English,the language of a minority

It's not cultury neutral, but it's a melting pot of languages from many people all over continents. English is not culturally neutral, as a language it reflects its past, history.

Yes but the world is not neutral. It is run by Americans. Consequently the language they speak (English) is the most powerful. Speaking English reminds us of that (although the English themselves get a little confused). It's a lot more interesting culturally than Esperwotsit in any case.

>>t's not cultury neutral, but it's a melting pot of languages from many people all over continents<<

It would have been an arduous task starting from scratch, it made sense to borrow bits and pieces from as many languages as possible. How can a culture exist if it represents technically no one, no specific group that is. There is no people that can lay claim to Esperanto being their native tongue so for me that means culturally neutral as you put it, that's my definition anyway. Some may own a tiny piece of it some none at all but overall not a single specific ethnic group has a significant advantage over another, unlike English.

Yes but it's not culturally neutral because it has been made in the sense everyone can interferere in with her own experience, philosophy. It did not start from scratch, people who invented it made it voluntary with a precise objective. So it cannot be neutral in that sense.

Neutral or not is not the question. If someone want to use a language made by people who were looking for something different, without occidental imperialism he can use esperanto. I don't say english is bad, that language is very interesting. It's politic only politic.

With english, american politicians and industrials can impose a culture which is their culture : food you must eat, television you can access... All the words from every language are like a mirror, it represents an history, an identity. If you delete a language, you delete the people, his culture. Without identity you cannot exist. Look at the irish, scottish who are looking nowaday after their ancient language. Why? Because England (like some other contries of course) tried to delete their identity for many centuries.

English enjoys its wide spread today because of the political and Economy power of the united states whose language is English.You will remember once upon a time when the Romans were known as world power, the whole world learnt and spoke Latin, when Romans were no more World power the language died.According to history power changes with language.When America will be no more world power, English will definately die and the whole world would then start to speak in the language of the country that emerges as newly world power.You will remenber, Ethopia, Egypy, Greece,Romans, and etc. All these countries had enjoyed its language being spoken partly all over the world, where are they now.English will definately be like that when Esperanto confidently gain the peoples confidence.

Moreover, there is a new drive now in Britain to learn Foreign languages, if the British have not seen that they have lost confidence in the people speaking thier language, there will not ne a yastic for learning another language.The evident is that i visited six European countries at a different time, hardly i could find English speakers during my visits to non English speaking countries .
Thanks to Esperanto,with Esperanto i did not feel i was in a foreign lands.

"When America will be no more world power, English will definately[SIC] die...."

It may cease to be the lingua franca, but that isn't to say that it will be no more. Modern Greek isn't Ancient Greek, but there still is a Greek language. During the Age of Discovery, Spain and Portugal were world powers. That age is long gone, but people still speak Spanish and Portuguese.

I disagree. I sometimes think that one of the facilitators of America's global power is that the British had already Anglicised many places in the world.

Similarly, I think the next world power will either speak English as a first language or still use it as a lingua franca.

Simon,

"I disagree. I sometimes think that one of the facilitators of America's global power is that the British had already Anglicised many places in the world."

You're probably right about that.

As for English as the lingua franca in the age of post-American hegemony....maybe, I'm not sure. I guess we native speakers don't completely own English anymore due to its global use as a lingua franca.

What I kind of meant was that American diplomats could already negotiate with say Anglicised African and Asian countries much easier. I'm sure a study would should a greater porosity of American influence in former British colonies, compared to say former French colonies.

Spanish, Chinese and Arabic seem the most likely "rivals" on the horizon. IMHO.

Wow,
3 Empires using English as their Lingua Franca.
If only their spelling was not so ridiculous, it might be more commonly used in Eastern Countries and Africa.

Still I believe, in South Africa it is still the language of choice, for work and business. And they no longer have an Anglo-Afrikaans Government.

Regards, Paul V.

using FRENCH as their lingua franca

Nicolas, please stop it.

"...All the words from every language is like a mirror, it represents an history, an identity. If you delete a language, you delete the people, it's culture. Without identity you cannot exist. Look at the Irish, and Scottish who are looking nowadays after their ancient language. Why? Because England (like some other contries of course) tried to delete their identity for many centuries."

I disagree with you. History is important to every nation, but language is only part of it. Language doesn't write your life story. Deleting a language does not delete its people. You are who you think you are not what you say. Its al about how you think. Have you noticed how certain nations have certain charachteristics: Japanese are very polite, Chinese are hard workers, Russians are logical. Its not your language, its YOU.

Khatiya,

take the Inuit and their hundred words for "snow", each of which means a slight different state of this natural element. Now, make them forget their own language and force them to speak another language instead. Doing so would make them lost a huge part of their culture.

Westerners living in comfortable modern flats or houses don't need to name these different states of the snow. But if you are going to live in the very north of Canada, it is essential you can name them.

Just a precision: I am unsure of how many states the Inuit think the snow has. It might even be more than hundred.