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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 1257 Views
Y'all may be the American South's greatest gift to the English language. Ghavrel - 27/07/2015 12:14:47 AM 879 Views
*whistles innocently* Joel - 27/07/2015 04:17:43 AM 1025 Views
"Hey, you guys!" is only correct if you are Rita Moreno Joel - 27/07/2015 04:15:07 AM 851 Views
Perhaps, but you're also wrong. Min Farshaw - 27/07/2015 04:45:48 AM 1101 Views
Both spellings are "correct" to the extent EITHER are. Joel - 27/07/2015 05:04:43 AM 1076 Views
Funny.... Jeordam - 29/07/2015 12:13:35 AM 948 Views
That is because your fascist indoctrination prohibits viewing PBS' communist indoctrination Joel - 29/07/2015 01:54:30 AM 962 Views
It is also correct if you are Sloth... on a pirate ship... *NM* MightyYT - 29/07/2015 07:09:56 PM 708 Views
I will defer to you and Jeordam on that one Joel - 29/07/2015 07:45:31 PM 930 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 1011 Views
The Southern dialect is the largest by what metric? Joel - 27/07/2015 06:26:20 PM 996 Views
It also the accent most similar to what Victorian brits would have spoken random thoughts - 27/07/2015 07:45:09 PM 923 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 1007 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 666 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 975 Views
that is not what I said random thoughts - 29/07/2015 02:14:49 PM 986 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 967 Views
read slower and then read again until you understand what I said random thoughts - 29/07/2015 08:14:19 PM 1205 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 945 Views
Erm. Not really sure what you're saying here... Legolas - 29/07/2015 11:35:26 PM 901 Views
Would "UK English" have been better? Joel - 30/07/2015 10:47:53 PM 947 Views
Not really. Legolas - 31/07/2015 07:30:41 AM 909 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 996 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 1098 Views
David Crystal estimates proficient non-natives outnumber native English speakers 3:1 Joel - 10/08/2015 02:45:58 AM 888 Views
Interesting stuff. Legolas - 10/08/2015 07:12:26 PM 983 Views
what is not now considerd a proper British accent is called Received Pronunciation random thoughts - 31/07/2015 03:11:36 PM 1177 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 1181 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 994 Views
I assume it would besouthern but it is hard to judge yourself random thoughts - 11/08/2015 08:22:34 PM 973 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 973 Views
Ok they sounded more like the British at the beggining of the Victorian era random thoughts - 30/07/2015 01:34:15 PM 993 Views
Trivial or not, absolute assertions absent even cursory verification invite trouble Joel - 30/07/2015 11:12:01 PM 989 Views
The Brits didn't change theway they spoke until the 19th century. random thoughts - 31/07/2015 02:50:23 PM 1027 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 961 Views
Who says "yous guys"? Seriously? Legolas - 27/07/2015 07:56:28 PM 921 Views
B-movie mobsters Joel - 28/07/2015 12:40:04 AM 1106 Views
They said it when I lived in Chicago random thoughts - 28/07/2015 02:10:27 PM 912 Views
Scots. Rebekah - 28/07/2015 02:42:28 PM 959 Views
I have heard it a couple of times. Tom - 28/07/2015 03:13:20 PM 897 Views
Isn't fake culture almos the defintion of hipster? *NM* random thoughts - 28/07/2015 05:18:53 PM 487 Views
Depends, are trying to sound cool, like a douche, or Joe Pesci? *NM* MightyYT - 29/07/2015 07:12:28 PM 716 Views
The distinction between the first two is negligible Joel - 29/07/2015 07:52:50 PM 951 Views
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