Language Degradation Through Globalization

I grew up in Ottawa, a stone's throw from Quebec, the French speaking province of Canada, for the uneducated readers amongst the audience. I was taught French from a young age, as a result.

The problem was, the French we learned in the classroom was very different from the French spoken by our neighbours just East of us. I remember the first time I boarded an Air France flight, I was amazed at the clarity of the French I heard. It too, was so unlike the "Quebecois" we'd been berated with on ski trips, or when we went to buy liquor as underaged kids.

Today at lunch, I went to the food court at a new mall. As I walked from Taco stand, to Czech food place, I passed Burger King. I heard someone order in Slovak, except for when they stuck the prefix "bacon-cheese" in front of their order. I was immediately reminded of Quebec adolescents yelling in mutilated frenglish. For whatever reason, these English expressions just seem to catch on.

Slovak sounds lovely. I can't speak it, but it sounds nice. The invasion of MTV and multinational corporations have brought me a much needed conduit through which to experience Western society, but what are the effects on the locals? This Tedster has an interesting perspective.

I'm excited about an increased prevalence of English, it makes my life easier. But how it will infiltrate the world, the conduits through which it will spread, and the subtle implications those complications have are of interest to me.