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it's right to know something of nation where you go...
example:
if someone came in G.B. and he doesn't speak English language, do English people like this?
if they don't like, they must be the first to speak other language....
we i was at university, my English's teacher came from Ireland and we ask about Ireland situation and she explain that, in the past, English people want to impose their mentality and their type of life...
perhaps today, it is still remained a little of this in English people...
I like so much English politics and English Economy but...
When people visit England, they have to speak English. There are very few signs/instructions/rules/menus e.t.c. that cater for foreign people. In europe and around the world the reverse is true, with there being an English translation for virtually everything.
Is this because people worldwide are more considerate, or because at one point England was the most influential and powerful nation on Earth and as a result everyone had to learn English.
Who knows.
Which is why many tourist areas used by Brits are surrounded by "Rnglish Style" pubs, restaurants which service fish and chip/steak and many other staples of english diet...
And of course the nightclubs...
French. The only language routinely taught in UK schools. Even then as adults we have a limited vocabulary.
Also noted is that if you go somewhere regularly, you are more than likely to attempt to learn the lingo.
and because we are more prone to excessive drinking and loutish behaviour. It is no coincidence that this country has a reputation for football voilence and for being bad tourists.
Really? I'll accept that it is often said in jest, but its still there. Often given as a reason why we shouldn't bother to learn other languages...
And it isn't just aimed at Germans, but also to remind people that "if it wasn't for us you'd be krauts". I'm not going to defend it, or even condone it, but I have witnessed it...
Thats true, its a standard chant for football fans on the continent, 'If it wasn't for the English you'd be krauts'
I'd like to know what standards are used to come-up with that number? 0+?
If the level required is 0+, then I speak 20 some languages.
Well, I don't. Just because someone can say "hello", "thank you", "goodbye" and "toilet?" doesn't mean they speak English.
4 billion may have been an overstatement, but English is the second most popular language in the World.
Really? Imagine that?
MORE unbelievable would be to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles in most states of the US, and find a clerk who ACTUALLY is conversant in English... :rolleyes:
English is the most popular (as in most spoken) language in the world, as there is not one spoken Chinese language, only one written Chinese language. There are a great number of spoken Chinese languages.
Actually, according to the data I've seen, Mandarin is the most popular spoken first language, but more people have a standard of fluency in English sufficient to cope in society than any other language, whether it be their first, second or nth language.
I'd love to quote exact statistics, but they were in a text book which I no longer have. I'll take a look on the internet for something similar though.
Basically
1)Mandarin
Number of speakers: 1 billion+
2)English
Number of speakers: 508 million
3)Hindustani
Number of speakers: 497 million
4)Spanish
Number of speakers: 392 million
5)Russian
Number of speakers: 277 million
6)Arabic
Number of speakers: 246 million
7)Bengali
Number of speakers: 211 million
8)Portuguese
Number of speakers: 191 million
9)Malay-Indonesian
Number of speakers: 159 million
10)French
Number of speakers: 129 million
Ummm... This comes as a surprise to you?
Right. So it has NOTHING to do with the fact that 1/3 of the world's population was ruled directly from England. That those countries under our power were ruled like they were actually a part of Britain, that English schools, hospitals and governments were all built there, the majority of people in India and Pakistan speak English because of the Americans don't they? People in America speak English because......they didn't fancy learning Spanish perhaps.
Of course, an empire that lasted 400 years had nothing to do with the popularity of English as a language.:rolleyes:
So you actually are an advocate of imperialism, then?
Key word there. first.
In addition, the Chinese government claims all residents of the mainland are first language speakers of Mandarin (because it is the official language), but that is evidently false to anyone who spends time visiting and traveling in China, especially to the north near Korea, the south-west and the south-east.
Did I say I was? I don't recall anything in that post advocating imperialism.
That doesn't ring true, the word 'English' been the clue, not 'American', the English language was introduced as we wandered around the world finding and capturing places.
You mean that just because Americans don't concern themselves enough to change the name of the language they speak, your imperialistic past must be the answer?
