Newsgroups: sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!rochester!udel!news.sprintlink.net!pipex!uknet!cix.compulink.co.uk!usenet
From: gedy@cix.compulink.co.uk ("Graham Edy")
Subject: Re: ESPERANTO, my ass
Message-ID: <D5Mzrp.8tD@cix.compulink.co.uk>
Organization: GDE Computers                 
References: <3k55t2$rel@news.halcyon.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 1995 12:52:37 GMT
X-News-Software: Ameol
Lines: 26

> The percentage of the world population that speaks English natively
>is relatively small -- hence the objections of those who see this as
>a very parochial view of the world.  But the percentage of the world
>population that has _some_ English, for whatever reason, is very 
>large.  Most Japanese kids learn English.  English turns up throughout
>Africa and India, throughout the places that used to be British
>colonial holdings.  Whether we like this or not, it seems to be true.
>Whether it _should_ be true is a question we probably cannot even
>begin to outline, though I would like to see an intelligent, 
>non-vituperative attempt to see what the question would look like.

In my hobby as a Radio Amateur I have spoken by voice and in Morse code 
to people in many countries. All I would say, could converse in English, 
even if English was not their native language. I have even had people 
whose first language was not English apoligise for their poor English 
even though I could understand them with little difficulty. I have only 
heard Esperanto spoken on very rare occasions "on the air" mainly I hear 
Spanish and German spoken particularly between European and South 
American people, where I assume their English (or Esperanto) is not as 
good. Perhaps the people who have no English at all do not attempt to 
speak to a native English speaker for fear of ridicule, but I think in a 
world where so many people can speak English there is a strong incentive 
to learn it, if it is not your first language. I have heard that native 
English speakers visiting Japan are in danger of being "mobbed" by the 
natives who want to try out their English.  
Graham, Amateur Radio Callsign G4AXD, native English speaker.
