"The US is Britain's best project."
I agree. If not for the swarm of American college students going to Spanish-speaking countries, Spanish would have continued losing to French like it did for, oh, I don't know, 500 years? The rise of Spain after Franco can account for no more than 25% of the current popularity of Spanish (again, don't forget the million of Brits who moved there since the 90s). Italy had a much stronger economic growth at the time, yet Italian remained what it was. So if you want your language to be considered prestigious and popular, promote it in America and especially among its youth.
In 1920s, England and France controlled most of the world, despite that America was already stronger industrially. France lost its clout, yeah, but England still has its imperial tentacles all of the world, no matter what common folk like Damian says. The decisions are made on a level much higher than our own, and if the power rested firmly in the Albion, why would Americans remove somebody who managed things so well all this time? "Special Relationship," haha!
I agree. If not for the swarm of American college students going to Spanish-speaking countries, Spanish would have continued losing to French like it did for, oh, I don't know, 500 years?
Spanish losing to French? France sold Louisiana to Spain. Also it lost in Mexico when she tried to make it a French colony. Also Spanish is being taught in Brazil no matter what they do in USA. Brazil alone has 200 millions of inhabitants.It it wasn't for USA Spain would keep Cuba as colony even until nowadays and Spain would be the lingua franca in Philippines (90 millions).
But they would all be dirt poor, so no one would care about them. Frence is a small country if compared to both Old and New powerful players on the world arena, yet their presence is still strongly felt.
I've been to Brazil. French there has a presence. It's the year of France for crying out loud! You got a FNAC here and there, and all the fancy bookstores have imported French novels on display (Spanish and English novels are either fewer in number or translated). Spanish is understood by some people, but spoken? Not really.
<<Finally, the main cultures of the USA are the Anglo and the Hispanic, and the main languages are English and Spanish.>>
Wrong. The Spanish influence is only in the Southwest. The USA is more than just a REGION of the USA. The US Southwest has very little influence on the greater US culture. It is a token-influence.
Mainstream American culture stems from the Northeast and Midwest, and these areas are heavily influenced from German and Nordic immigrants.
<<Even the dollar is a Spanish coin, el dolar. >>
LOL. "El dolar" is a Spanish loan from English! Just like bebe, folklorica, etc. "Dollar" is a German word.
See, now you know something true ;)
<<LOL. "El dolar" is a Spanish loan from English! Just like bebe, folklorica, etc. "Dollar" is a German word. >>
He must refer to the fact that the dollar was created with Spanish gold, as USA didn't have gold to back their currency. S in $ refers to Spanish.
<<Mainstream American culture stems from the Northeast and Midwest, and these areas are heavily influenced from German and Nordic immigrants. >>
Mainstream American culture stems from Britain, period. German and Nordic immigrants are like the Italians, Polish, Irish and Hispanics.
No. The dollar has a Spanish origin.
The sign is attested in business correspondence between the British, Americans, Canadians, and Mexicans in the 1770s, as referring to the Spanish-Mexican peso,[1][2] known as "Spanish dollar" or "pieces of eight" in British North America where it was adopted as U.S. currency in 1785, together with the term "dollar" and the $ sign.
The origin of the "$" sign has been variously accounted for. Perhaps the most widely accepted explanation is that it is the result of the evolution of the Spanish and Mexican scribal abbreviation "ps" for pesos. This theory, derived from a study of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century manuscripts, explains that the s gradually came to be written over the p developing a close equivalent to the "$" mark
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar/Peso_sign
<<Mainstream American culture stems from the Northeast and Midwest, and these areas are heavily influenced from German and Nordic immigrants.>>
Yes, there is some German influence but Spanish language is more important than German in USA.
Only 1.38 million Americans speak German. Meanwhile, there are over 51 million that speak Spanish.
Spanish is the second language in 43 States, not only the South West
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_in_the_United_States
<<He must refer to the fact that the dollar was created with Spanish gold, as USA didn't have gold to back their currency. S in $ refers to Spanish.
