Comments

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  ahmed February 2, 2009 23:30

  hi first u are abeautefull
  i am ahmed from egypt i am an accountant i hope if we can be friends
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  Bill the English Teacher February 2, 2009 19:48

  So glad to help. You have helped me also. So this is a mutual exchange that we have. What the information does not say is that Frankish (French) was used as a universal language among some language groups to communicate in general.
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  HUBERT HSU'S BLOG February 2, 2009 14:09

  thanks for the add :) hope you're doing well .
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  sandhya February 2, 2009 13:30

  hi again. its really nice to learn new words. im not so good in English and i want to enrich my vocabulary also.
  
  Well, if you want to know anything about Indian culture then let me know, I can give you the details. Please tell me something about Russia and your city Byske.
  
  If you find any mistakes in my writing then please tell me. I want to improve.
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  sandhya February 2, 2009 13:09

  hi Irina...thanks for adding me and your comment. Picture on my profile is of Lord Krishna whom i believe and follow His philosphies.
  
  Anyway, "English is a lingua franca", i mean by this statement is that English is vehicular language. Lingua franca is an Italian word which means frankish language. Vehicular language means language that goes beyond the boundries of community. English is an international language and used by each and every country. In India, though Hindi is a national language but we have lots of regional languages also and we use English as a contact language.
  
  well, i like Bryan Adams songs and 'Summer of 69...' is my favourite.
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  Bill the English Teacher February 2, 2009 4:45

  Forgive my nosing into your discussion, but here is some information on "lingua franca." The term is deceiving, but it means a common language used as a vehicle of communication among differing languages. The following are exerpts from Wikepedia.
  
  
  A lingua franca (from Italian, literally meaning Frankish language, is a language systematically used to communicate between persons not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both persons' mother tongues.[1]
  
  A synonym for lingua franca is “vehicular language.” Whereas a vernacular language is used as a native language in a single speaker community, a vehicular language goes beyond the boundaries of its original community, and is used as a second language for communication between communities. For example, English is a vernacular in England, but is used as a vehicular language (that is, a lingua franca) in the Philippines.
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  sandhya February 1, 2009 15:49

  hi Irina i want to be your friend. i am from India and i am learning english. i want to make friends who are expertise in English. i make mistakes in writing and speaking. i want to improve it. hope u help me....
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  Bill the English Teacher February 1, 2009 7:45

  Forgot to say. I really like you photographs. The ones of the mountains might as well be Colorado, they are so similar.
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  Bill the English Teacher February 1, 2009 7:44

  We are two idealists thousands of miles away. But it is so nice to chat with you anyway.
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  Bill the English Teacher January 31, 2009 17:10

  You are too kind. Now isn't that a silly expression. How can a person be too kind. But we use that to say we don't deserve the kind words. And again, it is silly, because maybe we deserve the kind words. So I will simply say thanks for your kind words.
  I was not always a global thinker. I think many Americans are Ameri-centro to coin a new word (which Americans seem to love to do). Sometimes there is a feeling of superiority by some Americans - like we are the best country in the world. So we tend to think only of ourselves and our own interests.
  I think it was when I first learned Spanish that my Mexico-born teacher taught us about the culture of Mexico that I first started realizing the beauty of other cultures. We traveled with him to Mexico three times and we stayed at the local hotels and ate at the local restaurants (not the tourist places). We met local families. This all led to other trips to Central American countries with other organizations. This opened my mind to the value of other cultures and I saw things so much more beautiful in their cultures than in the USA even though we are rich and powerful.
  That led to teaching English to immigrants and learning more about so many people and cultures from so many more cultures. So now I see the world in a global manner and respect other countries so much more for their beauty, struggles, emphasis on family, etc. It has also led me to a more critical view of my country's internal and international policies. I am so glad we are done with the George Bush years. I hope our Barach Obama will repair our image in the world. Well, off my soap box. I guess I am a passionate person and this passion translates to helping others learn English since it is becoming an international tool to improve their lives.