Posted on 12/11/2006 1:58:29 AM PST by Mrs Ivan
We have noticed this for generations. I had a French teacher in high school who always claimed in every class that French would be the global language. My wife had a French teacher who claimed the same. Both had roots in Quebec, and naturally both claimed to speak a Parisian French. The students of course laughed at them. I live about a five hour drive to Montreal, yet have not heard French spoken in decades. Despite French being one of the official Air Traffic Control languages, I have not heard it very much when I listen to BOS's Tower.
A demonstration of its acceptance can be seen on newsgroup discussions. Someone posts a question in French, from Wannadoo.FR, and waits for an answer. And waits. And waits. Oh well, Esperento advocates said the same things.
At a guess I suspect IT and the Internet had a role to play in this; the timing correlates.
For example, years ago, I had some Russian hobby magazines ("Model Builder"). It had a monthly section, "Your Home Computer", showing a crude 1920's style line drawing of an enthusiast in rapture, sitting in front of a 1950's style rounded-corner terminal.
So...the article would go on about the monthly little recipe database project, etc., and there would be paragraphs in Russian, punctuated here and there with ((RUN)), ((SAVE)), ((LIST)), Etc. because the 8080 CPU did not care about language advocacy.
I am guessing that this is not the language used to cultivate friends. . .(?) Or is this for starters. . .
Our enemies continue to attempt to redefine and diminish any aspect of superior culture in order to destroy it altogether.
Globish??..sounds like RALPH it....
You should've had a night oot on the toon in Newcastle.
'Haddaway 'n sh!te ya friggas!'
:D
"deny that English is indeed the international language"
Apparently, the world is a changin. My BIL, who's in internet security, has been learning Chinese. His Wife, in the local school system, is learning Spanish. Of course, they do live in California.
No, just for getting by in the town where English is not much spoken.
It sunds like a hip-hop video if you do away with the idiom restrictions.
LOL. They'd better be very careful with that one...
Doesn't matter. In 20 years there will be no France. I twill have been replaced by the Frankish Islamic Republic.
Iirc, Bush Sr. got his 'V' for victory backwards somewhere in Europe and offended the locals. (Sort of the euro-version of the All American 'you're number one with me' finger.)
Is Globish the same movement that has people saying:
"dived" instead of "dove"
and adding "s" to anything to make a plural, such as:
"sheep" is now "sheeps"
"aspirin" is now "aspirins"
or is that part of Ebonics?
What is Ebonics?
that can't be English..
Him fella-fella want all speakum pidgin, yes?
The UK Times is a reasonably sound newspaper - not quite as sound as the Daily Telegraph, but a centre right newspaper all the same.
Gestures: Do's and Taboos of Body Language Around the World (Paperback)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.