When I was writing an essay, someone knocked on my door.

'How are you?' He always used that phrases as the opening. 'I'm very well.' I replied with politeness towards that newly moved-in hall mate Tamiode from Nigeria. The first time I saw him was while I was cooking something in the kitchen. He asked me in a polite way ' Do you have a dust bin in your room?' I said yes. 'But I don't get any.' I pointed at the dust bin in front of his room door told him that was his. He couldn't follow my strange accent at first, then I spoke word by word ' that belongs to you, because the guy used to live here left it outside when he left.' He finally understood me and took it in with simle.

My next time having conversation with him was yesterday. He was cooking. He saw me and Fazal and stepped outside the kitchen.

'Hello, how are you?'

'Yeah and you?' I asked.

'Very well.' He asked something about my major and he told me his was religion. I thought his module may be not easy to learn. He said currently he couldn't 100 percent understand the tutor but he believed if he put his heart in, the language barrier wouldn't be a huge difficulty for him. Our conversation last maybe ten minutes then he was back to kitchen and me and Fazal were about to leave. But there was some problem with him to use the cooker in the kitchen. His pan was still very cold. The truth is that he only used one screw and didn't remember to switch another screw to 'hob' position.

'I think I told you one time yesterday.' Fazal spoke with a friendly way.

'Oh sorry. Do teach me again.' Finally he got it. From this I knew that his country is not a very rich oneand this equipment is not into everyday use there. I suddenly doubt if he could get used to the life here in England. By the way what he ate is very simple just beans-boiling beans in a pan and adding some salt on it. 

Then let's went back to the beginning of today's entry. He knocked on my door and said 'How are you?' And went 'I am fine.'

'I'm so glad you are here. There is something that I tried to show you this afternoon, please follow me.'

And I follow him into the kitchen.

'Please read this first.' He pointed at a notice on the door,which is gernerally saying that it is not cleaners responsiblity to clean off all the thing in the sinking. If some one has used dishes, he is not expected to just lean them in the sinking and he should wash them right after using.

'Finished?' He asked.

'Yeah.' I nodded.

'Please read this one.' This one more or less means the same thing but the language stlye has changed through wording, obviously into a sort of coercive and threatening manner. ' IF ANY PANS OR PLATES ARE LEFT UNWASHED FOR A LONG TIME WE WILL REMOVE THEM AWAY.'

'May I asked is it your plate?' He pointed one unwashed plate with smash potato on it.

Obviously that's not mine. 'No, because I never have fork and knife.'

'Oh sorry so you use chopsticks?' 'Yeah, I'm Chinese.' 'Oh, sorry. But do you see what I mean.'

'Yeah, actually I have done my part. If everybody could make the public places clean that would be good for all of us.'

'Yes that's what I'm trying to say.' Then I was back to my dorm.

Here in England. Loads of local students just messed up everything in the kitchen. However cleaners never throw anything away from it. Everyone including me took those unwashed plates as usual. But he actually knocked on everyone's door try to tell everyone what should be the right way.  I don't know what will happen to him. Maybe he will continously asked everyone to maintain the cleaness in the kitchen or maybe he would take them as granted just like me.

I never thought any speech addressed in any dining in night could be a useful one. However I was wrong. Dining in night is not always a night for prepaid dinner and chatting with friends.

Tonight a very kind white-hair old man addressed in front of us. I didn't take his speech serious at the begining because I never cared about the things talked before meals. What he said at first I didn't hear. But when the speech aproaching to its end, he spoke something really inspire me. 'Never plan your life so full, leaving some spaces and always be prepared for surprise.'

I'm a trying person who try to perfect himself. One way to achieve that unrealistic goal is to make plan. The ideal situation for me would be within a  24-hour-day, I could map it into great detail. Such as 'to get up at 7:30am, to finish the reading of  chapter three and review the notes of international business.' I thought a well planned day would be wonderful simply because it's goog to know where to go and what to do. Just sitting alone stupidly in the dormitory is a waste of life.  To achieve a 100% control over my life by inner force or outer force, because I might refuse to think and reflect. If something works for one time, then I should carry it on and on and on.

However most of the plans that I had made couldn't be finished, my heart would be dragged by pain and frustration. 'Shame on you.' some voices appeared from no where laughing at me. I tried to shout back but just can't figure out who should I target at. That's really funny isn't it. Because it's me who made those plans and it's also the same person to undertake those pain brought by them. To make things more clearly, I'm the trouble maker of myself, how ridiculars is it!?  Insead of plan the life, I think I may need more time to reflect and think, to reflect my behaviour and think about the enviroment. Is you can't change with the time what's the use of plans then? I doubt plans could lead me any further if I don't know my mission. I think a English idiom will be good for me which is 'don't paint yourself into a corner'. I might be cornered by myself for some time but I believe I can set myself free in the most situation.

