[Info-vax] Chinese Alpha?

[Michael Kraemer]

Hans Vlems schrieb:

> Put differently: start learning Chinese because in 10 years it'll be
> taught in school as a second language.

This is one of those predictions which pop up every now and then
and may or may not come true.
Back in the 1980s the motd was "lean production" and thus
"learn Japanese because they'll take over the world soon".
Hasn't happened, and I doubt it'll happen with Chinese.
Undoubtedly they have big economic success
(with the help of the capitalist Western countries, who
were stupid enough to outsource their industries),
but they also have big problems, which easily could
lead to the implosion of the system.

Btw, Chinese (as well as Japanese)
is already offered everywhere as a second language everywhere,
I even tried it myself thirty years ago, just for fun.
I don't think it will win, it's simply to old-fashioned
and inappropriate for the technical/scientific world.