No, because we exported our language when we were developing our empire, you can call it American if you please, Australians can call it Australian if they please I couldn't care less.
Latin only survived in the British isles until succesive invasions by the Angles, the Saxons and the Danes who brought their own languages with them.
That is why it is a lot easier for english, german, Danish and other germanic people to understand each other as we all share a fairly common language. It can be said that English, Dutch and other languages are simply regional dialects and not languages in their own right due to the enormous similarities. There are more differences between Chinese regional dialects than there are between English and German.
That is one reason why a lot of English and German people find it harder to speak French or Italian as opposed to German or English, as French and Italian are romance languages and are Flemish in origin
English is widespread because people are exposed to it by American media, because people have to do business with American companies (and to a lesser extent with UK companies) and because the English language is able to express more information in fewer words than most other languages.
England's contribution is the colonization of the 13 colonies, Australia and India...and the continued effort to export English in the form of TEFL/TESL teachers.
Sorry, but that's bollocks.
Let me ask you a simple question. Why do Americans speak a version of English in the first place? :rolleyes:
Could it be something to do with the past?
When you look at the size of our tiny island and the influnce we gained when we were the imperialist empire builders is it really any surprise that a large portion of the world speaks English?
What the hell do you think "the colonization of the 13 colonies" referred to?
I hadn't missed it, what I was trying to say (badly) was that the globalization of the English language isn't becuase people have to converse with American companies, It's because English has been the most widely spoken language in the world for so long and is therefore recognised by so many people. Either people have it as their first language, or as their second. That's why it was adopted as the "international" language...
It has nothing to do with US influence...
Had we not colonised any countries do you think everyone would still be wanting to speak English ? We exported our language to the countries that use it as their first, collectively they have provided a group which is one worth communicating with and hence other countries teach English as a second language. Former French colonies are pretty much irrelevant in the general scheme of things, as are those of Spain, Portugal and Germany, their is no doubt the biggest appeal of English in the modern world is the fact Americans speak it, but so do a few other major players.
The fact still remains that it was colonialism that exported English to America and elsewhere and so is the reason its so widely spoken.
on the fence, but I'm not a sycophant. It's just not possible to claim the widespread use of English as coming from one source.
A lot of countries (i.e. India) do speak English because of
the British Empire. I deal with a lot of India companies at work and there is still a strong cultural link to Britain. Many of the roads have English-language names (my favourite being "British Indian Street") and businessmen write their names in the English way - initials and thensurname. One of our clients is called A.K. Nurinder.
However, it is also true that the prominence of the US in the World Economy is also a big issue. The US has a large primary industry and a huge tertiary industry. For these two to function you need secondary industry, of which the US has barely anything. It is nigh on impossible to buy any manufactured
good in the US that says "Made in the USA" in the packaging.
Therefore, they get these goods from other countries. These countries need the money coming in from the US and so will do anything to accomodate them. It is possible to travel several days in North America without having to speak another
language, most Americans have little, if any, foreign language
skills/knowledge. Therefore, the countries that manufacture goods for the US need to learn English to accomodate, or risk losing their contract.
Simple as that.
There is now a huge culture of "Business English" which is based on American English and is peppered with nonsense business terminology (synergy, for example) and is structured in much the same way as the speaker's "mother tongue" language. It is not the English of an Englishman or even an American, but is invading workplaces the world over. As long as he speaks English, most English/American businessmen will allow a foreigner to speak
in this manner. A German will be allowed to put verbs at the end of their sentences, for example. "I think we have this very well done"
I am English, and I hate to say this, but any person who thinks that so much of the World speaks English solely because of our Empire is fooling themselves.
One final point. It has been noted by language experts that English is such an international language because it allows itself to be diluted by other languages. English has words that come from one of the largest range of sources of any current language. One of the main reasons why French isn't as widespread is because the French strive so hard to keep their language
"pure" and this means that many foreigners find it hard to associate with the language.