Talk:World language

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A fact from World language appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know? column on 21 January 2008.

[edit] numbers of speakers

it is pointless to debate these figures here. We should see to it that there are stable and referenced numbers given in the main articles on the respective languages linked, and we'll just replicate them here. If there are any disputes in this respect, they belong on the language article talkpages, not here. --dab (𒁳) 06:42, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] English

Merriam-Webster's dictionaries are used as an authority of American English. To remove this but keep OED is an insult to Americans. —Nricardo (talk) 03:53, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

the information is taken from List of language regulators (introduction by Vuo, modification by Hyperborean anon modification). I don't doubt it is broadly correct, but we do need a source to attribute this to, especially if it is being disputed. --dab (𒁳) 09:49, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. I corrected Webster's to Merriam-Webster on that page as well. —Nricardo (talk) 15:46, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

Aside from the fact that there's no such thing as "Commowealth English," the third edition of the OED covers American English as well as British English (and in much more detail than, say, Indian English or Caribbean English, if that's what you mean by "Commonwealth"). Merriam Webster is just one of several equally authoritative American dictionaries (the others being Random House unabridged, American Heritage, etc.) The New York Times and the Associated Press, for example, don't use the Merriam Webster dictionary. The Oxford English Dictionary is the only comprehensive record of the English language; this doesn't mean that the OED regulates the English language, or the English language as used in Britain or the Commonwealth of Nations or whatever; but Merriam Webster doesn't regulate anything at all. The fact tag is useless, because the claim is basically false in the first place. Jack^(Lumber) 16:07, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

Saying there's no such thing as "Commonwealth English" is like saying there is no such thing as "English". True in a sense, but not very useful. OED is a de facto authority in cases of dispute precisely because there is no other authority to appeal to. Either way, we (a) need sources discussing this, and (b) need to discuss this at Talk:Standard English, not here. dab (𒁳) 17:29, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

Obviously, the OED does not "regulate" anything. And as a dictionary, the OED does not claim to be anything near complete on English outside the British Isles. It provides partial coverage of it, often not as good as that of much smaller American, Canadian, Australian dictionaries, etc. Joeldl (talk) 05:31, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] 350 million native speakers of English???

You've got to be kidding. If you add up the populations of the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland you get over 410 million!!!!! I know you are only counting native speakers, however, when counting up other languages it seems as though someone just added up the populations of all the countries where the particular language is spoken! Not everyone in Latin America speaks Spanish! Some speak Guarani, Quechua and Aymara. Not everyone in Germany, Austria and Switzerland speaks German either!!! Why do you only use native speakers for English??? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.161.69.75 (talk) 05:54, 10 June 2008 (UTC)