THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD

Well, Esperanto didn't work out, and Swahili is only for Africans, so what else is there, French?

Ebonics also doesn't fit well in high-powered boardroom chats, so if I had to put a definition on the 'English-speaking world', I would say it has simply become the international language of business by default of how economic power has been divided in the world.

The power of Englands colonization !

It is one of the richest languages for vocabulary and variety of words with subtleties of meaning

anyway - English speaking nations are notorious for not learning the languages of other countries - so it became necessary!

The English language has become something of a mongrel. Woof woof. Those who don't speak it are perhaps barking mad. There are those who do speak it and can be considered mad. As in ----
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun

http://www.esl-lounge.com/songs/songmaddogs.html

Yes but we also must realize that most ppl today do not speak proper english and don't know the true meanings behind the words they say. For example the acronym F.U.C.K which is probably the most misused of all.

"For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge", I believe.

It actually has a few meanings and yes that is 1 of them. Most people today especially the kids couldn't even tell you the meaning of that deffanition though.

The most realistic and convincing derivation i've read of is that it comes from a Frisian Dutch verb, fokken, meaning to stab. Frisian was a large contributor to the early history of our language. I find all the acronymic explanations to be a ridiculous stretch of the imagination.

whatever floats your boat

Well, this thread slewed well off course in nothin' flat. For anyone interested, there is a topic which could be discussed, other than the origins of banal terms for sexual intercourse.

However, as a thread-hijacker of long standing, i can't really complain.

Tangents, for the use of

It's very useful in the modern world to be a native English speaker, to be sure, but I do not believe there is much commonality between the elements of the so-called English-speaking world.
I am sure there is a yen among young Australians to see Europe, not just Britain, indeed they arrive here in great numbers; and there must be a pull among educated folks on the Indian sub-continent to see the country where originates their second language, but I suspect this is more curiosity than affection, or feeling of affiliation.

And conversely, the 'special relationship' which is often stated as existing between the peoples of Britain and the United States seems more to be in the minds of the British than their transatlantic cousins- and the very phrase begs the question; do Americans think of Brits as 'transatlantic cousins'? From vox pop statements sometimes seen in the mass media, it seems unlikely, in the main.

And so I have regretfully concluded that the modern 'English-speaking world' has little cement between the bricks, so to speak, such as a love of a common culture, of literature, poetry, theatre: there are individual exceptions of course, and indeed a more likely cement would be found in Disney, in Hollywood, and modern American pop culture, and in popular music. I do not find in pop culture a worthwhile common ground, although I personally am not immune to it, and I hope not elitist.

I would like to know if there is an American word equivalent to 'anglophile', that is, a word meaning 'having a love of America and things American'.
Most westerners outside of the USA know John Wayne, Louis Armstrong, Jesse Owens, Rocky Marciano, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, many more.
The cultures are mingled, the icons are common, and international.
To that extent- and how deep does it run-?- we have a bond.

But, it is a little lopsided. For an American, after naming the members of The Beatles and maybe Shakespeare, how many Britons would get on their list? Winston Churchill and....? How many Indians? How many Australians?

Set, you said that silly was okay. Also flippant, I suppose.
I disagree with you on this, and think that the grand old word fucken, sometimes and wrongly in my opinion written as *******, is an Old English adjectival past participle comparable with drunken, wooden, brazen and the like.

Although you may be right about the origin of the word ****.
That would work well in a phrase:
" I don't give a Friesian **** what you say!"

The immediate etymology of the word **** is well documented and there is little room for guesswork. And the meaning didn't change much in the transition to English. It meant to breed before Ebglish adopted it.

I am just glad, in the huge lottery of linguistic life, to have drawn a lucky ping pong ball.

I can travel pretty easily, I have a huge body of literature from many countries which I can access sans effort, I have a big, flexible language.

(I would love to have Spanish for similar literary reasons)

I think there IS some vestigial bond between old commonwealth, or empire, countries - if it is only laughing at the Brits!

Because of my interest in and knowledge of English literature and history, I DID feel a major emotional and cultural enjoyment and delight in being in England - especially the parts familiar through reading of them, or their historical and literary associations. Like walking through Bloomsbury, Bath, Oxford, Cambridge etc....

Good to see the thread back on track . . . not that i really give a good focken, though . . .

adventure, both geographic and liguistic is good for the soul and there to be enjoyed.
The areas Deb mentioned are wonderful playgrounds. Bloomsbury is a fantastic area to explore and has a good mix of history and modern life styles

Craven, what the hell is 'Ebglish'? Please don't tell me it's from 'Lord of the Rings'....