Total Cleaning is a fantastic carpet cleaner company in Austin, Texas. They are very highly rated.

Description : From the point of view of international business, an organization that enjoys competitive advantage in an industry has done so by: A. Focusing on long-term profit. B. Charging lower prices than competition. C. Creating superior value for customers. D. Constantly enlarging its marketing activities.

Last Answer : Creating superior value for customers.

Description : Do you think white males still feel superior to other races?

Last Answer : KNOWITALL Can I ask what recent cases of this you are referring to?

Description : “Democracy stands much superior to any other froms of government in promoting dignity and freedom of the individual.” Explain. -SST 10th

Last Answer : Democracy supports dignity and freedom of the citizens. Every man wants to get respect from fellow persons in the society. A lot of conflicts take place among human beings because ... has strengthened the claims of the disadvantaged and discriminated castes for equal status and equal opportunity.

Description : (i) ……………. is the belief that one sex is superior that the other. (Gender / Sexism / Feminism)

Last Answer : Choose the correct alternative and complete the statements : (i) . is the belief ... change. (Vertical / Horizontal / Intergenerational)

Description : Is Philippine culture superior or inferior or to other culture?

Last Answer : No! Philippine culture is not inferior in any way to othercultures. Everyone places a premium on his/her culture.The way American, Nigerian, British or German culture isimportant to their people, is ... culture of other peoplethe same way we respect ours, the world becomes a better place tolive in.

Description : What is the belief that one's own culture is superior to other cultures is?

Last Answer : The concept that one's own culture, the culture of one nation incomparison to other nations is commonly referred to asethnocentrism. Examples of this were Japan's views prior to WW 2and also associated with China prior to WW 2.

Description : What Chinese practice Demonstrated the believe that china were superior to other nations?

Last Answer : Feel Free to Answer

Description : The idea that the white race is superior to other races is called?

Last Answer : white supremacy

Description : Neoprene which is used for making shoe heels & belts is superior to natural rubber in its stability to aerial oxidation and resistance to oils & other solvents. The monomer used for making neoprene is (A) Chloroethane (B) Chloroprene (C) Isoprene (D) None of these

Last Answer : (B) Chloroprene

Description : Under a pegged exchange-rate system, which does not explain why a country would have a balance-of payments deficit? A. Very high rates of inflation occur domestically B. Foreigners ... . Technological advance is superior abroad D. The domestic currency is undervalued relative to other currencies

Last Answer : The domestic currency is undervalued relative to other currencies

Description : Men and woman may have different reproductive strategies but neither can be considered inferior or superior to the other, any more than a bird's wings can be considered superior or inferior to a fish's ... What type of argument it is? (A) Biological (B) Physiological (C) Analogical (D) Hypothetical

Last Answer : Answer: C

Description : In what ways are Sony flatscreens superior to the others?

Last Answer : Nothing really. Other brands have high end screens too. Sony typically comes set up properly while some of the others don’t. If it was a sony 4k tv and you are comparing it to 1080 then it will look better.

Description : Are commercial air conditioning units superior to home units?

Last Answer : Commercial units usually are rated at a higher BTUs than home units. And the larger the unit, the more efficiently the unit cools without running constantly, so they don't work as hard. ... coils which makes for more efficiency since the heat gathered from inside can be dissipated outside quicker.

Description : Transported to a previously thought fictional world, with foreknowledge and superior powers, do you feel dutybound to help the protagonist fulfill their quest, or do you feel that you must stay out of the protagonist's story?

Last Answer : The only moral response is “defeat the demon king on your own immediately, saving a sizeable number of people in the process,. Anything less would be immoral. Morality is more important than somebody’s chance to be a hero. They can go be a hero somewhere else.

Description : Why do burger king and co. only have chicken wings, but not the vastly superior legs?

Last Answer : Because it’s run by stupid colonials.

Description : Are blue M&Ms superior or inferior to the others?

Last Answer : answer:I’m old enough to remember tan M&Ms: http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2011482_2011480_2011460,00.html I miss them. Lousy blue ones ;)

Description : Aliens with vastly superior intelligence and technology arrive on Earth, and decide to treat and harvest humans like cattle. What argument will you bring up to defend yourself?

Last Answer : I wouldn’t; probably time to cow-tow.