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The love of all things English begins at a young age in non-English-speaking countries, promoted by pop culture, Hollywood movies, fast-food brands, sports events and TV shows.
Later, with English skills and international education qualifications from high school, the path is laid to prestigious international universities in the English-speaking world and employment opportunities at home and abroad.
But those opportunities aren't distributed equally across socioeconomic groups. Global education in English is largely reserved for middle-class students.
This is creating a divide between those inside the global English proficiency ecosystem and those relegated to parts of the education system where such opportunities don't exist.
[...] It's unfortunate so many schools view an English-speaking model as the gold standard and overlook their own local or regional wisdoms. We need to remember that encouraging young people to join a privileged English-speaking élite educated in foreign universities is only one of many possible educational options.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by aristarchus on Tuesday August 11 2020, @06:00AM (16 children)
I would comment, in my native language, but there is no word in Ancient Greek for "English", or even "Anglishe sprache", since those barbarians, beyond the pillars of Hercules, were unknown to us. And why anyone should adopt the speech of people who paint their naked bodies with blue mud, well, barbarians.
In recent times, I have come to know them, but familiarity has not improved my opinion of them. Anglishe are Germans who failed at being Germans. Saxsons are the same, and the Iceini and Britons and other Celts who melded with them, oh, what a bastard race of white supremacists you have spawned!
Aristarchus out.
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Tuesday August 11 2020, @07:33AM (3 children)
Blue mud? Back then, Greek didn't even have a word for blue!
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Tuesday August 11 2020, @08:27AM (1 child)
μπλε λάσπη? Modern, I know, but we did have similar back in the day, just less actual experience with naked blue men running at us in battle. Seemed a bit, perverted? Coming from a Greek background. We were all OK with the fighting naked thing, climate permitting. But painting yourself blue? And then the bloody Vikings, what with the Spam, and drinking the urine of horses fed Fly agraic mushrooms. When does that get to be fun?
(for a reference, see Barb's journal on nuking children and other war crimes.)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 11 2020, @02:13PM
You are aware the the Celts were natives of Germania before migrating to that island?
That Island has been conquered by the mainland so many times.
The people that made Stone Henge were conquered by the Picts, then they by the Celts, followed by the Anglish, Saxons, and Normans (these being French-Vikings, you see Normandy was named after the Norse that attacked Paris and were given land for their troubles, the Northland Men became known as Normen).
I am pretty sure that I am missing some (I know at least one other came with the Anglish and the Saxons).
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Tuesday August 11 2020, @08:13PM
In their defense, they were probably trying to find a reasonable way to word it [youtube.com].
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday August 11 2020, @07:38AM (1 child)
Hey, cut on that, not all barbarians are equal.
The Finno-Ungric culture got your Linux and the Hungarian notation (and Sziklai pair, which is not au pair).
The Polish culture got you not only the North Pole, but the French polish too and, of course, the Polish notation. And don't you forget their sausages (a word that comes from French, the Poms stopped at bangers).
(grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Tuesday August 11 2020, @08:22AM
Once again c0lo proves his post Warsaw Pact worth. Kudos, sir! (And he can't even speak english, or, at least, only better than Runaway can. )
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 11 2020, @08:39AM (2 children)
More leftist bullshit, but let's hear the idea out. International university applications in the West are way down this year due to coronavirus, stop teaching English as an international language on our way to defunding the humanities so we can keep it that way!
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 11 2020, @09:53AM (1 child)
More rightist bullshit, but let's let them flatuate, while we ram a red-hot iron rod up their anus, and pour molten gold into their mouth. Good enough for Crassus [wikipedia.org], good enough for the alt-right. (And, as usual, it was all Sulla's fault.)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 11 2020, @01:12PM
The decline of Blue cities, universities and the cancerous, anti-western and anti-humanist theology they preach. Come on Ari, you love to see it!
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday August 11 2020, @01:51PM
Are you sure about that? We call the Celts "Celts" because the ancient Greeks called them Κελτοί. For all we know they learned the practice of painting their naked bodies with blue mud from you.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by quietus on Tuesday August 11 2020, @06:01PM
Not quite. Go visit Mycenae (best in winter time) and the little museum documenting the site, and you'll see a map showing the trade relations of the Myceanean empire at 1,400 BC or thereabouts. They had trade relations with the North Sea coast, and knew about what is now the UK (tin mines, if I remember correctly: important in the production of bronze). Their finest swords were imported from there.
A bit more recently, Celtic tribes (i.e. Belgian tribes) started to use coins as payment around 300BC. These coins were initially copies of Greek coins with which they were payed as mercenaries.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday August 11 2020, @11:22PM
You make that sound like a bad thing.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 12 2020, @05:01AM (3 children)
That isn't your native language then, you pretentious twat. Unless you grew up in an enclave that never mixed with outsiders in the quite a few centuries since English has become a language, that wouldn't even be possible.
(Score: 1, Troll) by aristarchus on Wednesday August 12 2020, @06:11AM (2 children)
Are you OK, AC? Are you upset about my native tongue? Do you dread and fear the coming downfall of the Donald, the not good people on your side any more? If you wave the flag, we will come for you. Your life is forfeit. Your fortune ruined. Your herpes multiplexed! And you are hereby dis-platformed.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 12 2020, @03:46PM (1 child)
It's worth pointing out that you're a liar and a fraud.
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Wednesday August 12 2020, @05:58PM
And you know this, how? Please, noble and best AC, refrain from claims you are not able to substantiate!