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I mostly agree but I think it's a bit simplistic. Languages aren't just a neutral tool, they come with a culture. English is the modern lingua franca not becaus
by simias 9y ago
I mostly agree but I think it's a bit simplistic. Languages aren't just a neutral tool, they come with a culture. English is the modern lingua franca not because of some inherent quality of the language but because it's the language of the USA, by far the greatest economic, military and cultural superpower of our times.
Do you realize how much power and influence this gives the USA? We have Captain America in theaters, but Captain China and Peru are nowhere to be seen. When's the last time you've seen a company motto in Spanish or Italian? English, I'm Loving It, Just Do It, Think Different.
Does it make sense to make English the de-facto standard language for the EU when Ireland is the only country left in it which uses it natively?
I'm all for people learning English to facilitate the dialogue between countries and cultures but I think it's very noble and important to strive to preserve diversity, linguistically and culturally.
D'un français à un autre, en anglais, sur un forum anglophone.
- lucozade 9y agoI entirely agree with you about the value of maintaining diversity but Iv was pretty much pointing out that Esperanto was vetoed in order to prevent an increase in diversity. French was the diplomatic lingua franca and the French delegates were working very hard to maintain that. English is now the lingua franca in many fields due to US hegemony as you say. Even though it's not due to any inherent virtue it's not, of itself, a bad thing. I'm not a big fan of Americanization (sic) but that's a slightly different thing from a common means of communication. The latter may well mean we have to suffer some of the former but I personally think it's worth it (don't tell my daughter I, like, said that OK?). Obviously this will never happen but now would be great time for the EU to adopt English as a common tongue, precisely because of Brexit. It'd clearly not be because of a cultural dominance within the EU and it would save a ton of money and a lot of wasted effort. I await the response of the Académie française with bated breath.
- simias 9y agoYeah I agree with you. There's a difference between preserving diversity and trying to push your language down other people's throat. Clearly some of our laws and official posturing has more to do with the latter than the former. And obviously I won't oppose English becoming the language of the EU since the other obvious contender would be German and I can barely speak a lick of Deutsch!
- tormeh 9y agoAlso English is easier to learn than German. As a geographically spread-out language without central control all the bits that are hard to learn has gone away. The only problem is that it has accumulated a lot of crufty spelling and prononciation, but that's easier to fix than grammar.
- mercurysmessage 9y agoI think it has more to do with the UK than the US to be honest, due to the whole colony thing.
- simias 9y agoSince WW2 at least the USA has achieved a tremendous global cultural hegemony. To give you an example many of my friends and I agree that it's easier for us to understand spoken "standard" American (i.e. TV and movie american) than british. Let's not even mention the scotts or irish. Obviously if you're in a ancient british colony like Hong Kong or parts of India then you owe much of the english heritage to the queen's servants but elsewhere english has been pushed massively by the powerhorse that are the USA. The american entertainment industry plows through all cultures, all demographics and brings you Mac Donalds, Toy Story, Rihanna and Coca Cola even if you're lost in Kazakhstan. Dr Who and Fish and Chips can't compete. Or is it Fish'n'Fries?