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Another reason for the prevalence of English is that it is better suited for drafting contractual agreements than many, most or (arguably) all other languages. Trying to write a 1,000+ page international merger and acquisition in Mandarin would be (i) impractical and (ii) less "precise".
I have a lot of pride in my native tongue. It isn't as colorful as Spanish, as sexy as French, as cool as German or as rugged as Russian but it is a very useful language that lends itself well to rambling prose and very complex enumerations. It's a shame to hear it butchered on MTV or in Australia.
Well, I have nothing against the Australian accent, but I heartily agree with the rest. It's a great language, combining the beauty of French with the practicality of German, with a bunch of weird rules thrown in to keep things feisty.
Only English speaking anglos or European anglos as well?
As a native English speaker who's picked up a few languages along the way...English is not worse nor any better than any other language.
And English isn't the National Language of America. Or the United States.
Came in here to say this. Other countries seem to look down on Americans because the vast majority are only fluent in one language. The fact of the matter is that most people in America only need to speak one language. If we needed anything from Canada or Mexico, you can bet that more people would speak Spanish or French. People in Europe travel between countries and do more business with them so it makes sense for them to know several languages.
It is true that the grammar rules of English are filled with inconsistencies and some illogical rules but I would argue that all languages are. We are also not unique in citizens not using the language correctly. I am sure there are idiots in every country that abuse the rules of their native tongue.
Well, since you asked, I think English sucks for the most part. It could be a good language--it has the makings. But lots of things 'could be.'
It's contorted and illogical. Perfectly good grammar patterns are routinely breeched. The spelling system is a absolute asinine joke. And it has been pretty much allowed to 'go to hell' over the centuries.
Hey, you asked. Since I'm 'American,' there is one American opinion for you.
How is the English language contorted and illogical?
The misuse of English 'rules' by certain segments of American society does not make the language itself illogical. The practical application of English by certain people is what is sub-par, not the language itself.
Well, I have nothing against the Australian accent, but I heartily agree with the rest. It's a great language, combining the beauty of French with the practicality of German, with a bunch of weird rules thrown in to keep things feisty.
"Aussie English" (probably not the most technical term, I'm not a linguist) is a far cry from "Proper English". It is very slang intensive. I think that is what the poster was getting at.
The Aussie accent, however, is absolutely adorable.
How is the English language contorted and illogical?
The misuse of English 'rules' by certain segments of American society does not make the language itself illogical. The practical application of English by certain people is what is sub-par, not the language itself.
No, it's the language. Compare it to a language that largely follows its own grammar rules (there are a few out there). You'll see what I mean.
I'm not talking about speakers not speaking properly (as accepted by the majority), I'm talking about the actual grammar rules that have perfectly good (and easy) patterns to follow that are slaughtered with exceptions (verb conjugations, noun usage, SPELLING, etc). If English actually followed its own patterns, it would be a real contender for the simplest lingua franca on the planet.
How simple would it be if all verbs were conjugated in this fashion (or as dictated by letter combination difficulties) as they should be:
To Look
Indicative mood
Present:
I, we, you, they look
He, she, it looks
Past:
I, he, she, it, we, you, they looked
Future:
I, he, she, it, we, you, they will look
etc...
Subjunctive mood
Present:
if I, he, she, it, we, you, they look
Past:
if I, he, she, it, we, you, they looked
Future:
if I, he, she, it, we, you, they should look
etc...
Simple! That is a wonderfully simple pattern. Yet our most-used verbs do not follow this pattern at all. Why? Why do we choose to keep it confusing and inconsistent? Yeah, I know... it just developed that way. But WE developed it. It’s ours to direct to chaos or to order.
Other languages are far more consistent. If you look at Turkish, for instance. The grammar is more complex (agglutinative), but it is totally consistent in its rules—there are like three grammar exceptions in the entire language. And English spelling? I don’t even want to get started on that pathetic topic.
If English were consistent, it would be the rightful linguistic heir to world lingua franca. As it is, the only reason it’s there is because of politics. Same thing used to apply to French. Their spelling system is nearly as pathetic as ours. Yet it was the big language on the block a couple of hundred years ago because France was the big world power.
Truthfully, a lingua franca should be easy to learn. It takes the typical Chinese speaker something like seven years to learn English at a practical level. And that’s ridiculous for a lingua franca.
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Oh, and the misuse of the rules by a segment of the population that you speak of is actually an attempt to use the rules consistently across the board:
Look back at the present tense of To Look:
I, we, you, they look
He, she, it looks
How would that rule apply to To Be (which IT SHOULD):
I, we, you, they be
He, she, it be(s)
It's not so very hard to understand why certain people speak this way. They are looking for the grammar patterns that are supposed to be followed.
Obviously I feel language should be alive and expressive. I like to play with it, to add some much need flavor. Also to hide the fact, that I never did learn all the proper rules. But somehow, I manage to get by.
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