Your comments since the programme

Languages, like people, evolve. It's not something new. Unless the entire English speaking community, in the most general sense, decides to isolate itself, there is no way the language is not going to assimilate new words. It will adopt, adapt, modify foreign words, and in time they will look and sound different. That's how culture changes.
Sriram Ramakrishnan, Netherlands

English is indisputably important as a global language, but we should reflect on why it is a global language. British colonialism spread the language to all continents and American economic, technological, political, and military power has kept English dominant in the post-war period.
A true global language should not be based on colonialism and politico-economic might. Nor should it be the national language of any given people. In my opinion, the ideal candidate for a common global tongue would be Esperanto. It is much easier to learn and use than English and much more suited to being a neutral bridge between speakers of different languages.
Nyegosh Dube, Poland

Many people do not seem to realise that language has obeyed the second law of Thermo-dynamics: Entropy. That means that we can trace the degeneration of modern languages. The earlier languages were infinitely more complex grammatically. In modern English the conjugation of a verb and declension of a noun is a lost art.
Lorang, Canada

I lived in the United Kingdom for many years. People outside the UK may tend to get the impression that the British are great masters of the language. But if you live in the UK, you would soon realise that generally this is not the case. I remember that in the final three years of High School, our English class read through only one book. It's a shame really, considering Britain's rich linguistic heritage. Not that English is spoken "perfectly" anywhere around the world. Indeed, the diversity of the English language is its strength, but I hope that its diversity will not prevent two English speakers from communicating effectively.
Nicholas Wright, United States

I think the slipping of standards in the English language is not confined solely to countries of the old Empire, here in the UK, English is not taught properly, or at the very least, is taught poorly. I, for example, have never received any formal English grammar training and I'm now a 21-year-old university student. Most of my knowledge of the rules and terminology of grammar come from being taught German! For example, how many recent school-leavers could define for you how and when to use the subjunctive? Unless the educational standards of this country are improved rapidly, we ourselves will not be able to claim we speak 'proper' English.
David Henderson, UK

Among all the comments about the present state of English, only one referred to its spelling, which is the great weakness of the language. Its unpredictability has produced huge numbers of functionally illiterates in the English speaking countries, and it represents a massive obstacle to non-native-speaking learners, to whom it gives little help in working out the pronunciation of unfamiliar words. The one correspondent (Clive Warner, Mexico) who did mention the spelling merely said it was arrogant of the American Simplified Spelling Board to try changing the spelling at the beginning of the 20th century. But in view of the manifest problems of English spelling, should we not try to simplify it to meet the literacy needs of the 21st century? Other languages modernise their spellings, after all - and have far fewer literacy problems than English.
Chris Upward, UK

One exchange from a movie that seems appropriate in this context is as follows:
An American and a person from a non-English speaking country meet for the first time and the American says after a few brief dialogs (pardon the spelling), "You speak good English!" and pat comes the reply, "So do you!" I found this exchange absolutely hilarious and wondered why I hadn't thought of the reply myself. I thought I spoke better English (grammatically) than many Americans I've met and have been told by quite a few of them that I spoke good English.
I don't know if the phrase "pat comes the reply" is used anywhere else in the world. When I did a search for the phrase on the Internet, all the results were Indian web pages...
Shail, USA

The problem in discussing the importance of the English language from England is that you are too close to the woods to see the trees. Important - oh yes, thanks to the American ascendancy in computers English has become the universal language. If you want to "do" with computers you have to have English and, if the present spread rate continues I predict it will become the world language in the next 20 years and be a second language "must" subject in education world-wide. Much to the disgust of many of Britain's "Euro allies." As to its changing - hell, it was changing when I was at school in London in the 1930s - it is constantly changing and must do so to survive.
Ron Garland, Canada

I think that the English language should change with the times, but the extent to which it should change is debatable. The change is inevitable so I feel it's important to be able to cope with it. However, I don't think it should change to such an extent that it loses its global nature. For example, if for ten different people the sentence I have spoken has a different meaning then I feel the main purpose of English, which is to enable people to communicate, has been defeated.
Vidisha VAIDYA, Australia

It is amazing to read all these comments and to see that language seems to be as divisive as religion. I speak a number of languages and feel my English has been enriched by my increased understanding of new concepts, related words, roots and possible word orders. For people to criticise one nation's English (as the silly gentleman from India did) is arrogant and absurd; just because the aeroplane or gunpowder was developed in one country are all improvements, evolution and variations to be derided?
P. Greenough, USA

