The EU finally has a language that can be used by citizens in all its Member States. It's not German or Spanish, and it's certainly not French. It is... bad English.
At least, that is what Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans said.
"For the first time in human history, we have a global lingua franca that transcends societal layers," he said during a speech at Twente University. "Thanks to the internet, thanks to other developments, thanks to the predominance of Anglo-Saxon culture, English is an instrument for all. This is the first time that we have a true Lingua Franca for all: bad English."
Even more importantly for Timmermans, this bad Euro-English is a lingua franca in the true sense of the word as it is not only used by "the elites," but also by "regular people" with different native languages going about their day-to-day lives.
English is not only the most-spoken language in Europe, but when counting both first and second-language speakers, it is also the most widely-spoken language in the world, largely due to US cultural power, Timmermans said.
The most recent data shows that the vast majority of Member States' citizens speak English: from 55% in France to 71% in Sweden, with an EU average of 65%.
And you, how good is your bad English? Let @Maajtee know.
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