Say like they picked French or Spanish to use instead
Because American Media has a lot of influence so I wonder what if English wasn’t chosen. Would there be people that would see French/Spanish as a desirable language to learn?
Say like they picked French or Spanish to use instead
Because American Media has a lot of influence so I wonder what if English wasn’t chosen. Would there be people that would see French/Spanish as a desirable language to learn?
English had that role even before the internet. Do you really belive we became fluent in English only in the 90s?
anyone under 30 I do :)
but on a serious note I would chalk that up to post-WWII US influence, do you think that British colonialism was a bigger influence? or that it predates WWII?
That’s hard to find out. When I was in school I was captivated by American movies and music, mostly all blockbuster movies came out of the us. I’m Gen X and as a teenager I had my TV tuned in to MTV a lot (when it wasn’t in use with the Commodore 64)
Before that - I’m from the southern part of Germany, so we had a lot of US influence after WW2, whereas other parts of Germany had French, British and Russian military here.
I suppose WW2 had a big impact in Europe, as English speaking troops came in and saved people from Nazi Germany. Interestingly that’s how it feels in some parts of Germany even (they saved us from the Nazis) - as absurd as it is, when you’re aware how much support the Nazis had in the population.
Nevertheless English was a big positive thing - and the answer probably is “both the UK and the US”. My dad was a huge Beatles fan as a teenager and fans want to understand the lyrics. All you need is love.
Also don’t forget Europe has so many languages - so when we talk to each other we use what the most of us know - English. I do believe that the “EU” with its more open borders also brings people to use more English.
Unfortunately I (unsuccessfully) was taught Latin in school as a third language , not French - so English is my only tool in Europe to communicate beyond my native language. It worked everywhere I visited. From Latin everything I remember is “Marcus hodie in colloseo est. Ubi est Cornelia?” (really. that was chapter 1 in my first latin book, and it’s all I remember)
In some countries there’s a age gap, with people below 40 or so are much more fluent in English, but AFAIK it’s mandatory as a second language across schools in a big part of Europe. Even in my Generation - I have a lot of friends whom I just share English as a common language with.
Ecce! In pictura est poella Romana.
bibbo ergo sum
Seeing as the first Nazi loss was by British and Norwegian hands during the war, and the main argument for most Scandic communists before it was more anti British than anti US, the British commonwealth probably still is the major driver by it being a major western world second language, starting before major US influence started 80 years ago.