The English Language

[Smudge91]

I've just been watching the BBC show 'QI', and this lady came up with the best idea:

We (British) should tax all the other countries that now use English as a national/main language, which nowadays unfortunately is most of the world.

I hate it, .. it's a horrible language with no subtlety or transgression, its not poetic or beautiful. It's limited and unbelievably illogical.
Yet to hell with it, it's my language.

But wait, no its not... now EVERYBODY's using it.. and I hate that even more. No offense, but I do.
Not because I'm racist and "don't want my amazing language tainted by the ruffians over the seas". Bollocks. It's just that most other languages out there are much better than English. So why use ours?! If you want to use our Language, pay us! This counts for you too America, and Canada, and Japan, and most of Europe, and like 98% of Souteast Asia.

The Japanese is what annoys me the most. I love them, but I love their country, culture & language most of all. I spend 10 years studying Japanese culture & history.. but nowadays most of the place is in English. They are replacing so many Japanese words with English.. for WHAT REASON??!?!?

Anyways, just a thought
Love & peace

What standard are you using to define how "good" a language is? And how can you say that English lacks subtlety? One of the biggest obstacles to learning English is that there are so many damn ways to say the same thing.

I'm with this post.
My german teacher told us with german you just need to get over the grammer and the vocab is easy where as english we have such a wide variety of words and expressions and our grammer is fairly fluid and simple. Think of how many ways you can greet someone in English and then compare with german or french? So i don't think english lacks elegance or beauty. We nick of with words from other countries too i mean the whole language is based on latin, greek, french, german and a few others. Also Britain had a big empire thats why english is popular and many people like the language

 

[Pimppeter2]

Yes because Britishization exists?

I'm trying to come off as "that guy" but seriously, Americanization has played a the major factor in the development of globalization, for better and for worse.

It did. Long before America was spreading its roots across the world, poms were civilizing a supposedly uncivilized world by making it more British. I point towards India, Africa, Asia and even North America. America has only built upon foundations made firm by British expansionism and self-righteous arrogance.

There's no doubt it did exist, but it no longer the reason for the popularity of English.

Its mandatory for kids in China learn English to deal with America, not because they have a sentimental view of the English who used to come hook them on opium.

 

[LongAndShort]

Yes because Britishization exists?

I'm trying to come off as "that guy" but seriously, Americanization has played a the major factor in the development of globalization, for better and for worse.

It did. Long before America was spreading its roots across the world, poms were civilizing a supposedly uncivilized world by making it more British. I point towards India, Africa, Asia and even North America. America has only built upon foundations made firm by British expansionism and self-righteous arrogance.

There's no doubt it did exist, but it no longer the reason for the popularity of English.

Its mandatory for kids in China learn English to deal with America, not because they have a sentimental view of the English who used to come hook them on opium.

That does not change the fact that it was an established language across the world before America was an economic giant. And they're not learning English just to deal with America. They're learning English to deal with the rest of the world, because the rest of the world is not learning Chinese. English is the language of International trade not because of American globalization but because of British dominance of international trade in the eighteenth nineteenth and early twentieth century. As I said, America is just building upon the foundations built by the British.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that America hasn't done a lot to spread the English language. It has, through the globalizing effects of media and culture. But claims that it has had the most effect grossly underestimate the centuries of history that came before. Let's not forget that there are qite a few countries that would be speaking dutch, german or french without British intervention.

 

[Buffoon]

QI is a brilliant show.

I really quite like the English language. It has a very high degree of versatility and adaptability. I like other languages too, based on my extremely superficial knowledge of them, but English is still pretty nice.

 

[mrbones228]

The English langage is quite beautiful, it has over 40,000 words, is extremely complicated, is constantly changing and if used properly is amazing to listen to.

Also QI is and awesome show, Go Shephen Fry!!!

 

[CommyGingerbreadMan]

Ive probably been Ninjad, but isn't English made from Latin??? How can you guys charge for a language that everybody now uses. . . when you yourselfs stole it from a different source. Thats like James Cameran getting mad because someone took ideas from Avatar.

 

[Galletea]

I think you are mistaken in everything you say. The english language is one of the most expressive in the world, through centuries of conquering and being conquered it has evolved into the most diverse and cosmopolitan of languages, adapting itself to all situations and causes. No other language allows you to express what you're thinking in so many different ways, and this trait of the language in itself makes it perfect for poetry.

Ive probably been Ninjad, but isn't English made from Latin???

Actually it's a queer mixture from the germanic gothic languages and a bit of latin, but unlike french, italian and spanish, it isn't truly a descendant of latin, no.

 

[Melon Hunter]

I hate it, .. it's a horrible language with no subtlety or transgression, its not poetic or beautiful. It's limited and unbelievably illogical.

That is plain wrong. As someone who wasn't raised with English being my first language, I can vouch that English is extremely vast, descriptive and beautiful. The overwhelming majority of other languages are so incredibly simple compared to it. Calling English "limited"?.. well I can't even see where you are coming from.

He's got things completely wrong. The Oxford English Dictionary is constantly on the lookout for new words, which is why words like 'yob', 'chav' and 'slumdog' have become official words straight out of media references and pop culture, and the reason English now has over 1 million words.

On the other hand, France has a society committed to keeping new words out of the official French dictionary, so French languishes at around 100,000 words, and they call that progress, rather than stagnation. I find it particularly insulting that people like Nicholas Sarkozy insist that French should be the world language, when English is far more dynamic and accommodating of cultural progress.

 

[Echo3Delta]

(from the U.S.)

You've obviously never read Shakespeare. In my opinion, English is the most beautiful, efficient, dynamic, and expressive language in the world.