ENGLISH is the lingua franca

[Brixtaan]

There's only two languages in the world, English ........... AND SHOUTING

 

[Jim in the West]

Anyone who sneers at other languages without being able to speak at least two fluently is, frankly, a complete imbecile. I presume everyone in this thread is fluent in English + 1, yes? Guys? Er...

Spot on. The fact that English is the lingua Franca of the world has very little to do with the English. When it comes to languages we are lazy, arrogant and ignorant compared to much of the world. Unfortunately we fail to realise that to understand another nation is incredibly difficult without speaking their language. Although it's tough and takes a huge effort, I can thoroughly recommend taking the time to properly learn how to converse with "foreigners".

PS: compared to most Europeans, my grasp of other languages is limited...I'm not trying to make out I'm some sort of genius!!!

 

[mr sheen]

Why isn't lingua franca in English!?

 

[amexee]

I will not watch Eurovision till the French stop wasting my time with their pointless language!

Seriously though, obviously all languages have an importance within specific boundaries, but as a means of global communication, French has never been a dominant language and irrelevant to the majority who have to hear it.

If you add in the EU, there must be millions of man hours spent speaking/writing a language for a minority who probably understand English. It would be more relevant to speak Chinese, but perhaps they are not as highly rated on the bolshy scale.

 

[philsussex]

Anyone who sneers at other languages without being able to speak at least two fluently is, frankly, a complete imbecile. I presume everyone in this thread is fluent in English + 1, yes? Guys? Er...

Languages were my favourite subject at school and I chose to do French and Spanish at A-Level (mainly because it involved the least effort for me). I also learnt a little Dutch from self-teaching books. Whenever I go on holiday abroad, I make the effort to learn a few key phrases.

But that's not the point of this thread.

The point is that there is no true international language other than English. It's pointless to pretend that French has any relevance on a global scale. Using French in international events is nothing more than a sop to the delicate French ego.

 

[philsussex]

Why isn't lingua franca in English!?

That's the beauty of English. Happy to absorb words from other languages and constantly evolving and growing. No need for stuffy academies full of out of touch professors desperately trying to tell people how to use their mother tongue.

 

[JetsetJimbo]

[MENTION=5566]philsussex[/MENTION] Maybe I'm a bit sensitive because I live abroad and always feel deeply embarrassed when I see drunken brits marching to the bar and shouting for more beer in the belief that the louder they are, the better they'll be understood. It really does create a bad impression of us, which is uncomfortable for those of us who believe different cultures should be treated with a modicum of respect.

 

[philsussex]

[MENTION=5566]philsussex[/MENTION] Maybe I'm a bit sensitive because I live abroad and always feel deeply embarrassed when I see drunken brits marching to the bar and shouting for more beer in the belief that the louder they are, the better they'll be understood. It really does create a bad impression of us, which is uncomfortable for those of us who believe different cultures should be treated with a modicum of respect.

That is an embarrassment, I totally agree.

 

[User removed 4]

Spot on. The fact that English is the lingua Franca of the world has very little to do with the English. When it comes to languages we are lazy, arrogant and ignorant compared to much of the world. Unfortunately we fail to realise that to understand another nation is incredibly difficult without speaking their language. Although it's tough and takes a huge effort, I can thoroughly recommend taking the time to properly learn how to converse with "foreigners".

PS: compared to most Europeans, my grasp of other languages is limited...I'm not trying to make out I'm some sort of genius!!!

The fact that english is the lingua franca of the world has a masive amount to do with the english, large parts of the world were part of our empire for starters , i agree the english are lazy when it comes to learning other languages, have you ever wondered why ? its precisely because english is so widely spoken thatmakes it less necessary for us to learn a foreign language.

