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They can envisage what they like, the fact is you are speaking English, the language of the English, Americans speak English too, the language of the English, so do Aussies, Indians and, lets face it, the rest of the world, all thanks to the British Empire. I know it sticks in your throat to admit it but its thanks to the English that you are now speaking the English language to me an Englishman in England, home of the English language. Thank god for the British Empire because without it we wouldn't be able to have this conversation (in English) because I sure as hell wouldn't be speaking to you in Spanish now would I!!
Let's say you have a younger brother. Are your parents exclusively yours?
Up until the WWII the Lingua Franca in the Low Countries was French. And I'm pretty sure the same goes for the rest of mainland Western Europe. Before that it was Frankish, the language of the Franks, hence the name Lingua Franca.
Just like Spain. Russia was also very frenchified.
French meaning enlightment, local languages considered backwards.
German was big among political elites until the war, then French came with more force.
English became big with democracy, 1975.
Before the civil war, 1936, English was very important...Franco spoke a very bad English.
Ariete is right, I studied at a top school and French was taught there, not English.
There were some "liberal and semi-communist" top religious schools that taught English, Jesuits...
Sorry but Franco's insular Spain isn't indicative of the world neither is the tiny isolated populace of Finland. As has been mentioned before English was spoken in the Indian subcontinent which was far more populous than Spain and Latin America combined at the time (& still is). The Indian subcontinent today holds over 20% of the world population and they speak English as a direct result of the English.
But English's prominence as a second language today in East Asia (for example) is due to the United States, not direct British colonial legacy.
People in Latin America, when they learn English it's because of the United States, not Britain directly.
Now in no doubt the US expanded the language in places like the Philippines and cemented the language as a second 'lingua franca' but until this day the amount of people that speak English as a second language in places like Latin America and Asia is minimal. However examples like Nigeria, by far the most populous country in Africa; South Africa/Kenya, two of the wealthiest most influential countries in Africa; Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong are as of a direct result of the English.
I even remember my uncle telling me that when he was a boy, how in his small city in Colombia (not even a top 15 city), he would get together with crowds of kids in the park and jam to the Beatles, the Who and the Stones and other British bands. This would happen all over the country the most iconic being in what's now called 'Parque de los Hippies' in Bogota and its going on till this day. Not to mention thousands of British and Irish mercenaries helped in the wars of independence of Great Colombia, Peru and Chile. Many of the independence heroes are of British or Irish origin so to say there was only American influence from the outset is wrong.
A bit of rock history from minute 9:00 (subtitles needed)...
Parque de los hippies today...
Last edited by Pueblofuerte; 05-14-2017 at 03:40 AM..
Let's say you have a younger brother. Are your parents exclusively yours?
I am not claiming that English is exclusively English but to suggest that English isn't the Lingua Franca because of the English is the most ridiculously stupid thing I've read on here, it is because Karsic is Spanish and like a lot of Europeans when it comes to the English he has a massive chip on his shoulder. Britain had an Empire that circled the globe, because of that Empire English was exported around the world from the US & Canada to Burma, South Africa, Hong Kong or Australia (to name but a few) that is just a fact, nobody thinks its 'big' or its 'clever' it is a consequence of history and no matter how much Karsic stamps his feet and throws his toys out of the pram its something he is powerless to change.
I am not claiming that English is exclusively English but to suggest that English isn't the Lingua Franca because of the English is the most ridiculously stupid thing I've read on here, it is because Karsic is Spanish and like a lot of Europeans when it comes to the English he has a massive chip on his shoulder. Britain had an Empire that circled the globe, because of that Empire English was exported around the world from the US & Canada to Burma, South Africa, Hong Kong or Australia (to name but a few) that is just a fact, nobody thinks its 'big' or its 'clever' it is a consequence of history and no matter how much Karsic stamps his feet and throws his toys out of the pram its something he is powerless to change.
Okay, at least we all agree that English is the Lingua Franca today primarily because of the U.S, not U.K.
Unlike Hong Kong, English is the native language for most Americans.Most Americans learned English from other Americans, not from English people. Nobody questions the origin of English language, but English has become the language for the majority of Americans, Australians and Canadians. A foreign language in the U.S, is by definition, a non-American language. Nobody considers English as a foreign language in the U.S.
