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 Should English be the EU's only official language? Your reaction
You don't really "choose" languages: they choose themselves through what
look a lot like market operations. People celebrate their local languages,
but in practice over time, they tend to adopt the dominant common language
of their era. This took place with koine Greek, then Latin, then French,
and now with English. Choose all you like, or let bureaucrats choose for
you, but in the end processes of language adoption that have taken place
in the past are most likely to take place today, and then again in the future. No, why? Just because it is the most spread language? Then Chinese,
that even seems to be easier (with a slightly adapted spelling). But we
talk about Europe here, so one would expect German to be the European
language, since it is the biggest language in Europe. But English? I think
it would be an insult to other languages, and not only, it would be a
thread to now existing languages, which will disappear eventually. Already
a lot of English words replace words in other European languages, translators
don't even bother to translate properly. Besides, if we want one language
for Europe, why choose English, it is far more difficult than, for example,
Spanish or Italian. Look at the chaotic spelling of the words! Also, stuck
to English is the hegemony of Anglo-American culture and it would push
all other cultures in a minority position. Native English speakers are
hardly interested in cultures of other languages, but the overall presence
of Anglo-American culture is only granted as normal. I prefer a mixed
language or plan language, like Ido language, for instance, or similar.
Don't say that that is an illussion, have a look at Bahasa Indonesia,
or Papiamento (Dutch West Indies). At least, it would have to be a language
that represents all languages of the EC (or the largest ones), so it will
be recognisable for all citizens of the EC. You want all EC citizens to
feel at home and their cultures (this includes languages) to be respected,
not? A common language for Europe can be a neutral language only. As far
I can see it is only Esperanto, which can fulfil this condition. Why is the question always put in a zero-sum way? "English and no other
language versus chaos." It's been obvious to millions of intelligent people
for over 100 years that a neutral second language for everyone is the
cheapest most effective way to bring simpler communications to the world.
Everyone keeps their own language (and culture) and communicates to other
peoples in Esperanto. Besides, did you see the remarks of some people
saying that there's a certain kind of "correct" English?! Sorry. But those
who must have it all one way will not convince me. As a paradox, the best way to promote English as the unique EU language
is to avoid any debate about languages! Just let things go and wait until
it will be too late to choose another language... I think English is too
difficult to understand, when spoken. A lot of people are reluctant to
watch movies in the English version. There are a lot of irregularities
in English and it takes 10 times longer to learn it than Esperanto, which
was specially designed to be easily learnt. Esperanto is worth to spend
half an hour to inform about it! I thought at first it was a joke a joke! What do you sincerely think
of the quality of the English spoken by non-English speakers Do you want
that only Englishmen speak freely in U.E. Don't you think it would be
unfair for cultures and economies. Only when people are speaking Esperanto
they can speak it so easily as their mother tongue and are really equal;
so they protect their languages and cultures and are interested in other
languages, not only in English. We spend tremendous amounts of money in learning English, in Korea.
According to the calculation from my personal experience, I could achieve
5 doctorate degrees, if I hadn't had to learn English. English has already
deprived considerable potential/energy of me. Rather I would prefer Esperanto,
a language designed to be very easy and logical for everybody from diverse
cultural/language backgrounds. Didn't English kill enough languages in the islands and the rest of
the British Empire? Should we support further killing of languages in
continental Europe, and the undermining of the European cultural richness?
The only fair and economical solution to the EU language problem is a
neutral international language. England should leave EU. Then English will be the official foreign language
for all members. The continuation of the British empire's assault on the other national
languages should cease forthwith. We are now into the time of internationalism.
So use the international language, ESPERANTO. That way we save minority
languages from being murdered by English, and English being murdered by
other national languages. English is a good language for the theatre,
jokes etc. It is unfair and inaccurate for communication between different
nations, legal matters, friendship across linguistic divides. ESPERANTO
is the hope for the communicating world. Does it really occur to anybody that the other x-colonising countries
will accept the idea? Take France for example. In France they even fight
against English songs being played on their radios. When the UK makes
a suggestion like this it probably forgets that Europe will most likely
be acquiring American English (that if English is really to be the EU's
official language). Isn't it the American way of life that is dominating
now, through films and whatever? All this is mediated through the language
- American English. On the other hand, I believe that British linguists
simply shiver at the idea. I wonder what the Swiss linguist, Ferdinand
de Saussure, would have said. It takes a longe time to learn it, so it is very expensive. There is
a neutral language - the Esperanto - it's an ideal solution. I cannot accept the proposal: I'm Italian, and I want to preserve my
cultural heritage. I think that a neutral language like Esperanto could
be a good solution. English speaking people should not just assume that their language is
superior (it certainly is not) and that others should have to learn and
use it. It is difficult for one not born to speak English to learn to
use the language well, and only a small proportion of those who try to
do this actually succeed. The majority in German is proud to speak English, including our politicians.
