WHEN did English become the unofficial global lingua franca?
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There was a significant spike right after WWII, when American troops were wandering around Europe giving everybody cigarettes and ch0ocolate bars, and teaching them English expressions. Then another upward thrust in the mid 50s, when American R&R songs were becoming popular, and kids were learning the words. So that decade from '46 to '56, there would have been a lot of exposure to English in non-English speaking countries.
I would say this is when English became the world language, from Wiki:
In 1774 the Patriots suppressed the Loyalists and expelled all royal officials. Each colony now had a new government that took control. The British responded by sending combat troops to re-establish royal control. Through the Second Continental Congress, the Patriots fought the British in the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783.
While Chaucer gave English legitimacy, Shakespeare was the towering genius who put the tongue on the path it is today.
You know I did read an argument that that the 'English' we speak today comes originally from the Vikings and then with Celt, Cornish and Welsh 'seasoning'. And supposedly English grammar, compared to say languages like German, Dutch, and Danish, is much less complicated. That's why we go nuts when we get translations like the following. It looks crazy and that's why if you're an English speaker the follwoing just doesn't look right.
'Said she to my daughter that my father alone come is and himself better feels?' This is how it comes out in German.
'Did she say to my daughter that my father has come alone and is feeling better? The English rendition.
No, but without the fall of Communism, I don't think that English would have been as much of an unofficial global lingua franca as it indeed ended up being after the end of the Cold War. This is the point which I was previously trying to make.
No, by the eighties (hence before the fall of Communism) it was already a lingua franca; it was quite noticeable that quite a few Europeans were speaking English on international scene.
As well, in 70ies-80ies already the majority of Soviet schools were teaching English as foreign language, where up to the 50-60ies it was mostly German or French.
You know I did read an argument that that the 'English' we speak today comes originally from the Vikings and then with Celt, Cornish and Welsh 'seasoning'. And supposedly English grammar, compared to say languages like German, Dutch, and Danish, is much less complicated. That's why we go nuts when we get translations like the following. It looks crazy and that's why if you're an English speaker the follwoing just doesn't look right.
'Said she to my daughter that my father alone come is and himself better feels?' This is how it comes out in German.
'Did she say to my daughter that my father has come alone and is feeling better? The English rendition.
It is. Mark Twain said it best:
"Whenever the literary German dives into a sentence, that is the last you are going to see of him till he emerges on the other side of his Atlantic with his verb in his mouth."
I would say this is when English became the world language, from Wiki:
In 1774 the Patriots suppressed the Loyalists and expelled all royal officials. Each colony now had a new government that took control. The British responded by sending combat troops to re-establish royal control. Through the Second Continental Congress, the Patriots fought the British in the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783.
I don't see what this had to do with English becoming a world language, but two things already mentioned had a specific effect on the widespread of the use of English. First, the official language for air traffic is English. That has probably prevented many airplane accidents. Second, Internet URL registrations are only done in English. That probably is because it was started by the US government and is a US-based organization, and early users of the pre-Internet connectivity were US research facilities, defense facilities, and defense contractors.
People, the same discussion is presently running in two different History threads which were both recently revived. I am closing this thread and merging the new posts into the other thread.
Thanks very much!
.
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