Post AX72LJypXDtpvimwBE by fsnk@mastodon.acc.sunet.se
(DIR) More posts by fsnk@mastodon.acc.sunet.se
(DIR) Post #AX6AYeHJyzSV7jLLuK by stux@mstdn.social
2023-06-26T23:28:30Z
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It's kinda cool to see how fast English has become more of a second language over about one generation or so :thinktink: For the generation of my parents it's still sort of an 'exotic language' while from my gen(im 30 btw) till now it seems more of a second language many people can understand and express themselves withOfc this is just how I perceive it but maybe the coming of the internet did have something to do with it :blobcatgiggle:
(DIR) Post #AX6Az2h5pQ9kNPz2DA by nimbus5000@techhub.social
2023-06-26T23:33:16Z
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@stux I'm so jealous of (and impressed by) folks who are bilingual. I've tried to learn Spanish so many times, but I still suck at it.
(DIR) Post #AX6Azm2bEJ6719OLTs by sortius@mstdn.social
2023-06-26T23:33:30Z
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@stux honestly, in my experience younger generations from The Netherlands are better English speakers than many who can only speak English. I'm guessing a lot of that has to do with your school system. It's quite impressive for basically a whole country to agree that they should speak another language on top of the multitude already spoken; a nation of polyglots đ
(DIR) Post #AX6B7g65DF28tqn2wK by stux@mstdn.social
2023-06-26T23:34:29Z
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@nimbus5000 These days even my thoughts are about half in english i think.. :amaze: maybe even more lol!
(DIR) Post #AX6B8AVIA51XCiobOi by FinchHaven@hachyderm.io
2023-06-26T23:34:58Z
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@stux I watch a lot of Twich streamers (don't start!) and it's been interesting how many German and Swedish and other EU streamers speak what could best be called a colloquial "online/gamer" EnglishAnd then there's Scottish and English streamers for whom English is a first language, but who also use the same 'online/gamer" words and phrasesWish I could think of an example, but of course...
(DIR) Post #AX6BV50wjm5Eq6Xvsm by mansr@society.oftrolls.com
2023-06-26T23:39:12Z
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@stux German used to hold a much more prominent position, at least in some European countries. Then there was a war.
(DIR) Post #AX6BgWzl2t0Co1S0bQ by Yup_Its_Holly@mstdn.ca
2023-06-26T23:41:10Z
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@stux It always blows me away how well so many young people from European countries that arenât English can speak the language. Kudos to your education system. I learned French all through school in Canada while being surrounded by many native French speakers and my French is still pretty terrible.
(DIR) Post #AX6C08c3PMZEydiFTk by eagerpebble@social.vivaldi.net
2023-06-26T23:44:46Z
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@stux I was surprised by the amount of English in Haarlem a couple weeks ago. We even had a server at a restaurant who could only speak English and Spanish and was studying Dutch.
(DIR) Post #AX6C4KbKmGTlJhNLSC by billcipher@mstdn.social
2023-06-26T23:45:28Z
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@stux I'll credit it to trade and Internet having no boarders. Perhaps even the early history of internet plays a small role in promoting it for common use online.
(DIR) Post #AX6CtjRy9JeD9YVMp6 by Spellbind0127@mstdn.social
2023-06-26T23:54:49Z
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@stux English is my native league and unfortunately I donât speak any other languages so I canât really say much that said everything online that I looked at is always available in English. (Online translation isnât great but its certainly getting better)
(DIR) Post #AX6DEAfEg65ZLbSLuC by bonkers@nerdculture.de
2023-06-26T23:58:28Z
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@stux I had an impression that most of older generation Dutch are pretty fluent in English. I traveled across Belgium and the Netherlands about 15 years ago and there was never a problem to communicate. In Belgium, lots of TV shows with original English sound. We stayed at a B&B in Antwerpen, the owners were an old couple of a plumber and a school teacher. They spoke English just fine. Currently I work with some Dutch colleagues of ages 25-65, and they all speak English fluently.
(DIR) Post #AX6Ep7eIwzeafJCjho by DFreysinger@mastodon.social
2023-06-27T00:16:14Z
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@stux As much as I hate the arrogance of my fellow Americans expecting others to speak English. I appreciate the fact that I am able to read the posts of people from all over the world. The world keeps getting smaller.
(DIR) Post #AX6GKU0PykTEw047kW by teledyn@mstdn.ca
2023-06-27T00:33:10Z
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@stuxThe advantage of the English language, speaking as one who only speaks it, is it has no credible Language Police (thanks to Pound, Joyce, &c) so everything is possible, new words, borrowed words, bastardized words⌠and none of them definitively defined!Like, wow, y'know, eh?