But try to hear them once. You never knew before, what a poor language
English is. Beware the beautiful English from being spoken by dilettant
(like me). I think that the EU needs easy language, easy communication. This is
Esperanto. If you see another Esperantist he is your language-brother.
He helps you, he is frendliness itself. I work in English but I love Esperanto!
Seriously, there is an excellent reason why English should be the official
language of the EU; it is the de facto language of business in the world
today. That pragmatic consideration outweighs any idealistic preference
for a language that does not give a nation an "unfair" advantage or that
is "tainted" by colonialism. Secondly, large numbers of Europeans already
have skills in English as a second language, more so than any other language,
I would guess. No, of course not. I'm English and proud of it - my language is part
of my cultural identity. The same goes for everyone else from every other
country. The many and varied languages of Europe mark it out as a community
of diverse peoples and cultures - long may it remain so. Esperanto is a language designed to facilitate communication among people
of different lands and cultures. Unlike national languages, Esperanto
allows communication on an equal footing between people, with neither
having the usual cultural advantage accruing to a native speaker. Esperanto
is also considerably easier to learn than national languages, since its
design is far simpler and more regular than such languages. Should English become an official language of the EU or not, it still
will stay the single International language in the world. It's always
easier to swim in the river downstream than against upstream, isn't it?
English is the international language for the technical and scientific
communities. But when it comes to work with common people, merchants always
learned the local language - not the other way around. Why do we do not try Esperanto, it's so easy, that could be the official
language Esperanto could help preserve language diversity while still affording
the benefits of a single common language. Absolutely not. A neutral language -like Interlingua- could be a good
solution. English, of course, isn't neutral. On the other hand, it is
a very difficult language because of its exotic pronounciation, spelling
and its verbs. The majority of people that I know can't speak English.
I'll give the author of this idea an "A" for arrogance. If it is worthwhile
to have a single common working language (and demonstrably it is), that
language should be a completely neutral one that gives no ethnic or political
group an inherent advantage. To do otherwise can only be termed linguistic
jingoism. No, English should NOT be the EU's only official language. Of course!! After all, English has been the universal language for the
last 100 years, thanks to the colonial British empire. I think the EU
should adopt the English language. Heck, It's the most popular language
in the world. Incidently, I'm from India, the Jewel of the Crown!! English is THE business language of the world. It is also the international
language of air traffic control (except in France). Though the choice
would not effect the present generation of polititians, the next would
be able to work together much more closely, the cost of the EU would be
reduced, but an awful lot of translators would be out of work. I think
its worth it. France has killed or is killing several languages (such as Breton, Occitan,
Savoyard, Alsacien...) by imposing French as the only official language
in the country. Let us respect the peoples of Europe and their differences.
If only the issue was an ideological one (such as "one language to understand
each other")! But once again, it's just about saving money. English is taught as the first language in my contry,and there has been
a lot of people to visit EU countries. I'll never say that all people
must speak English, but if we can meet the people who can speak it all
in the EU contries where English isn't there mother language, we will
feel it is very convinient and reliefed. And I've heard there is a opinion
to make an new language which takes another language's words, grammar,and
so on. But I think it just make EU confusing. Esperanto (for example) would be easy to learn for everybody, neither
discriminate nor favor any nation or language. Because of the great vowel shift in the 15th century English ceased
to be a serious lingo. E.g. "ea" is pronounced as ei, e, ii but never
"ea". A European cannot communicate with such a language. Our cultural
foundation is greco-latin. No one language should be the official language unless all agree to
it. If all parties do not agree to one particular language then it would
be best to pick a particular one from a language groups (Germanic, Romance,
etc) - although this sounds very difficult. Another choice is to go to
a new language for all countries, such as the "Esperanto" language. The
best point with this last example, is that all will have an equally difficult
time learning it. English is already the de facto international language, and it makes
sense for the EU to adopt it for that community. Any national language gives an unfair advantage to the citizens of the
countries that speak it. Hasn't this world seen enough of English imperialism? How did you ever
get such a supremacist idea?? If there is to be one common language for
the EU, it would have to be a neutral one, with equal respect to everybody.
I suggest Esperanto. A Greek living in the Netherlands have lived in Scotland for 5 years
English is a good choice. But: a) The right accent should most certainly
not be the Oxbridge one - Londoners try using a Glasgow accent for a while.
