Lingua Franca

Just a quick one today and I'll leave you alone (pfft that's what he said :P).

If you're reading this then you can read English. Take a moment to realise that means you can communicate with countless people in countless countries, because English is a lingua franca in real life as well as on the internet. If the Swiss people and the Swedish guy from the beginners' class at Liden & Denz hadn't made the effort to learn it, or been forced by their schools from an early age, then how would we make friends, have lunch together, make conversation? I can understand the odd bit of Swiss-German, but they talk so fast and it varies enough from the Hochdeutsch I learnt up to A-level that I can't really understand more than a couple phrases. As far as Swedish goes I only know swear words I learned from watching PewDiePie videos on YouTube.

I've seen estimates between 328 and 510 million for the number of English-speakers on the planet, but you get the idea; the ability to communicate with people from other countries is a wonderful thing, and you should count yourself lucky that so many people make the effort to learn this language. Think about returning the favour next time you take a trip abroad, your efforts will not go unnoticed.

T.G.I.F.
Have a great weekend!
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