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As in most things, you admit failure to do your homework yet still claim absolute certainty Joel Send a noteboard - 10/08/2015 02:30:34 AM

One scholar who HAS done his homework (i.e. David Crystal) estimates Indias English speakers as the most of ANY country, and that global non-native speakers outnumber natives 3:1. http://www.theguardian.com/education/2004/nov/19/tefl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-speaking_world


View original postAnd we have it by pretty good margin. If you move the bar to fluent English speakers it isn't even close.

Fluents speakers only "move the bar" if native merit exclusive notice, which they do not: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EF_English_Proficiency_Index

The US has the most natives, but 35 dialects: Which is largest? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dialects_of_the_English_language#United_States

Do not say "THE Southern:" There are literally HALF A DOZEN Southern dialects, even accepting Wikipedias list, despite it conflating the Deep Southern accent of MS, AL and GA with those of VA, TN and/or LA (the last ALONE having TWO official dialects.) As a generous guestimate, MAYBE 30 million people speak ANY given Southern dialect: 2.5% of the global English-speaking population is a PLURALITY of it?!


View original postI don't have any data to back up which dialect Europeans who speak English as a second language gravitate towards but to my ear t sounds more American than British. That would make sense since so many of them watch American movies and TV. I don't think what they teach in school really matters. In America our schools teach proper Spanish but even the white people who learned as a second langue are more likely to speak with a Latin American dialect.

Continental Europe has plenty of UK TV along with ours; the BBC makes half the kid shows my daughter watches each morning (irrelevant to language, since all are dubbed, but it shows the BBCs European footprint at least matches any US networks.) Admitting ignorance of a subject yet reaffirming ones position by dismissing counterevidence is just purblind: My country, right or wrong. Arguments against Trumps factually deficient nativism would seem more sincere absent arguments here echoing his.

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1.2 billion people speak English; half the EUs half-billion residents conversationally or better
This message last edited by Joel on 10/08/2015 at 02:32:29 AM
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Y'all, you guys, yous guys, or hey you all? Min Farshaw - 25/07/2015 05:38:44 PM 1047 Views
Y'all may be the American South's greatest gift to the English language. Ghavrel - 27/07/2015 12:14:47 AM 685 Views
*whistles innocently* Joel - 27/07/2015 04:17:43 AM 817 Views
"Hey, you guys!" is only correct if you are Rita Moreno Joel - 27/07/2015 04:15:07 AM 650 Views
Perhaps, but you're also wrong. Min Farshaw - 27/07/2015 04:45:48 AM 890 Views
Both spellings are "correct" to the extent EITHER are. Joel - 27/07/2015 05:04:43 AM 871 Views
Funny.... Jeordam - 29/07/2015 12:13:35 AM 750 Views
That is because your fascist indoctrination prohibits viewing PBS' communist indoctrination Joel - 29/07/2015 01:54:30 AM 764 Views
It is also correct if you are Sloth... on a pirate ship... *NM* MightyYT - 29/07/2015 07:09:56 PM 553 Views
I will defer to you and Jeordam on that one Joel - 29/07/2015 07:45:31 PM 725 Views
well since language is a democracy and the souther dialetic is the largest Y'all wins random thoughts - 27/07/2015 02:07:22 PM 805 Views
The Southern dialect is the largest by what metric? Joel - 27/07/2015 06:26:20 PM 798 Views
It also the accent most similar to what Victorian brits would have spoken random thoughts - 27/07/2015 07:45:09 PM 720 Views
Whoa, now: The PIEDMONT accent may be closest to Received Pronunciation, but is not the whole South Joel - 28/07/2015 12:37:56 AM 804 Views
I don't make the catagories but all the southern accents tend to be close *NM* random thoughts - 28/07/2015 02:12:15 PM 502 Views
Except, as you noted, Virginias accent is closer to Englands (and New Englands, and South Africas) Joel - 28/07/2015 11:00:46 PM 767 Views
that is not what I said random thoughts - 29/07/2015 02:14:49 PM 779 Views
Sorry, I credited you w/knowing the Deep South, Appalachia and TX sound nothing like any UK accents Joel - 29/07/2015 07:42:21 PM 727 Views
read slower and then read again until you understand what I said random thoughts - 29/07/2015 08:14:19 PM 1002 Views
"The people in the American South were Victorian Brits"?! I must have read that too fast Joel - 29/07/2015 10:39:08 PM 736 Views
Erm. Not really sure what you're saying here... Legolas - 29/07/2015 11:35:26 PM 688 Views
Would "UK English" have been better? Joel - 30/07/2015 10:47:53 PM 735 Views
Not really. Legolas - 31/07/2015 07:30:41 AM 691 Views
Like in most things Joel is wrong. The US has the larget population of English speakers random thoughts - 31/07/2015 03:20:51 PM 791 Views
As in most things, you admit failure to do your homework yet still claim absolute certainty Joel - 10/08/2015 02:30:34 AM 876 Views
David Crystal estimates proficient non-natives outnumber native English speakers 3:1 Joel - 10/08/2015 02:45:58 AM 667 Views
Interesting stuff. Legolas - 10/08/2015 07:12:26 PM 766 Views
what is not now considerd a proper British accent is called Received Pronunciation random thoughts - 31/07/2015 03:11:36 PM 969 Views
I already explicitly referenced RP at least twice in response to you (also: Still not a DIALECT) Joel - 10/08/2015 02:33:17 AM 968 Views
Actually, since you got me thinking, please enlighten us: What would you call YOUR English dialect? Joel - 30/07/2015 11:19:06 PM 785 Views
I assume it would besouthern but it is hard to judge yourself random thoughts - 11/08/2015 08:22:34 PM 764 Views
Sorry I did not put enough research into what I consider trivia but the point is stil valid random thoughts - 30/07/2015 01:30:39 PM 767 Views
Ok they sounded more like the British at the beggining of the Victorian era random thoughts - 30/07/2015 01:34:15 PM 800 Views
Trivial or not, absolute assertions absent even cursory verification invite trouble Joel - 30/07/2015 11:12:01 PM 769 Views
The Brits didn't change theway they spoke until the 19th century. random thoughts - 31/07/2015 02:50:23 PM 815 Views
Every land has always constantly changed how it speaks, RP was mostly complete by the 17th century & Joel - 10/08/2015 02:33:03 AM 757 Views
Who says "yous guys"? Seriously? Legolas - 27/07/2015 07:56:28 PM 717 Views
B-movie mobsters Joel - 28/07/2015 12:40:04 AM 888 Views
They said it when I lived in Chicago random thoughts - 28/07/2015 02:10:27 PM 704 Views
Scots. Rebekah - 28/07/2015 02:42:28 PM 748 Views
I have heard it a couple of times. Tom - 28/07/2015 03:13:20 PM 698 Views
Isn't fake culture almos the defintion of hipster? *NM* random thoughts - 28/07/2015 05:18:53 PM 369 Views
Depends, are trying to sound cool, like a douche, or Joe Pesci? *NM* MightyYT - 29/07/2015 07:12:28 PM 559 Views
The distinction between the first two is negligible Joel - 29/07/2015 07:52:50 PM 738 Views
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