There is a national conversation in Switzerland about the increasing use of English as a lingua franca: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/culture/english-as-a-common-language-in-switzerland--a-positive-or-a-problem-/46494332
#switzerland #english #swissinfo #thomasstephens #multilingualism
@koavf control of language & usage has never worked. humans will communicate in the language that best suits their needs & wants. demotic greek was the lingua franca of antiquity. latin scholars probably bitched about it non stop.
@barbaraedelman Yes, all cultures (even Swiss!) are dynamic. As an anglo-American, I recognize that I was born with enormous privilege when it comes to language, but there really is no better prospect at having a universal language than English. The nice thing about language (moreso than, say, nationality or religion or citizenship) is that having dual affiliation is not inherently difficult or a problem and in fact, multilingualism is common and a good thing.
@koavf i’d like to be a fluent spanish speaker, but haven’t had lessons since before covid. i can read it some & understand if spoken clearly, like on tv news (noticias!) i consider myself functionally illiterate in written spanish.
@barbaraedelman Barbara, I _love_ Romance languages and the utility of Spanish in the United States is pretty hi. My Spanish skills are so-so, but I am also always looking to learn more. What kind of resources have you used to learn the language?
@koavf my husband would object. he’s very possessive that way.
@barbaraedelman Okay, I can accept that. I appreciate you asking nonetheless. Have you also investigated non-Latin languages? I cannot seem to learn German or Dutch to save my life, even being West Germanic languages. :/
@koavf only hebrew. i'd like to learn german, but i doubt i'll ever get around to i.
@barbaraedelman Split the difference and learn Yiddish!
@koavf in person lessons with retired middle school spanish teacher. i want to learn from the ground up: vocab, grammar, repetitive written exercises & regular conversation. that's how i learned french 45 years ago & it stuck.