 

[JetsetJimbo]

[MENTION=5566]philsussex[/MENTION] It's made even worse by the fact that most Czechs speak several languages. The older ones are all fluent in Slovak too, and most have another language on top. Pretty often one of those languages is English, but there are still significant numbers whose "other language" is German or Russian (more rarely, Spanish/ Italian/ French). So, when I see boorish British people acting as if the person serving them is some kind of moron for not speaking English, when said server probably speaks three other languages, I just cringe.

Edit: Although, on the plus side, it does mean that being a Czech-speaking Englishman seems to make me more interesting to the Czech girls, so I mustn't grumble too much! ;-)

 

[withdeanwombat]

Oh,and thanks to the Polish Ambassador to the NSC I have a teach yourself Polish kit.Soon,Polish will be the lingua franca of this site,just you wait and see !

 

[philsussex]

The fact that english is the lingua franca of the world has a masive amount to do with the english, large parts of the world were part of our empire for starters , i agree the english are lazy when it comes to learning other languages, have you ever wondered why ? its precisely because english is so widely spoken thatmakes it less necessary for us to learn a foreign language.

And for someone who has English as their mother tongue, the question is which second language should I choose? The answer to that question is simple for speakers of any other language. English will be their first choice as it is the most widely understood language.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Don't apply for a job in the Diplomatic Corps or you may be very disappointed.

 

[philsussex]

[MENTION=5566]philsussex[/MENTION] It's made even worse by the fact that most Czechs speak several languages. The older ones are all fluent in Slovak too, and most have another language on top. Pretty often one of those languages is English, but there are still significant numbers whose "other language" is German or Russian (more rarely, Spanish/ Italian/ French). So, when I see boorish British people acting as if the person serving them is some kind of moron for not speaking English, when said server probably speaks three other languages, I just cringe.

Edit: Although, on the plus side, it does mean that being a Czech-speaking Englishman seems to make me more interesting to the Czech girls, so I mustn't grumble too much! ;-)

Certainly not going to make excuses for the poor behaviour you've described there.

But for people whose mother tongue is little known outside their own country, there is a much greater incentive to learn another language than there is for the native English speaker.

An English speaker may choose Spanish as his second language. Travel to a country where Spanish is not spoken and he's back to the same situation - relying on English to communicate.

 

[Hillian1]

Random, and very boring factoid, The language of International postal authorities is French.

Where we have L (letter) LL (Large letter) and P (packet), the real terms are P (pettit) G (grande) E (encombrent)

 

[Jim in the West]

The fact that english is the lingua franca of the world has a masive amount to do with the english, large parts of the world were part of our empire for starters , i agree the english are lazy when it comes to learning other languages, have you ever wondered why ? its precisely because english is so widely spoken thatmakes it less necessary for us to learn a foreign language.

That's what I mean by lazy....my point is, if we never bother to learn anyone else's language are we ever going to really understand much beyond our own culture? In my (relatively limited) experience with French, Spanish and Italian you get a massive amount more out of holidays in such countries if you can actually speak a bit of the lingo.

And on the point about the current pre-eminence of English, it almost certainly has much more to do with the importance of the USA throughout the 20th century than British colonialism in the 18th and 19th centuries....

 

[jakarta]

Look we all have watched Star Trek and we KNOW everyone in the universe (even the Klingons and Romulans) ended up speaking English!

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Certainly not going to make excuses for the poor behaviour you've described there.

But for people whose mother tongue is little known outside their own country, there is a much greater incentive to learn another language than there is for the native English speaker.

An English speaker may choose Spanish as his second language. Travel to a country where Spanish is not spoken and he's back to the same situation - relying on English to communicate.

I recommend rural Greece for the ultimate experience. Not only can't you speak the language, you suddenly find yourself illiterate.

 

[happypig]

Wales didn't colonise anyone

Never heard of Welsh Polynesia!

except part of Argentina where welsh is the first language :
Y Wladfa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[life on mars 73]

But French is a truly beautiful language - how can anyone object to it ?

Besides, no other language has has such a profound effect on English as French. What we call English is essentially a Germanic base, with a thick layer of fancy French on top.