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?