Comments on: English, the non-language

By: Multilingual Macau | Language on the Move

Multilingual Macau | Language on the Move — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:42:35 +0000

[…] there is no trace of the spectacular and unique. In both casinos, commercial signage was completely standardized in the non-language of other global consumer spaces. Direction signs were also standardized in Chinese and […]

By: Mira-chan

Mira-chan — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 16:53:30 +0000

Yep, thats true. Its is very common scene here in the UAE, most shops have an english sinage though the name is actually arabic.

By: Jenny Zhang

Jenny Zhang — Mon, 10 May 2010 00:34:55 +0000

I don’t think “Buyern” – the English shop name in Ingrid’s discussion, has much to do with England and America or British and American varieties of English, per se. Though promoted by British colonization and American commercialization, English has already become a global language, the language of economic globalization. In many non-English speaking countries or regions, we can see a prevalence of signs in English as displayed on shop windows, commercial signs, posters, official notices, leaflets and flyers, etc. English (not necessarily British or American English or culture) is often perceived, in those areas, as being more modern and prestigious than local languages. In this case, the English shop name sign located at Munich airport as a tourist and transnational space might serve both informational and symbolic functions. On the one hand, there might be a need to communicate with tourists via a lingua franca; on the other hand it also symbolizes foreign tastes, fashions or even prestige. Certainly, the sign will be offensive if it positions Bavaria as “an object of consumption.”

By: Henrik

Henrik — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:43:31 +0000

Very neat logic, but perhaps one flaw? Is it British English or American English? Reading your topic, you make several references to England and English, and this is where I think the error lies. The underlying commercialism is American in origin, not English, and that’s a pretty important distinction to make! Also, after WW II, much of German culture was replaced by American culture with a large number of American soldiers, airmen and their families based in Germany for many decades. Even a country as successful as Sweden was between 1945 and 1975 looked to America for “cultural inspiration” and adopted the American consumer lifestyle.

So please, could we please refrain from tainting England and English by confusing it with what is essentially USA, American culture, commercialism and American (AmE)?