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From: georgeh@www.comet.chv.va.us (George F. Hardy)
Subject: Re: Concerning the number of esperantists
Message-ID: <8a7cc$10332d.22a@news.comet.net>
Date: Sat, 10 Aug 1996 21:51:45 GMT
References: <4u5j5q$aas@tofu.alt.net> <ABBll1oCN5@cile.msk.su> <4uifob$d4n@lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk>
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In article <4uifob$d4n@lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk>, sjb1@cus.cam.ac.uk (Simon Buck) says:
>
>Ysgrifennodd Uzulo (tycho@cile.msk.su):
>
>   >>
>The  purpose    of   an   international  language   is  to  enhance
>communication  amongst peoples of  the  world,  and to that  end,  it
>would  help for  "the"   international language   to  be considerably
>easier  than  English to  learn  or   understand.  Yes, many   people
>throughout the  world communicate in  English  now  (although many at
>varying degrees of substandard quality),  <<snip>>

That is the great advantage of English (or is it English
speakers).  No matter how poorly they speak English, or
how poorly they pronounce it or how bad the grammar, it
seems that the English speaker will understand.  Just try
to speak French that badly in France!

My German is very bad.  It works well in the former DDR, where
it is the only medium of communications.  But in the older
Lnder, I must speak English, as those Germans expect the
grammar to be accurate, the gender of nouns known, etc.

I have no idea why English has this unique factor, being 
useful when very poorly spoken.  But I don't think that 
any artificially constructed language will have the same
virtue.

GFH