最近在看一些讨论语言的书，感觉语言很伟大。它承载着意义，而意义又能达到某些功能。比如说广告语，其功能为诱导和劝说；比如说战争动员演讲，其功能为鼓舞士气；再比如文学，其功能在于给人美得享受亦或令人反思生活。总之语言功能万千，变化莫测。

高中时主攻自然科学，天真认为数学，物理和化学才是人类智慧的结晶和绽放。英语课堂上老师规定不让看其它语言的书。我则固执的拿出一本数学研究。东窗事发，老师过来镇压。我则故作聪明的随便打开一页，说‘你看哪里有汉字’。我说的没错，那一页的内容是三角函数，里面除了阿拉伯数字和sin，cos之类的记号外什么都没了。我当时大概是为我的举动感到自豪的，因为数学无需太多文字的说明，那是纯逻辑的舞动。

现在的我则更为社会科学感到惊叹。吾观东周列国志，八百诸侯虎斗。一国之师压境叩关，武将愿请精兵退敌，此时总有一位大臣站出来说‘臣愿凭三寸不烂之舌让来者无功而返’。这些谋臣有精于辞令挽狂澜于即倒者，比如张仪；也有贻笑于后人者，比如三国演义里的蒋干。孙子说兵不血刃而胜者为至强；古语亦云‘攻城为下，攻心为上。’何以功心，语言是也。语言学，作为社会科学的一门重要分支，可以粗略定义成研究语言的学科，其左右自然不言而喻了。

鄙人在此方面略有些思考，现在大胆的写出他们。望批评。思考集中在两门离我最近的语言，汉语和英文。以下便是对两门语言的分析以及个人狂妄的想法。

英语已经成为了世界语，这一点毋庸置疑。我在壮游游欧洲大陆的时候，英文标示随处可见，英语流利的人数不胜数。会当地语言能为旅行增色不少，但是即便不会倒也不会‘落魄潦倒’，一样会玩得精彩。英文之泛可见一斑。为何如此呢？

当今大势为全球化。以此为背景，分析会变得容易。全球化要求国与国之间的交流，如何交流。两种方案。A所有的人掌握全球2000多种语言。B所有人除母语外掌握同一种语言。简单说就是‘all or one’。稍微有常识的人就会否决A方案。那么全世界人该学什么共同语言呢？即使你再不愿以面对，答案已经出来了-英文。凡事该问个为什么。Why English? At the right time and in the right place. Then how? How English become outstanding at the right time? Why when you look for a language as the ligual Franca, English has already been there?

有的人认为英文易学。有人说英文的进化是一种‘堕落’（corrupt）。启蒙运动时期，英国的许多语言学家试图规范英文，他们或参考法语和拉丁语来纯化语言；或批判莎士比亚，说他乱写胡用。只是历史车轮滚滚向前，英语还是我行我素的‘腐败了’。失去了复杂的词语变格，失去了无用的词缀。这样一来，比较起德语英文似乎容易了一些。可是英语容易，也不是一学就好。德语虽难，精通词语的人大有人在。回头看看昔日的世界（欧洲）语，拉丁语（之后是法语），难道他们容易吗？你随便翻开一本英文书，看看他的读法和拼法，杂乱无章。相对于德语，西班牙语等语言会读就会写，或者说会写就会读。，这不是英文的一个最大缺点吗？由此观之某种语言的难易似乎无法决定此语言的世界性。

英语今日的地位归功于两大国，大英帝国和美利坚合众国。早期的英帝国殖民扩张为英语传播的第一阶段。北美，澳洲，非洲某些地方，东南亚的某些地方，人民开始讲英文了。英文甚至变成了其中很多国家的母语，本地土著语言随之灭亡。此一时，彼一时。太阳都要落山，日不落帝国也成了昔日的遗梦。大英帝国注定已经腐败了，可是他们的语言确乎‘不朽’了。这得益于美国。

美国的称霸才让英语成为真正的世界语。如果说以前殖民地人民讲英文取决于霸道的语言政策，那么现在很多有主权的国家（比如说中国）却把英国列为必修外语国。这并非政府卖国的举动，之后不乏对个人和国家利益的考虑。小而言之，美国梦是很多人学习英文的原动力。大而言之，国家间商业往来离不开英文。不懂英文的人，从中国走私两条烟在伦敦街头卖还是有可能成功的。可是每天有18兆的物质商品或服务在全球流动，想做这笔大买卖，不懂英真不行。最后流行的文化，又为英语贴上了时尚，有型，自由的标签。综上所述，在中国学英文的人前仆后继。