>>
That's not what his post says or indicates "Even the dollar is a Spanish coin, el dolar. ", although what you say is probably true.
<<Mainstream American culture stems from Britain, period. German and Nordic immigrants are like the Italians, Polish, Irish and Hispanics. >>
No. You don't live here I can tell. Some aspects of upper American high-class and historical culture are British from the original settling, but when one speaks of "American" culture--that which is unique to the US, it is Midwestern, Fonzy-and-Ralph-Malph-at-Arnold's, that-70's-Show type of mindset. That is Midwestern (i.e. "all-American") and post-haste straight from Norway.
Personally, I don't like it. I find it revolting, but it is the truth. What is more "normal" in the US than a midwestern farm (ASS) boy? [sigh]
<<No. The dollar has a Spanish origin. >>
No. The dollar SIGN/SYMBOL is not the dollar.
"The name comes from the Spanish dollars, so called in the English speaking world because of their similarity in size and weight to the German silver Thaler coins that were first minted in 1520 from silver taken from a mine at Joachimsthal, Bohemia, in the Holy Roman Empire. Not long after issuance, these coins gained the name Joachimsthalers. Subsequently, coins of similar size and weight were called Thaler, or dollar regardless of the issuing authority[1], and continued to be minted until 1872." --Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar
Who gave the name "Spanish dollar"? The "English speaking world" (i.e. Anglos). We are exploiting our own nomenclature. We also call pomfrites "French Fries"--are they therefore French? you twit.
<<Only 1.38 million Americans speak German. Meanwhile, there are over 51 million that speak Spanish. >>
But German is spoken by more influential people. Besides, I do not say that the German language has any real power in America. It doesn't. But in spite of the numbers, Spanish is no more influential than Romani in Europe. Spanish is spoken as a second language, by elderly first generation immigrants and as a token, clanish language for recreation, for fun and for when two Mexicans want to talk nasty about their Anglo boss behind his back. It is not a serious linguistic threat. Not even a single-threat (cf triple-threat, quadruple threat, etc :-o
Spanish is no more influential than Romani in Europe
LOL. I didn't see any president of USA speaking in Romani as the Presidents of USA speak Spanish during the electoral campaigns. Spanish has more influence on USA that you are willing to recognize.
<<
" USA has a mother and a father: England and Spain. " >>
Yes, Spain was the USA's father. An alcoholic father who beat the child and then abandoned the family. Hahaha.
<<LOL. I didn't see any president of USA speaking in Romani as the Presidents of USA speak Spanish during the electoral campaigns.>>
Exactly.
You didn't.
<<Spanish has more influence on USA that you are willing to recognize. >>
HAHAHA. I'd sell my soul to get the Hispanic vote too. No big deal. Just don't misread what it signifies ;)
<<I didn't see any president of USA speaking in Romani as the Presidents of USA speak Spanish during the electoral campaigns>>
Isn't this what those presidents of Germanie, Italie and Austria should has to do? No ones in the USA speaks romani. Only spanich as the lowest form of language
The importance of a minority is political and economical.
The Hispanic minority in USA is some 60 million people (US census) in 2010. Hispanics will be decisive in the election of the next President.
Even one of the candidates can make an important offer, making official de facto Spanish language. It is perhaps the only opportunity for the Republican candidate.
The economic point is also very important. "The economic clout of Hispanics has risen from $212 billion in 1990, when I first started doing this study, to $798 billion in 2007 and I expect it to be almost $1.2 trillion in 2011," said Jeff Humphreys, director of the Selig Center. "That's more than 450 percent growth from 1990 to 2011.
Can you consider the power of the Hispanic minority in 2022?
<<The importance of a minority is political and economical. >>
No. Making an unimportant minority THINK they are important is manipulative and self-serving. Shame on them!
Hint: You can always know whether you are an insignificant peon if
1). A politician licks your *ss
2). If he/she does #1). while speaking your native language
Phew!