3 ms·
"vast majority" is a bit of a hyperbole; there are more English speakers outside of the USA than in it, though it's close to 50/50, and it's indeed the country
by mgaunard 3y ago
"vast majority" is a bit of a hyperbole; there are more English speakers outside of the USA than in it, though it's close to 50/50, and it's indeed the country with the most English speakers.
- School-Cotton 3y agoI did say native English speakers, but regardless, the point stands that the US is an extremely important market for any media targeting itself to the broader Anglosphere.
- makeitdouble 3y ago> Anglosphere If you're moving the target to the Anglosphere, we have to count the whole population consumming content in English as their second of third language, so the US becomes a way tinier portion of it. I'll give you that for The Guardian, a US newspaper with US subscribers, the US market is extremely important. The broader case is harder to make.
- School-Cotton 3y ago> If you're moving the target to the Anglosphere, we have to count the whole population consumming content in English as their second of third language, so the US becomes a way tinier portion of it. By “Anglosphere” I don’t mean everyone who speaks English. I mean the countries whose primary language is English and whose majority culture originally descends from England: at least the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. (A few other countries like Ireland or parts of South Africa don’t fit the strict definition but have a long and close association with England so can be thought of similarly. My point here is not to debate to what extent Ireland is culturally similar to England which is of course a controversial subject). People in these countries consume much of the same media and are much more culturally similar to each other than they are to people in e.g. India or the Philippines, even the ones who speak native-level English. > The Guardian, a US newspaper with US subscribers The Guardian is British.
- makeitdouble 3y ago> The Guardian is British. Touché. > By “Anglosphere” I don’t mean everyone who speaks English Thanks, point taken.
- mgaunard 3y agoThe stats I gave was for English as a first language.
- Sharlin 3y agoIf you included non-native speakers, the stats would be much more lopsided than nearly 50:50.
- School-Cotton 3y agoYou're absolutely right and I concede that I misspoke initially. However, I think the main thrust of my point is correct: that the US represents a huge chunk of the Guardian's target audience and therefore suggesting that the Guardian not localize its articles for Americans is absurd.
- mgaunard 3y agoWhy would it be absurd? What exactly prevents an American from reading British English?