Global language system

Global language system

According to Dutch sociologist Abram de Swaan, a sociological classification of languages according to their large scale social role for its speakers:

* Central languages: widely spoken languages
* Supercentral languages: very widely spoken languages that serve as connector between speakers of central languages; according to de Swaan, there are twelve of these: "Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish" and "Swahili";
* Hypercentral languages: also connects supercentral languages; de Swaan erects "English" to be the sole hypercentral language;
* Peripheral languages: the rest – languages that no one consider being worth learning for the sole purpose of improving one's own communication facilities.

External links

* [http://dnghu.org/en/Indo-European%20grammar/ DŃGHŪ: Modern Indo-European Language Grammar] last retrieved at 11 Jun 2007.


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