sadly, Hollywood, the airline travel industry, and the Internet between them succeeded in turning low-standard English into the lingua franca displacing all attempts to get a neutral one, so Esperanto has become a hobby language only, like ancient Botswanan or whatever; and English has had to dumb itself down to words of fewer than 4 syllables and anything-goes spelling, grammar and punctuation.
"From clogs to clogs in three generations"
Originally posted by MissOleumYou're deluded if you think non-native speakers are to blame for this. Just take a look at this forum.
sadly, Hollywood, the airline travel industry, and the Internet between them succeeded in turning low-standard English into the lingua franca displacing all attempts to get a neutral one, so Esperanto has become a hobby language only, like ancient Botswanan or whatever; and English has had to dumb itself down to words of fewer than 4 syllables and anything-goes spelling, grammar and punctuation.
"From clogs to clogs in three generations"
I don't think non-native speakers are to blame at all - if anything, their English is more likely to be correct.
I think Political Correctness is to blame - we can't criticise our own kids' English because that's discrimination in some form, against youth, against people with "learning difficulties" or "psychosocial disadvantages" or whatever. And I know this post will attract the usual criticism from the usual suspects who think everything is a joke and nothing matters except their own egos. Now, where's my broomstick? 😛
Originally posted by MissOleumI fail to see the connection between your two posts. How would a success of Esperanto as a lingua franca have prevented the political correctness that you blame for the decline of the English language?
I don't think non-native speakers are to blame at all - if anything, their English is more likely to be correct.
I think Political Correctness is to blame - we can't criticise our own kids' English because that's discrimination in some form, against youth, against people with "learning difficulties" or "psychosocial disadvantages" or whatever. And I ...[text shortened]... hing matters except their own egos. Now, perhaps I should move this to Debates ... 😞
Another thing worth mentioning is that the same thing seems to happen in at least some countries with other native languages. I blame the schools.