English like other colonial languages got to its status because of power and wealth, but that is not why people learn it today.
English today is just a tool, most people don't learn English for the sole purpose of gaining access to the US or UK market, they learn it to get access to all markets. How will a Japanese and Russian communicate for example? Probably through the tool of English. So today many learn it yet will have no direct or even indirect relation to anglophone markets. The centers of economic output today are far broader.
Culturally, the anglosphere has clearly peaked. Young people in many countries even the countries in the Anglosphere are listening to Italian or Finnish metal, others to German electronic music, others to South American contemporary, others to K-pop. Much more than in the past. At the same time people in other countries are not listening as much to US music specially, which has really stalled in innovation and quality in recent years. Other countries now have big movie productions too. Hollywood is still dominant and world known but it is no longer taking market share but rather the opposite. Hollywood is also clearly adapting their movies to international audiences as a result of this trend. They reversal of long trends always starts with the younger crowd and they are far more international oriented which is a sign of things to come.
But English will still remain a useful tool until further notice.
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Re: The Anglophone Privilege
No, I do not feel guilty for being a native English speaker. If anything, I'm envious of people who grew up speaking more than one language. Whenever I go to a non-English speaking country I feel like a total chump for only being able to speak English.
Re: The Anglophone Privilege
BlueberryWheats wrote:Maybe we should just use Newspeak. That'll keep all interactions doubleplus good.
Please don't give the "progressive" PC Nazis any ideas. They've already taken a page from the George Orwell playbook by imitating the sheep in Animal Farm every chance they get.
Re: The Anglophone Privilege
salttee wrote:It could be worse. It might have been French.
French is/was the official language of diplomacy.
https://www.economist.com/johnson/2013/ ... stribution
Re: The Anglophone Privilege
was
And Charles de Gaulle in his nationalistic fervor intended for it to be the language of diplomacy and more forever.
Snicker Snicker
And Charles de Gaulle in his nationalistic fervor intended for it to be the language of diplomacy and more forever.
Snicker Snicker
Re: The Anglophone Privilege
rabenschlag wrote:Hi peeps,
I'm working in a business where social justice is taken fairly serious. So, we talk a lot about white privilege, male privilege, heterosexual privilege and so forth.
But, here is the big but, we rarely talk about language, and at the same time, it matters a lot. Write a business proposal, a scientific paper, a patent, give a talk, a presentation, negotiate IN YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE vs. A FOREIGN language. It makes a huge difference. It's way easier in you native language. Less effort, more professionalism, more confidence. Superiority by language.
Now, in the business world, the science world, the politics world, the tourism world, English is the dominant language. As a German, if I want to be successful in my profession, I have to write, talk, and negotiate in English, not my native language. My British, Australian, New Zealandian, and US of A'ian colleagues have an edge on me, all the time. It sucks, it's a non-earned privilege, and nobody seems to care.
What do you think?
What can we do about getting even in terms of language?
Do anglophone people feel guilty about their anglophone privilege? Would they be willing to do something to get even?
Do other non-anglophone people also experience illegitimate disadvantage compared to native anglophones?
Why did Esperanto fail? Can there anything be done to revitalise it?
If not Esperanto, what would be an alternative to English? Latin? Ancient Greek? But this would be eurocentric....
Best,
Rabenschlag
Is it against he rules to say stfu or stuff like this?
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Re: The Anglophone Privilege
Yay, 2019 starts off with a bang.
OP, I would use your privilege and stop saying anything. What a sad OP that was, one of the saddest I've ever read and this is from someone who browses Tumblr and far left message boards.
OP, I would use your privilege and stop saying anything. What a sad OP that was, one of the saddest I've ever read and this is from someone who browses Tumblr and far left message boards.
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