b) The proper way to use English should not be the English one. Since
English is going to become the official language of so many, why should
so few dictate its proper use. General question for a follow up session:
Why is having the right accent so important to Britons? Most certainly not! After teaching English during almost 40 years I
am convinced that only Interlingua , i.e. the vocabulary of Latin origin
that is common to all European languages, means a real solution: easy
to learn and neutral. No I think that the big 3 languages, English, French and German should
be used. It is not good enough to say that it should be English because
the French and Germans tend to have English as a second language. The
UK should do more to gain a second language itself. This would also benefit
the general public as movement throughout Europe would become easier,
enlarging the employment market among other advantages. I think that minorities must be respected. Persons that speak spanish,
for example, are very significant in the USA. Esperanto ?? Jeez!! You gotta be joking!! It makes sense to use English
when you consider that vast proportions of Africa, Asia, and North America
speak the same language. Of course, it'll never happen because the French
won't allow it, just as Quebec won't allow it in Canada. Business is not fair nor did it ever claim to be. However, government
should be fair to the citizens. Picking English or any other European
language as the only language of government would be unfair in several
ways. It would favour native English-speakers for EU jobs. It would favour
English-speaking MEPs and committee members, who would dominate political
debates. Picking one language for EU government may be a good idea, but
that language must be a neutral one. I recommend Esperanto. People need to respect and being respected. So, we also have to learn
the others language. Moreover, the communication will be more global when
people know how to interract among each other using multilanguage.The
language also bring the culture and thought, so the message will be more
clear if it can be presented in it's origin language. I think Dutch should become the official language of Europe. With Dutch
I don't think anyone would speak of cultural imperialism. I have always
been partial to Dutch as it has the advantages of German, but is less
cumbersome. My second choice would be Esperanto, for the same reasons. People from smaller member nations all learn English as a matter of
course. I think it's the logical choice. Looking at the comments you've received so far, it's noticeable that
most of the people who favour the use of English as the EU's only language
live in the UK. Coincidence? Personally I favour the use of Esperanto.
It's far easier to learn than English. Admittedly it's not so widespread,
but then it doesn't have a history of colonialism behind it. Europe needs to keep its cultural diversity, but needs a common language
to unite it at the same time. I would choose to introduce Esperanto officially
as the "European auxiliary language". It has the distinct advantage of
being politically neutral, and so no one nation or country would have
an unfair advantage over the others. Official documents (UN CHarter, Declaration
of Human Rights, EU Treaty, etc. already exist in Esperanto. As an American in Austria (9 years) and fluent in German, I still believe
the official language should be English. It is a world language now and
because of very good programs available for children at elementary schools
here, they begin learning English (and the importance of being able to
communicate in English) at a very early age. Persons from English-speaking
countries tend to be lazier about learning and acquiring other languages,
but in other European countries, there seems to be a positive attitude
about English and learning it. It seems not fair to me to pick English as the only official EU language.
French, German, Spanish etc. are also widely spoken in the EU. However,
I see no need to use every language of every country member of the EU.
Dutch, Danish, and in the future Slovenian, Hungarian, etc? Let's just
stick to English, French, German and Spanish. Yes, it would be a good thing to make English the European language.
But, still leaving the national language or dialect as first language.
It's practical and good for the mutual understanding of the inhabitants
of the several nations of Europe. But it's also important to keep the
cultural integrity of every nation intact! Language is heritage. One can not separate the two. To choose one or
two as the language of the EU would no doubt Americanize the EU. Is that
what you want? You can't have every dialect or regional language in Europe treated
equally so why bother with the more widely spoken langauges. Nobody can
be expected to speak every lanugage. The Language of business is generally
English. The cost of translations is high. The time not spent on learning
a multitude of languages can be spent on learning vocational skills. Many-to-Many
relationships are impossible so lets normalize to a One-to-Many relationship
and have a Single European Language which is English. No I don't think that English should be the only official language of
the EU. What about the French, Germans, Spanish, Italians? Do we just
deny them their language when many of them have been in existence as long
as English and maybe even longer? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Europe must be constructed on the reciprocal respect
of all people living there. The languages of each Nation should have equal
legal standing and cultures of the people should be given full space to
coexist. Switzerland has operated in that fashion for centuries. Why not
Europe? If you want a planet that is steam rolled under a uniform industrial
culture for short term commercial efficiency, I do not think I'll have
anything to do with it. To sell, you must talk the language of the buyer, so one market implies
one business language. At present, the UK is discriminated against as
with English used as the UNOFFICIAL business language, we can buy but
cannot sell. Of course. Just like we should have a single European currency (the
Pound Sterling), a European Central Bank (the Bank of England), central
decision making (in the Houses of Parliament) etc etc etc. Absolutely not! Why a generous language like, eg. esperanto is not widely
used in official international contacts, I never really understood. Is
it an issue of cultural imperialism? Sometimes, I think that all the beauty
of languages will be lost soon ... since even extraterrestrial beings
seem to speak only English! If the EU is creating a new sense of citizenship,
why not be creative and use a new and more generous language, which would
keep the importance of the local languages intact. Most definitely - English is taught as the primary foreign language
in the majority of countries. It therefore makes sense to unite all the
countries of the EU with the one language their nationals all know. The
member states have enough new systems to get used to without making language
one more. The British are notoriously lazy about learning a foreign language but
why should everyone else suffer as a result. It would do the British a
lot of good to eat humble pie for once and try to accommodate the rest
of the world instead of continuing to see themselves as superior in every
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