Watched a program on BBC about why English is the language of the world. Everyone everywhere wants to learn English. Why? Because English speakers get ahead in business and commerce and become the elite of their countries. They can excel anywhere. It occured to me that the reason English is the preferred language is that it is the predominate language of democracies. Plain and simple.
Democracy equals opportunity equals getting ahead equals...you better speak English.
"English speakers in our culture mean that only English speakers get ahead," said a (not)"brilliant" professor at a South African university on the program. "South Africans should be able to get ahead regardless of their dialect." Yah, that's right, most executives at IBM also speak Swahili. How dumb can you be?! Duh, the only way a unilingual Swahili speaker can rise to the top is in a community where they only speak Swahili....or whatever. The reason people the world over want to learn English is precisely to get ahead in places other than South Africa...or China...or Indonesia...or India...or Yugoslavia...or Hungary...or...anywhere else.
The program I watched was very clear. English is the language of prosperity. That's why everyone wants to learn it.
Here's to democracy and the English that goes with it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Try spending a day in the Eaton Centre or hailing a taxi in Toronto - you'd be lucky if you could find a driver that does speak English.
ReplyDeleteWe allow people to come here, receive all our free benefits and never become true Canadians.
When I first moved here I got lost in the West End on a winters day. I stopped a middle-aged lady walking with some groceries, excuse me
said I - "could you please tell me how I can find Queen Street West"? She replied "me no speak English" - I said how many years have you lived in Toronto? she said"about 37"!
So tell that to the bleeding heart Liberals who have allowed everyone and great aunt from China and where ever to come here!!!!!
That's all I'm saying!. Barbara