LL-L "Language maintenance" 2005.11.28 (03) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 28 November 2005 * Volume 03
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From: Críostóir Ó Ciardha <paada_please at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Language maintenance" 2005.11.25 (04) [E]

Erik Nielsen wrote:
  "Porsche was one of the few major that has kept German as a working
language
and they are doing better than companies with BSE (Bad Simple English) as a
working language, simply because the workers at Porsche actually understands
what they are supposed to do! Advertising in Germany is also heavily
influenced by
English, but studies showed that people didn't understand the message, and
now
McDonald's had translated their slogan into German (Ich liebe es), so
perhaps it is
McDonald's who eventually saves the German language from extinction."

  I read Der Spiegel every week and I am always surprised at the amount of
English
(often some quite complex phrases) used in advertising. I understand a lot
of this
is aspirational and connotational, particularly since most of the advertising
using English draws on American referants - it is not hard to see that in
many
German minds North American must be seen as a land of cool and of wealth.
I have
seen one or two adverts (Joker Jeans spring to mind) that are entirely in
English
and usually have an American theme, precisely for this reason. Much less
often use
is also made of French and Italian, particularly in the realms of fashion and
luxuries (we also get that usage in Ireland and in Britain).

  With regard to German companies using English in Germany, it should be
noted that
more chauvinist proponents of English, particularly in the United States,
often
cite this as proud evidence of the unstoppable "manifest destiny" of
English as a
world dominant language. Personally I don't see any reason why English
should be
used as a dominant medium by German companies in Germany, by Dutch
universities or
by anyone else. The economic argument (that English is the dominant
language) is
not really an argument so much as a self-fulfilling prophecy as switching to
English from German or Dutch (or Irish or Welsh or any other language) only
contributes to the hegemony of that language.

  I remember American, Australian and British businessmen used to have to
learn
Japanese as a sign of respect to do business in Japan; if Japan insists on
using
English, where does that leave notions of respect and equality of cultures?

  Go raibh maith agat,

  Críostóir.

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