It's an insult to say Americans are not the best English speakers. The U.S is the leader in education, literature and popular culture in the English-speaking world. Thanks to the better education in the U.S, an average American is slightly more articulate than an average Brit.
Speaking of the consequences of history, Spain and the UK have a lot in common. Spanish Empire was also one of the largest empires, but today Spain isn't the largest or the most important Spanish speaking country.
Karstic's views on English language and Spanish language are quite consistent. The empire thing is a thing of the past, it's simply not relevant anymore. It seems that Iberia residents are not obsessed with the Spanish Empire and Portuguese Empire.
However, even though the British Empire ceased to exist decades before your birth, Londonistan has the potential to be the center of the Islamic world, not bad!
They can envisage what they like, the fact is you are speaking English, the language of the English, Americans speak English too, the language of the English, so do Aussies, Indians and, lets face it, the rest of the world, all thanks to the British Empire. I know it sticks in your throat to admit it but its thanks to the English that you are now speaking the English language to me an Englishman in England, home of the English language. Thank god for the British Empire because without it we wouldn't be able to have this conversation (in English) because I sure as hell wouldn't be speaking to you in Spanish now would I!!
You are an "Englishman" ? Really? Never heard Brits refer to themselves as "Englishman".
Okay, at least we all agree that English is the Lingua Franca today primarily because of the U.S, not U.K.
Unlike Hong Kong, English is the native language for most Americans.Most Americans learned English from other Americans, not from English people. Nobody questions the origin of English language, but English has become the language for the majority of Americans, Australians and Canadians. A foreign language in the U.S, is by definition, a non-American language. Nobody considers English as a foreign language in the U.S.
It's an insult to say Americans are not the best English speakers. The U.S is the leader in education, literature and popular culture in the English-speaking world. Thanks to the better education in the U.S, an average American is slightly more articulate than an average Brit.
Speaking of the consequences of history, Spain and the UK have a lot in common. Spanish Empire was also one of the largest empires, but today Spain isn't the largest or the most important Spanish speaking country.
Karstic's views on English language and Spanish language are quite consistent. The empire thing is a thing of the past, it's simply not relevant anymore. It seems that Iberia residents are not obsessed with the Spanish Empire and Portuguese Empire.
However, even though the British Empire ceased to exist decades before your birth, Londonistan has the potential to be the center of the Islamic world, not bad!
I've known some intellectually challenged Americans in my life and you're definitely up there. Of course our literature of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, George Orwell, Agatha Christie, Keats, Oscar Wilde is not worthy.
Okay, at least we all agree that English is the Lingua Franca today primarily because of the U.S, not U.K.
Unlike Hong Kong, English is the native language for most Americans.Most Americans learned English from other Americans, not from English people. Nobody questions the origin of English language, but English has become the language for the majority of Americans, Australians and Canadians. A foreign language in the U.S, is by definition, a non-American language. Nobody considers English as a foreign language in the U.S.
It's an insult to say Americans are not the best English speakers. The U.S is the leader in education, literature and popular culture in the English-speaking world. Thanks to the better education in the U.S, an average American is slightly more articulate than an average Brit.
Speaking of the consequences of history, Spain and the UK have a lot in common. Spanish Empire was also one of the largest empires, but today Spain isn't the largest or the most important Spanish speaking country.
Karstic's views on English language and Spanish language are quite consistent. The empire thing is a thing of the past, it's simply not relevant anymore. It seems that Iberia residents are not obsessed with the Spanish Empire and Portuguese Empire.
However, even though the British Empire ceased to exist decades before your birth, Londonistan has the potential to be the center of the Islamic world, not bad!
No we (including you) are speaking ENGLISH today because of the British Empire, that's why the language is called E N G L I S H its not called 'American'.
I've known some intellectually challenged Americans in my life and you're definitely up there. Of course our literature of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, George Orwell, Agatha Christie, Keats, Oscar Wilde is not worthy.
American English = English for dummies...
I do respect great writers like Shakespeare. But none of the writers in your list is still alive today. Britain was definitely the leader in English literature in the past.
But what about the 21st century? The answer couldn't be more obvious.
I do respect great writers like Shakespeare. But none of the writers in your list is still alive today. Britain was definitely the leader in English literature in the past.
But what about the 21st century? The answer couldn't be more obvious.
21st Century seems to be more about British writers Tolkein and Rowling.
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