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I think English speakers just find it a bit strange because our own language is such a mess. In fact we don't even agree on how to spell basic words (maybe due

I think English speakers just find it a bit strange because our own language is such a mess. In fact we don't even agree on how to spell basic words (maybe due to a deliberate political act by Noah Webster? not sure), and there is zero chance of international standardisation at this point, so we can't even imagine an official body that does this. Perhaps that's why some people seem to interpret it as "authoritarian". But in fact many other languages DO have a body like this, and I think it makes perfect sense. I'm not sure if any others have fancy swords and 17th century suits though...

Simple_Guy 8y ago
I can imagine a bunch of old people sitting in a room complaining about all the new words the young kids are using and how they are destroying the language.
- jpatokal 8y ago
  Yeet.
benj111 8y ago
"In fact we don't even agree on how to spell basic words" Yes the US seemed to go with Webster, while the rest of the anglosphere went with Johnson. Not quite as simple as that, as there were a few different waves of reform. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-language_spelling_reform https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-language_spelling_re...
- plopz 8y ago
  And there are fun ones like the etymology of aluminum which went through spellings like a ping pong.
  - mikeash 8y ago
    Just yesterday, I ran into trouble while searching for noise cancelling headphones because the site where I was searching had it spelled “canceling” for some of the products and the search wasn’t fuzzy enough to show both. See also: “Inflammable means flammable? What a country!”
    - chosenbreed37 8y ago
      > Just yesterday, I ran into trouble while searching for noise cancelling headphones because the site where I was searching had it spelled “canceling” for some of the products and the search wasn’t fuzzy enough to show both. 'Canceling'? That looks like a spelling mistake :-)
      - mikeash 8y ago
        Both versions are considered correct. Perhaps by different people....
      - stordoff 8y ago
        The Cambridge Dictionary lists it as "-ll- or US usually -l-". Both are considered correct. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/cancel https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/cancel
the6threplicant 8y ago
But the Dutch have it as well and no one goes on and on about it.
- raverbashing 8y ago
  Ah but they're Dutch, not French... It seems Romance Language academies love to squabble and love their "exclusive club". Though to be honest I haven't heard of a similar push to exclude people in other Academies
- jacquesm 8y ago
  That's because we mostly just ignore them.
  - Insanity 8y ago
    And I think that the Dutch is at least standardized in the same way for Belgium and the Netherlands. (Het groene boekje, regarding spelling, is definitely shared).
  - xwolfi 8y ago
    While the french wait for our equivalent before daring to use a word ? It’s just an english habit of bashing an idiotic gallicism, just like we find their queen concept surreal and idiotic ahah
- bunderbunder 8y ago
  Many native English speakers have a certain obsession with France and the French language that doesn't happen with other counties and their languages. It's really strange. For example, in the US, speaking French is considered a particular accomplishment and a sign of good breeding, much more so than with any other second language. I'm not sure what it's about. Maybe a holdover from French being the language of the English aristocracy during the middle ages?
  - ardy42 8y ago
    > For example, in the US, speaking French is considered a particular accomplishment and a sign of good breeding, much more so than with any other second language. As an American, my impression is that French is just considered more elegant and sophisticated than other foreign languages. I wouldn't consider it anymore difficult than another language, and quite a bit easier than some (e.g. Chinese). ...But I'm not a WASP, and if anyone has opinions similar to what you describe, my bet is they'd be WASPs.
seszett 8y ago
> there is zero chance of international standardisation at this point Well, the French language isn't really standardised internationally either, as many French-speaking countries have their own equivalent to the Académie. The Office québécois de la langue française in Québec is the most active and influential one (as an example, their proposed word "courriel" for replacing "email" is the most common variant, even in France) and Belgium also has a Conseil de la langue française. Switzerland also has a Délégation à la langue française which is much less active, and the equivalents in Africa are mostly anecdotal for now though.
nwatson 8y ago
The pseudo-official documentarians of the English language are the compilers of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). They don't prescribe or authorize English language use but generally accept new words and uses into the lexicon ... [1] briefly discusses their process. [1] https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/our-story/creating-dictionaries https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/our-story/creating-dictio...

Simple_Guy 8y ago

I can imagine a bunch of old people sitting in a room complaining about all the new words the young kids are using and how they are destroying the language.

jpatokal 8y ago
Yeet.

benj111 8y ago

"In fact we don't even agree on how to spell basic words" Yes the US seemed to go with Webster, while the rest of the anglosphere went with Johnson. Not quite as simple as that, as there were a few different waves of reform. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-language_spelling_reform https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-language_spelling_re...

plopz 8y ago
And there are fun ones like the etymology of aluminum which went through spellings like a ping pong.
- mikeash 8y ago
  Just yesterday, I ran into trouble while searching for noise cancelling headphones because the site where I was searching had it spelled “canceling” for some of the products and the search wasn’t fuzzy enough to show both. See also: “Inflammable means flammable? What a country!”
  - chosenbreed37 8y ago
    > Just yesterday, I ran into trouble while searching for noise cancelling headphones because the site where I was searching had it spelled “canceling” for some of the products and the search wasn’t fuzzy enough to show both. 'Canceling'? That looks like a spelling mistake :-)
    - mikeash 8y ago
      Both versions are considered correct. Perhaps by different people....
    - stordoff 8y ago
      The Cambridge Dictionary lists it as "-ll- or US usually -l-". Both are considered correct. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/cancel https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/cancel

the6threplicant 8y ago

But the Dutch have it as well and no one goes on and on about it.

raverbashing 8y ago
Ah but they're Dutch, not French... It seems Romance Language academies love to squabble and love their "exclusive club". Though to be honest I haven't heard of a similar push to exclude people in other Academies
jacquesm 8y ago
That's because we mostly just ignore them.
- Insanity 8y ago
  And I think that the Dutch is at least standardized in the same way for Belgium and the Netherlands. (Het groene boekje, regarding spelling, is definitely shared).
- xwolfi 8y ago
  While the french wait for our equivalent before daring to use a word ? It’s just an english habit of bashing an idiotic gallicism, just like we find their queen concept surreal and idiotic ahah
bunderbunder 8y ago
Many native English speakers have a certain obsession with France and the French language that doesn't happen with other counties and their languages. It's really strange. For example, in the US, speaking French is considered a particular accomplishment and a sign of good breeding, much more so than with any other second language. I'm not sure what it's about. Maybe a holdover from French being the language of the English aristocracy during the middle ages?
- ardy42 8y ago
  > For example, in the US, speaking French is considered a particular accomplishment and a sign of good breeding, much more so than with any other second language. As an American, my impression is that French is just considered more elegant and sophisticated than other foreign languages. I wouldn't consider it anymore difficult than another language, and quite a bit easier than some (e.g. Chinese). ...But I'm not a WASP, and if anyone has opinions similar to what you describe, my bet is they'd be WASPs.

seszett 8y ago

> there is zero chance of international standardisation at this point Well, the French language isn't really standardised internationally either, as many French-speaking countries have their own equivalent to the Académie. The Office québécois de la langue française in Québec is the most active and influential one (as an example, their proposed word "courriel" for replacing "email" is the most common variant, even in France) and Belgium also has a Conseil de la langue française. Switzerland also has a Délégation à la langue française which is much less active, and the equivalents in Africa are mostly anecdotal for now though.

nwatson 8y ago

The pseudo-official documentarians of the English language are the compilers of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). They don't prescribe or authorize English language use but generally accept new words and uses into the lexicon ... [1] briefly discusses their process. [1] https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/our-story/creating-dictionaries https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/our-story/creating-dictio...