In this modern globalised world, can we really afford to have all these different languages?

Biologist Mark Pagel gave a talk on TED, How Language Transformed Humanity, where he outlined the evolution of language from 200 thousand years ago to today and how language has been the conduit to human connectivity. He believes that evolution will prove, for future success of the world’s globalisation, there will be one standard language.

Pagel is careful not to suggest any one language as the destined ‘one language’ though, but I think that evolution’s decision, for better or for worse, has already been made.