Boy! Is English confusing to non-natural speakers like me!

Foofie wrote:

However, I believe, the reason the "world" is learning English today is because the U.S.A speaks American English, not because there is a British English, and Indian English, etc.

I shan't be afraid to give the Yanks credit for promulgating the language.

You'r so right: it all started with the American Empire, or even earlier with it's first tentative efforts to establish overseas settlements in the 16th century.

And then, of course, all those famous American authors from the last couple of centuries, whose numerous books intended as guides to American grammar and language until today.

Not to forget that the lingua americana replaced Latin as the language of diplomacy ...

And, I thought German is spoken in a few little known towns in South America, in addition to Switzerland and Germany?

Though it's Christmas already here, I was a bit ironic, Foofie

Foofie wrote:

And, I thought German is spoken in a few little known towns in South America, in addition to Switzerland and Germany?

You're correct, nearly:
- it's spoken in Germany,
- but only in a part of Switzerland (the so-called German-speaking Swistzerland ).

And then, all Austria thinks that they speak German.
German is spoken as official well as in the 'German-speaking Community' (a small state in the Belgian federation) and in Denmark by the tyske mindretal. In Luxembourg it's one of the three official languages, in Liechtenstein it's the only official language. In the French departments of the Alsdace and the department Moselle German is an "offical regional language". In Italy (South-Tyrol), German and Italian are the official languages.


Then, there are still some hundred thousands German speaking people in various East European countries, minorities, descendents from immigrants in 17th/18th/19th century.

I suppose the number of German speaking people in South America is less that on the US-East coast.

...since 10th/11th century...

The Yiddish verse in the Worms Mahzor is the oldest Yiddish text
known to us today which can be dated with certainty. It seems
likely that several Yiddish glosses in other undated manuscripts
are earlier, but this cannot be established with certainty.

Boy! Is English confusing to non-natural speakers like me!

Interesting; I did not know the language/dialect went back that far? Since the Chassidim have many children, on average, it will probably be spoken for some time? Unless, there is the possibility, it will be supplanted by Hebrew? I am the wrong person to pontificate on this subject.

for a little fun , read the book : between you and i - a little book of bad english - by james cochrane .

it's a slim volume but packs a lot of punch (cochrane probably wouldn't approve of my comments - bad , bad bad , he would say) .