There is really no such thing as a global language. English may be the language of international exchange, but languages are meant to be spoken. Every time people around the world speak English, they invent a new version--just as immigrants did so many times in America, saving our language from the nasty fate of sophistication. It turns out that Eastern Europe is a major site of innovation. In Hungary, inspired by his "black brothers, Dre, Snoop, Puff, L, Tupac Shakur, rest in peace," the rapper Speak, who learned English while working at a hotel, combines a pleasant anti-war message with total cultural confusion:
Of course, leave it to the new repository for aesthetic genius, the Pop Idol franchise, which like McDonald's can survive in any climate, to show us the joys of Bulgarian English:
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2 comments:
What an interesting contribution! I am not sure that English is as widespread or useful as people claim. I would like to argue the case for Esperanto as the global language.
It is a planned language which belongs to no one country or group of states. Take a look at www.esperanto.net
Esperanto works! I've used it in speech and writing in a dozen countries over recent years.
Indeed, the language has some remarkable practical benefits. Personally, I've made friends around the world through Esperanto that I would never have been able to communicate with otherwise. And then there's the Pasporta Servo , which provides free lodging and local information to Esperanto-speaking travellers in over 90 countries. In the past tear I have had guided tours of Berlin and Milan in the planned language. I have discussed philosophy with a Slovene poet, humour on television with a Bulgarian TV producer. I've discussed what life was like in East Berlin before the wall came down, how to cook perfect spaghetti, the advantages and disadvantages of monarchy, and so on. I recommend it, not just as an ideal but as a very practical way to overcome language barriers.
Esperanto? what the fuck is you thinking? that shit went out of style with flower power dude. if not before. I'm s tired of blog comment propaganda. Just use conventional advertising!Besides there is a universal second language: English. of course there are many englishes. As far as I'm concerned esperanto went out the door and is about viable as
The league for Unified Humanity. You're efforts are better focused if you got into the 21st century. Why was language the primary area of debate to unify humanity? Because there needed to be a medium. Now, the internet is the medium. multilingualism and efficient translation technologies completely nullify the claims to universal importance by the still eurocentric contrived language. Look on sites like couchsurfing and myhappyplanet.com. These are the types of things that aide in unversal communication. not your turn of the 2oth century fad.
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