(DIR) Post #AX6HxpqmnKbnvrtAAq by Tedgarrison3@mstdn.social
2023-06-27T00:51:35Z
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@stux So - as someone who only speaks English (other than a few Portuguese swear words), a question for you (or others who are from non-English-first language countries) Do you see English eventually displacing your countries native language?
(DIR) Post #AX6JUHZvL0eZ9N2NuK by Sassafrazz@mastodon.social
2023-06-27T01:08:38Z
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@stux I think the internet definitely did boost interest in learning English. Especially the popularity of streaming music and movies over the internet.
(DIR) Post #AX6X0eNlO6wEXu77wm by haayman@todon.nl
2023-06-27T03:40:08Z
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@stux and being Dutch helps
(DIR) Post #AX6YCcb7wqY6RNdYTQ by Roelant@mastodon.social
2023-06-27T03:53:32Z
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@stux and even more so for the generations after us. My kids knew some words in English before they knew them in Dutch (thanks to the many YouTube videos about colors and shapes, for instance). And it still happens when theyâve watched explainer about something (space, history, etc), they just switch to English explaining it.
(DIR) Post #AX6kQ5j4A2UZzhXWRk by trinsec@qoto.org
2023-06-27T06:10:24Z
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@stux It's more Dunglish than English to be honest. So many Dutchies make so many mistakes in English.
(DIR) Post #AX6lqzsY6lDBdIMvU8 by carla@hessen.social
2023-06-27T06:26:28Z
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@stux I wonder that nobody expressed the same feeling I have regarding to englisch: It is simply often very comfortable to use. For example I prefer reading manuals in english because they are better understandable then. And my discriptions for pics in the fediverse often need fewer words. Just to mention: I am german.
(DIR) Post #AX6xeRPVdM9uhpZ5NY by stux@mstdn.social
2023-06-27T08:38:34Z
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@carla i totally agree!
(DIR) Post #AX72LJypXDtpvimwBE by fsnk@mastodon.acc.sunet.se
2023-06-27T09:31:13Z
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@stuxInternet + cheaper easier travel + cultural media import (our state tv plays lots of subtitled British series, or did the last time I watched any broadcast TV) + education there's always sort of been a lingua franca for political/trade/knowledge exchange, which is probably English now bc the British empire was the last great empirebut I think you're right that this is probably the first time masses of normal ppl have been fluent in it to this degree
(DIR) Post #AX73DQecw8DmGc8fyq by Jbquinn@moth.social
2023-06-27T09:41:00Z
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@stux As a native English speaker, it just boggles my mind that much of the world learns my language as well as their own. Yes we learn French, itâs poorly taught and rarely used, and most forget it.
(DIR) Post #AX75vlmzuzOqSxKEXw by 10past12@mstdn.social
2023-06-27T10:11:26Z
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@stux I saw someone describe English as an "open source language" which I love and it helps me when teaching to accept the variety of ways non native speakers use it
(DIR) Post #AX7APf4PrbVG8CyvBI by mansr@society.oftrolls.com
2023-06-27T11:01:45Z
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@Spellbind0127 @stux I suspect there may be some selection bias going on there. There is certainly a lot of material on the internet (and elsewhere) not available in English. You're just not looking at it for obvious reasons.
(DIR) Post #AX7EMUvlVOH1dFgMD2 by MaryPot@masto.ai
2023-06-27T11:45:53Z
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@stux I think the coming of subtitles on TV had a lot to do with it. Most countries offered a lot of English-language programs. I have noticed that those European countries that use subtitles instead of dubbing also have the best English-speakers.English (one of the most complicated languages!) has by default become the international lingua franca and many countries are teaching English in schools for younger age groups. In Norway, from age 6 or less. 1/2
(DIR) Post #AX7Kr6MlU8GC9HHsFU by The_GNU_Ninja@mstdn.social
2023-06-27T12:58:40Z
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@stux The #english are too lazy to learn languages, including #english. đ
(DIR) Post #AX7Pn3KrJKmdMTHhKq by hexorg@techhub.social
2023-06-27T13:53:56Z
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@stux @nimbus5000 there was a point in time when I had my first dream in English. Now all my dreams are in English. The funny part is that even my grandparents in my dreams speak English (they donât know English)
(DIR) Post #AX7WNgFWhr8ECWdfu4 by Spellbind0127@mstdn.social
2023-06-27T15:07:51Z
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@mansr @stux I agree I only speak English so why would I look for material in a different language. (This obviously is a huge bias).