In a world where there are around 8 billion people, the idea of fewer languages or even a universal one might sound promising. There exists a feeling that living in such an oversimplified version of the world would be beneficial or even crucial for development. While most people, especially the younger generations, agree that there should be fewer languages, I would disagree.
On the one hand, fewer languages would most definitely positively impact the academic world. With fields of academic study already being complicated as they are, having one less problem to worry about, such as the language barrier, would speed up the development and broaden knowledge of many areas. There would be little to no misunderstandings, for an example in the naming of chemical structures or molecules in chemistry related research. Also, another positively impacted part of life would be the adaptation of immigrants to foreign countries which would, with the existence of fewer languages, be speedier as there would be less of a culture shock and no translation of documents to worry about.
On the other hand, the dying out of many different languages would result in the loss of traditions and cultures. The connection to one’s country and nation would also be compromised as there wouldn’t be a feeling of separation from the surrounding territory. Another topic to worry about would be the communication with the older generations who wouldn’t be able to learn the new language(s) quickly or efficiently. The final worry would be the unfair dominance of a minor group of languages where equality should exist between all of them.
In conclusion, my opinion is that the loss of many languages would bring more harm than good to today’s world. The loss of culture, traditions, equality and communication would heavily outweigh the positive sides of a world with fewer languages such as the easier communication between scientists or immigrants and natives of a country.