我的问题是英文能维持多久这种地位？中文可不可以成为新的世界语？

如果你在中世纪说拉丁语会死，会退出教育阵线，稍有常识的都会嘲笑你。可是拉丁语还是死了。如果你在启蒙运动时说法语在欧洲大陆不会风靡，别人也许会不以为然。但风水轮流转，原本在角落的英文超过了法文的流行地位。中国人精于风水，那么语言的风水会不会转到中国来呢？汉语会不会成为世界语呢？

谁也不敢给出绝对的答案，但是我们还是可以尝试推理。

首先世界语只有一种。外国人说英文的数量说早就远远超过了以英文为母语的人数。那么他们的英文从哪来，不是与生俱来的，是习得的。习得需要什么，时间和金钱。如果两世界语共存的话，国家的负担就很重了。毕竟不是所有国家都和加拿大一样富有。再则跨国公司的成本会增加，因为所有的文件都要用两种语言写，语言方面的出资就增加一倍。有人会说联合国五门语言一起上，那么同联合国这样拿钱不做事的单位又有多少呢？如果这种逻辑没错，汉语能否成为世界语的问题就变成了两个问题：1中文如何广泛传播。2英文如何大面积溃退。

语言的角力就也是综合国力的角力。综合国立包括政治，军事，经济，文化四大块。

政治方面：中国在此点绝对领先的是人口。中国可以输出人口啊。可以出国狂生啊。有个新东方老师好像说，只要中国人在美国再这样生下去，反客为主的一天就快到了。希望他的理论能够成功。这招叫做釜底抽薪，通过人海繁殖策略改变一个国家的语言环境。但是他忽略了一点，当时非洲奴隶的人口多于白人，为什么后来美国不说非洲语？中国人当然可以狂生，可是生出来的小孩能不能进入主流社会？可以，但是有条件，条件就是说一口流利的英语。这样看来中国人的努力反而壮大了敌人的势力。所以说在人口方面中国的数字并非优势。

军事，这点不言而喻，尚有差异。美国至今是视界武器制造业的龙头老大，无论从数量还是质量上都有优势。中国神7成功发射，但几十年前，美国人就在月球上漫步了。还拿个稿子念‘One small step of human beings.....'之类的句子。另外美国的军事基地太平洋上面到处开花。路漫漫其修远兮。中国还要加油。

经济，经济是国人最自豪的一点。的确中国在经济方面异军突起。上海港的吞吐量十分惊人。可是吞吐的东西有待提高。中国出口的产品较为低端，且多加工制造业。廉价的劳动力成为经济的原动力。常常看到以此势头再发展五十年，中国将称霸的句子。问题是中国能否还能这样。人的工资迟早要长，环境不能无限污染。

文化。美国的文化为自由，也就是中国常常批判的’堕落‘。中国文化，除非有新的文化的出现，许多都是强调和谐规范和社会秩序的。那么哪种文化更容易推广呢？个人以为自由化更容易。就好比’性解放‘的思想，摧枯拉朽风靡全球。如果你对此嗤之以鼻，唯一能做的就是洁身自好。如果这个时候跳出来去来宣传贞操道德估计市场不大。例子不巧当，但中国文化偏好秩序，一种受外在强力规范的秩序。而美国文化则更多的是在个人最大限度追求自由无法实现转而退而求其次变为对他人的尊重从而保障个人利益的文化。

综合以上几点，可以看出中国的综合国力存在弱势，汉语的推广短时期内不会在全球范围流行。可是谁知道呢？也许中国利用了现在的经济危机，经济成功转型，而美国从此一蹶不振。也许中国在科技方面如同奥运会金牌榜，迅速攀升，夺下了教育界世界语的地位之后再吞噬其它方面最终取代英文。也许全球政治重新洗牌，中国的广阔市场和低廉劳动力外加上日本的资金和技术让东方重新崛起。更也许若干年后，科技进步，语言翻译机问世，任意两种语言能够自由互译，那么世界语就消失了。

So, it is the 1 st of Octorber. And like many of my past blog entries, I have come to a resolution.

I resolve

to improve my English.

I know, I know. I've done this before. And it's not the best type of resolution-for it's not measurable. Then pardon me. Can I try again. 

This time I will try to make it more specific and more approachable. I resolve to read more English books, at least 4 hours per day. There we go.

In the meantime, it is the National Day of China. I stand for China. Every bit and very part of it, since it is my country. Surely you are not a perfect country and I do not want to be a citizen of a perfect country, because there is nothing that we can learn from there. But  I really wish our country could become more and more open, not only in the field of market.