Latest update: Keymats are here, how strong will the logo plate be - and pretty cases.

[TrashyMG]

@rygD What walls?

Darmok. On the ocean.

 

[levi]

You and RygD, at El'Adrel

 

[rygD]

Darmok at Tenagra.

 

[Djoga'Ro]

Geeks!

 

[λ the β-Redex Reducer]

I'm actually quite impressed with matzesu's (and others) ability to carry on conversations in English, which they do as a courtesy to those of us who do not speak their native language.

I disagree. People who refuse to speak the international language (which English has become) and instead insist on speaking only their own language would mostly shoot themselves in the foot. I speak English as a secondary language and speaking English definitely benefits me much more than it benefits all of you combined.

I actually think it's lucky to not be English natively, since thanks to that I got to learn two languages without putting in much effort.

 

[docbroke]

I disagree. People who refuse to speak the international language (which English has become) and instead insist on speaking only their own language would mostly shoot themselves in the foot.
....

Still they will be right to do it.
I think speaking English is sign of british colonization, and it is nothing to be proud of.

 

[PowerGod]

Still they will be right to do it.
I think speaking English is sign of british colonization, and it is nothing to be proud of.

I do it mostly for respect to others, that don't understand my native language.

 

[matzesu]

I think the Problem is: Lots of European Countrys got anything in the past thats cause its Language to be awefull for other Peaple,
German par exemple was spoken by our Grandparents when they brought the Second World War over Europe and made the Holocaust happen,
So there are Peaple in Israel now, who are anoying when a German Politic like Angela Merkel speaks in the Israel Parlament in German..

 

[docbroke]

Bueno, entonces si quieres empezamos cada uno a hablar nuestro propio idioma a ver quien es el chulo que se entera. Y no, no me vengas con putas mariconadas como el Google Translate por que entonces estamos en las mismas. Además Google es una empresa americana, lo cual significaría que estás usando tecnología Americana lo cual es un signo de apoderación gringa y pisoteo cultural, ¿no? Entiendo que como Indio lo sientas así pero, ¡sorpresa! El mundo no se acaba en India. Y como en todo, o te subes al carro y lo asumes o te quedas en la estocada solo y muriendo.

ઊંધો અર્થ કાઢવાની જરૂર નથી. મેં એટલું જ કહ્યુ જેટલું મેં કહ્યુ.

 

[Djoga'Ro]

Oh no, the Tower of Babel all over again. Naja, unterhalten wir uns halt in unseren Muttersprachen weiter.

 

[λ the β-Redex Reducer]

Still they will be right to do it.
I think speaking English is sign of british colonization, and it is nothing to be proud of.

What's the problem with that? I do not think it's really something to be ashamed of either.

I'd rather have a little bit of British colonisation then have all Pyra news be in German, all Linux kernel development be in Finnish, and more than 90% of the books I own in a language that I do not understand. It's a blessing to humanity as a whole to have an universal language, and English just won the lottery to be that language.

ઊંધો અર્થ કાઢવાની જરૂર નથી. મેં એટલું જ કહ્યુ જેટલું મેં કહ્યુ.

Is that your native language? It kind of remind me of Tamil, but Tamil script is prettier IMO.

 

[docbroke]

What's the problem with that? I do not think it's really something to be ashamed of either.

You are changing my words. "ashamed of" is not the same as "not proud of".
I have full respect for anyone speaking his/her native language.

I'd rather have a little bit of British colonisation then have all Pyra news be in German, all Linux kernel development be in Finnish, and more than 90% of the books I own in a language that I do not understand. It's a blessing to humanity as a whole to have an universal language, and English just won the lottery to be that language.

Heavy price to pay for little gains.

 

[λ the β-Redex Reducer]

You are changing my words. "ashamed of" is not the same as "not proud of".

It seems like a misunderstanding is going on. I was not correcting you, I was agreeing that it's nothing to be proud of and adding to that that it's nothing to be ashamed of either. Thus my point was that pride is irrelevant. I speak English and am happy with it purely because of pragmatism.

Heavy price to pay for little gains.

Which brings me back to my question, what is the price? What are the disadvantages of everyone speaking English? British colonisation is too vague for me to understand what you mean.

Though I do regret countries losing their culture. Thanks to the ability of people to mix, cultures get mixed too. I like places that have a strong identity and a distinct culture. But nowadays most cultures are becoming more and more like America's culture, which is mostly just about hedonistic greed and gluttony with a McDonalds on every corner. IMO it's hardly a culture at all, and since my own country is filled with it as well it's one I quickly tire of. My country lost it's culture many decades ago.

 

[Letalis Sonus]

I think speaking English is sign of british colonization, and it is nothing to be proud of.

I'd say the American imperialism during the cold war era was what really gave the language the final push to become the international language, though - American English is pretty much the most favoured variant in non English speaking countries after all. Before that German was pretty close to get that title as well, as it was the language of science back then - that's where all those very specific German words in the English vocabulary originate from. As a related trivia, the Muhlenberg Legend claims that there was a vote to make German the official language of the US or one of its states, which failed by only a single vote.

 

[asimov-solensan]

I vote to use esperanto as official language in the forum.

Not that I know it anyhow but it is an interesting idea.

And as someone from a country with multiple languages in use I can assure you that this thread is going to upset some people.

 

[Djoga'Ro]

As a related trivia, the Muhlenberg Legend claims that there was a vote to make German the official language of the US or one of its states, which failed by only a single vote.

Thought, that was just for a county or something like that. ?

 

[levi]

Thought, that was just for a county or something like that. ?

As a myth or officially speaking, a legend, the facts don't matter much and they can be whatever you want them to be, provided you can get them past your audience.

 

[Letalis Sonus]

Thought, that was just for a county or something like that. ?

There are several versions, apparently the earliest known version is about Pennsylvania, but the modern urban legend in the US is about the whole US.

 

[levi]

English just won the lottery to be that language.

Except when it's Mandarin Chinese.

 

[Mese96]

I vote to use esperanto as official language in the forum.

Maybe lojban