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From: donh@netcom.com (Don HARLOW)
Subject: Re: Single European Language
Message-ID: <donhDA80EI.9Hw@netcom.com>
Organization: Esperanto League for North America, Inc.
References: <690061730wnr@afin.demon.co.uk> <803065760snz@storcomp.demon.co.uk> <donhDA5A1H.Dx@netcom.com> <3rnk6c$4i@crow.cybercom.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 15:30:18 GMT
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Sender: donh@netcom3.netcom.com

mparis@raven.cybercom.com (Michael Paris) skribis en lastatempa afisxo <3rnk6c$4i@crow.cybercom.com>:

>I think that Bostonian English and London English were much closer 200 or more 
>years ago and up and until the advent of T.V.  I think english accents 
>included are coming togeather due to overwhelming influense of the various 
>media(ium) and for the most part T.V.  Sure there will be regional words ie 
>trunk or bonnet but they will disappear.  Many children on both sides of the 
>Atlantic see some of the same children shows as well as adults watching thier 
>shows.  

You may be right on the recent effect of TV, but it's a one-way street, 
not a two-way one. As I had occasion to point out to a Spanish friends 
from soc.culture.esperanto (in response to a comment of his about the 
similarity of the various sub-brands of Spanish in the world), those 
British television programs which are shown on American TV appear _only_ 
on public television -- which is watched by only a very small minority of 
Americans. This includes a number of British comedies, "Masterpiece 
Theatre", and a number of specials. When network executives see a British 
program(me) they like, they don't go out and license it to be shown on 
NBC, ABC or CBS -- they "borrow" the idea and arrange for an all-American 
version to be made. Rarely does the audience even know that the idea came 
originally from Britain.

(One current exception -- for some reason, a British show called 
"Absolutely Fabulous" is now appearing on the Comedy Channel, for those 
who have very large numbers of cable channels available. It seems to be 
quite popular with some teenage girls in the United States.)



-- 
Don HARLOW			donh@netcom.com
Esperanto League for N.A.       elna@netcom.com (800) 828-5944
ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/el/elna/elna.html         Esperanto
http://www.webcom.com/~donh
