Succesfully Multi-lingual Nations

[Keirador]

Just curious- have there been any? India springs to mind, I recall reading they have a plethora of official languages, but I'm a bit foggy on the details.

 

[Hitro]

Canada? Belgium?








Okay, I laughed, too.



When I was in Bavaria I had to learn that I do live in a multi-lingual nation myself. The successful part is debatable.

 

[Keirador]

Well, yes, there are multi-lingual nations that are succesful, but are they succesfully multi-lingual: is being multi-lingual working out well for them? Would they be worse off having one predominant language?

 

[sysyphus]

Canada? Belgium?








Okay, I laughed, too.

Why would that be funny? Both Canada and Belgium have lived in relative peace since their inception. Sure both countries have separatist movements, but they've been largely peaceful.

 

[sysyphus]

Well, yes, there are multi-lingual nations that are succesful, but are they succesfully multi-lingual: is being multi-lingual working out well for them? Would they be worse off having one predominant language?

I don't see how we'd be better off by going to one language.

 

[Hitro]

Why would that be funny? Both Canada and Belgium have lived in relative peace since their inception. Sure both countries have separatist movements, but they've been largely peaceful.

Well, Canada, successful nation. Hmm? Okay, okay, I apologize...

Would they be worse off having one predominant language?

Probably not. But shouldn't the question be if they would be better off?

 

[Ramius75]

Singapore. beside using English as an official language, we have 2nd langauage , be it Mandarin, Malay or Tamil depending on native tougue. other than that, most of us here are also proficient in some dialect and also other languages, like Arabic, Japanese etc etc.

 

[North King]

Well, yes, there are multi-lingual nations that are succesful, but are they succesfully multi-lingual: is being multi-lingual working out well for them? Would they be worse off having one predominant language?

In India's Case, can you imagine trying to get several hundred million people to speak one language? The best you can do in such a situation is have the government in an area use one widely known language for their documents, which, IIRC, is done.

 

[amadeus]

I don't know what you'd cite India as a success for.

 

[North King]

I don't know what you'd cite India as a success for.

When you bring together a multilingual, multiethnic melting pot from under the domination of a massive colonial power close to bloodlessly, let me know and I'll pay attention to you in this regard.

 

[aneeshm]

I'd say India has succeeded in the multi-lingual part ( eighteen official languages , with many ones recognised at lower levels , and millions of dialects ) .

 

[SonicX]

Why would that be funny? Both Canada and Belgium have lived in relative peace since their inception. Sure both countries have separatist movements, but they've been largely peaceful.

Belgium has it's fair share of riots during the transformation from a parliamentary monarchy to a federal monarchy. Many towns were disputed and still are ...
The only reason because it's been peaceful is because of the high level of civilization, but in the north the seperatist far right party gains 3 to 5 % every election. A new transformation to complete confederation or even 2 nations (perhaps with a fusion of Wallonia/France and/or Flanders/Holland) looks very likely within 20 years.

Especially the large mentality, culture, language and economic differences are a katalysator for a further splitting of the country. For instance, unemployement is about 10 % higher in Wallonia, the GDP of Flanders resembles that of the USA per capita, the Walloon GDP resembles that of Portugal per capita... annually, there have been financial transfer from the northern Flemish area to the southern Walloon area of no less than 8 to 11 billion euro's, or 2000 € per Flemish inhabitant per year.

The only glue that kept the country together so far, is the bilingual capital Brussels, no one knows what to do with that city and who it belongs to. If Brussels wasn't bilingual or wasn't the capital, Belgium would have followed Czechoslavakia already...

It's a matter of time.

 

[Desertsnow]

Switzerland--four languages, of which at least three are official, and schools everywhere in the country are required to have all four, though not necessarily as a required curriculum. It seems to do alright. Certainly no conflict among speakers of the various languages.

 

[blindside]

When you bring together a multilingual, multiethnic melting pot from under the domination of a massive colonial power close to bloodlessly, let me know and I'll pay attention to you in this regard.

Um millions of Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus were killed during partition. Sure there are the other 650000 languages/religions but they are all far more minor. The major ones in the north have always been clashing to some degree although the Brits brought out the worst in them (intentionally).

 

[aaglo]

In Finland there are two official languages - finnish and swedish. Also in Finnish Lapland, Same is an official language too.

 

[The Last Conformist]

Switzerland and Finland are the examples that spring to mind.

 

[Yom]

France.

 

[The Last Conformist]

Written French and spoken French?

 

[Yom]

Written French and spoken French?

Nah. France is hardly bilingual (Occitan) and much has been done to protect the French language (l'Académie française) and destroy the other languages in France (e.g. Occitan after the Revolution).

 

[Snoopy]

I second Singapore, they have to speak at least two languages to get around.

Mandarin and English.