The fact that in the twentieth century a greater proportion of the people in the world could communicate with one another, using English or just a few other languages, appears not to have stopped any wars, nor to have reduced the frequency with which wars have broken out, nor to have made the wars that have broken out less brutal. In fact, several murderous wars have been fought recently among people who speak 'the same language' in real terms. Andrew Dalby
About This Quote

This quote by Bertrand Russell suggests that the world has not become a more peaceful place, despite the fact that more people can communicate with one another as a result of World War II and as a result of modern technology such as the internet.

Source: Language In Danger: The Loss Of Linguistic Diversity And The Threat To Our Future

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More Quotes By Andrew Dalby
  1. The fact that in the twentieth century a greater proportion of the people in the world could communicate with one another, using English or just a few other languages, appears not to have stopped any wars, nor to have reduced the frequency with which wars...
  2. On the basis of this information, it would be possible to argue that if everybody spoke English (or Chinese or Esperanto for that matter) everybody would be at war even more often.
  3. Teachers were powerful enough to kill the indigenous languages: they are not powerful enough to bring them back to life.
  4. It happens all too often - people regret that their language and culture are being lost but at the same time decide not to saddle their own children with the chore of preserving them.
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