:two_hearts:Euphoria
It's very interesting to me how many foreign sites have dialog boxes in English. This must be teaching people all over the world some English, whether they want to know it or not. It must be very annoying for people.
Apr 23, 2017 at 5:10pmWeb
Show thread[MOVED TO @[email protected]]Apr 23, 2017

@Euphoria Absolutely. To be honest, I didn't want to learn english, I found it ugly, but I had to during my time at university. I have now discovered that there some interesting things in english for me, as a general lover of languages and linguistics. But if I had not those interests, I would feel quite annoyed, and even angry that another language was imposed to me like that. In fact, that was the feeling that drove my hatred of english for a long time.

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Show thread:two_hearts:EuphoriaApr 23, 2017
@arcans Of course as more people all over the world learn English it makes it easier for all of us to communicate, connect with people from everywhere, and hopefully, understand one another. :D
Show thread[MOVED TO @[email protected]]Apr 23, 2017
@Euphoria As someone who has the ability to read to some variable extent different languages (6 modern, 2 ancient, also had basic course for 3 other ancient and tried 2 constructed), I must say that I am among those who think that there's a heavy link between language and though. So, yes we would understand each other better, but through a normalization process, which means losses. Learning each other languages would be more difficult, but would also lead to a much deeper mutual understanding.
Show thread:two_hearts:EuphoriaApr 23, 2017
I've been contemplating those loses, too, @arcans. Hopefully the benefits will far outweigh them in the end. There are languages lost literally every day. Thank goodness there are people like you to study them and keep them alive and well.
Show thread[MOVED TO @[email protected]]Apr 23, 2017

@Euphoria I am really not sure it will outweigh the loss, but we only can live and see it.

Sadly, I don't study them. I had to read some during my time at university, and my general interest in languages made me choose some optional languages courses, but since then, I have only pursued one other language (I forgot that one, so that's 7 modern).

Going back to university to continue in that field is an idea I have, but I am engaged in enough project now. So, later, maybe…

Show thread:two_hearts:EuphoriaApr 23, 2017
@arcans :D
Show thread[MOVED TO @[email protected]]Apr 23, 2017

@Euphoria But I am also from an multilingual country where there can be some defiance between speaker of the different languages. So English is sometimes used as an informal neutral language — who also opens to a more international audience — by speaker of one language who do not want to propose something in any of the other languages. Because of that I have the feeling that the use of English is less "traumatic" here than in other countries.

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Show thread:two_hearts:EuphoriaApr 23, 2017
@arcans Hmm... That's very interesting. It seems that there are many, many countries that are multilingual these days, whether they acknowledge the point or not, who are beginning to accept English as a language that everyone in the world should know to advance in the future. I'm so curious about how it will be used in ten years, as more and more people understand and use it.
Show thread[MOVED TO @[email protected]]Apr 23, 2017
@Euphoria I would say that Basic English will more and more become a separated language, which would be a horrendously miserable one I think. But somehow, that separation might also be a good thing for the English language in itself, by putting the emphasis back on the idea it can carry rather than being just a neutral tool for basic communication between people.
Show thread:two_hearts:EuphoriaApr 23, 2017

@arcans Hmm...I'm not really sure I understand what you mean by "Basic English".

One thing that's great about English is the way it's constantly evolving and incorporating words from other languages. Sometimes someone will ask me how we say something in English, or what something is called, and they're very surprised to learn that we call that thing the same thing as it is in their language. Of course English speakers will often pronounce the same word incorrectly.
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#Language #Communication

Show thread:two_hearts:EuphoriaApr 23, 2017
@arcans It's likely this inclusive nature of the English language, and the countries that primarily use it, that makes it uniquely suited to being the language most people choose to use for the "common" language.
#Commonality #International #English
Show thread[MOVED TO @[email protected]]Apr 23, 2017
@Euphoria I am not sure that the inclusive nature is as important. A language as horribly conservative and closed as French has also had his time as common language — although you could argue it did not touch the masses then. I would still say that the political aspect has been prominent there, rather than the linguistic one.
Show thread:two_hearts:EuphoriaApr 23, 2017
@arcans I suspect that French is still the common language of royalty--What's left of it, anyway.
Show thread[MOVED TO @[email protected]]Apr 23, 2017

@Euphoria By "Basic English", I mean the basic language based on English, but from which has been removed his inflections, idioms, a lot of his grammatical subtelties, with as less subordinate clauses as possible and short sentences. It is a miserable state, only usable for formal, superficial, factual and impersonal communication.

I guess some would see that as the first step in learning the language, but I think it is something else as for many people it fills their needs, so they stop there.

Show thread:two_hearts:EuphoriaApr 23, 2017
@arcans Ah yes, I see what you mean. I believe that some people stop at that point of learning many languages. Not everyone seems to be suited to understanding languages. Some have troubles with communication in their native language. ;)
Show thread[MOVED TO @[email protected]]Apr 23, 2017

@Euphoria The thing is I have seen it formalized in a way I am not aware it has been for any other language. Of course, I may simply not know it.

Also, I have to agree with your last sentence, sadly.