I was wondering why we must globalize by speaking all the same language. I am Italian and on Tv I head only English speaking, singers only sing songs in English, my language and our traditions are disappering. Do you Think all this is positive? Italian and its dialects are disappearing ( and not just my language). How can we combat this phenomenon?
The most worrying thing for me is that I'm writing this "post" in English.
Thank you!
Christian
E' una tema interessante. I think ultimately non-English speakers and their countries as a whole have to make decisions about not using English in some situations where there is an expectation to, and insist on it, without being aggressive or rude. I don't know how that can happen. It seems to me that it would need a strengthening in cultural solidarity at a time when cultural solidarity is growing weaker everywhere.
The Iranian government recently decided that primary school children would not learn English however, such a move is generally considered retrograde in so-called "liberal" countries.
The problem with the Italians is that they admire too much everything that comes from outside. Since the Allied Troops liberated the south of Italy in WW2, there is a kind of cult to worship Americans in general and all anglo-saxons. An old song from Napoli says “tu vuo fa l’americanu, mericanu ma se natu in Italy”. You would like to do like the Americans but you are born in Italy.
This phenomenon is called esterofilia, the love or the admiration of everything which comes from outside.
Unlike in French or Spanish speaking countries in Italy everything related to IT is in English. Totally ridiculous.
Cheap television with mind soaking content doesn’t help. Politicians who have no culture and just worship money are surely no example. The problem is not globalization, the problem is the lack of vision of most politicians in the world. Look at them, they even resemble each other physically. Isn’t that funny?
English as a second language should probably be standard instruction, and from an early age. But it would be a horrible shame to lose your primary language and culture. I would support protective legislation in my home country if I had a different primary language.
Especially in la Bella Lingua, which I love :-)
Christian perché non hai scritto il tuo messaggio in italiano?
Il problema degli italiani è che sono troppo esterofili, da un lato é bello perché si trovano in italiano molti più libri tradotti in italiano che non ad esempio in Francia col francese. Ma questa esterofilia diventa ridicola soprattutto nel linguaggio informatico, quando uno finisce per dire “ mi passi il mouse devo scaricare un file”.
In altre lingue d’origine latina non si esagera fino a questo punto, usando parole inglesi quando c'è l’equivalente in italiano.
Etimologia: ← comp. di estero e -filia.