Over 80% of telephone conversations are in English. 99% of scientific papers are in English. To answer the question 'how important is English?': it is by far the most important language in the world. As the Internet (which is mostly in English) expands, the language will become increasingly significant. Communication and standardisation are important.
The French invented the Metric system, which is superior to other systems and should be adopted world-wide. Similarly English is the international standard language, and in my view it is wrong to force children to try to learn other languages - and may even be detrimental to their education.
Dr Lyndon Smith, USA

The world would be a very boring place if we all thought the same, talked the same, dressed the same. Language is ever changing and that's what makes it so great. We have the ability to think and make choices, we should be able to use whatever form of the English language we need in order to communicate. I love hearing 'Brit-speak', as I learned from my friends in the UK. When eating something sour, you say "It makes me tabs laugh". Variety shouldn't draw us apart. Furthermore, we do have a proper way to speak American English as well.
Linda Prior, US

BBC Rulz! The Best Broadcasting Corporation has shown the way with its recent use of regional accents in its on-air announcers. I particularly enjoy listening to your announcers from Wales. Great! Ciao!
Tom, Canada

Your comments during the programme

Someone referred to Australian English. But there are regional accents in Australia (and New Zealand) just as much as there are in the UK. And like your email reader, we all modify our language and accent somewhat, according to the context we are in. I know I speak English differently in NZ, in UK - in France for that matter - just as I guess all of you do too!
Graham Lewis, Australia

John Burnetski, USA and Tony Judge, Hong Kong debate the definition of 'vest'.

"Vest would be something you would wear over a shirt" says John Burnetski of the USA. But Tony Judge in Hong Kong says a "vest is a sort of armless t-shirt that you wear under your shirt".

Isn't the fact that English is spoken as the first language in many different countries throughout the world more important than the slight differences between its various dialects? Native speakers of English throughout the world should just count themselves lucky to have the luxury of being understood in many different places, and not quibble over small variations of meaning and style.
David Dichelle, Jena, Germany (via New York)

I feel that any language must evolve; new words are needed as society evolves. English in any case is a compilation of words from many languages; Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Latin, French, Greek, German, Indian and more. But why should the rules of grammar not be maintained? I abhor the modern technique of creating verbs from nouns e.g. "finessing" (UGH)., among others, by people too lazy to use the correct phrase. (A practice regrettably followed by many BBC reporters.) This is an Americanisation of the English language. Why on earth should we follow their bad examples.
Pete Evans, Cyprus

Nathan Anderson, Germany, supports the use of slang.

"The most important part of a language is conveying your meaning and what you feel. The best way you can do that is often by using slang."
Nathan Anderson, Germany

The language as a means of communication is produced by human beings and is dynamic. It is function of time, culture and age. Speech came before writing. The language is emotional. As every individual is unique, so is everybody's accent unique!! Only the written form of the language can be standardised. Thus, the language is dynamic. Any language that is unsusceptible to change, Latin - ceases to live!
Stephania Evboikuokha, Germany

A lot of the difficulty people have in understanding each other in English is due to the fact that, these days, so much of the English spoken has been taught by people who themselves did not have English as a first language. Thus, all the little bits of incorrectness are passed on. In a way, it's a bit like mutation.
Graham Lewis, Australia

The difference in substance is minimal in the different forms of English language. The major differences, I believe, arises with the accents in the various parts of the world. For example, Scotland, Ireland, Northern UK, Kenya, India, etc. etc...
Sirajo Seidi, Guinea-Bissau

Dr Gerry Knowles, author of The Cultural History of English: "It's to do with power."

"When Britain had a world-wide empire, the British standard was the standard for the language as a whole. Now the power has shifted across the Atlantic then American English is de facto going to be the standard for the foreseeable future. That's the way it is and there's no point complaining about it because that's the way the real world works."
Dr Gerry Knowles

When it comes to English, as a means of international communication, I am definitely in favour of remaining loyal to the standards of British English. It is impossible to stop people in various parts of the world degenerating English, I just wish that those who are capable would remain speakers of good English.
Mustafa Eric, Mongolia

Most of Western European children are certainly taught American English. They use words like 'garbage', 'mail-man' etc. - all the time. Shouldn't Europeans speak British (or Irish!) English in preference to American English. But with Europe swamped with American TEFL teachers there isn't much hope!!
Niall O' Muircheartaigh

Jacueline Sakaowski, a Brit in the USA: "Americans don't have as many words as we do."

"Every day of my life since I moved here I meet someone who doesn't understand something I've said ... I'm having to reduce my vocabulary, Americans don't have as many words as we do."
Jacueline Sakaowski, USA

In Israel, where I come from, there was an uproar a couple of weeks ago when President Clinton expressed excitement in the face of his pending meeting with the new Israeli prime minister. He said, "I'm like a child with a new toy," using an American colloquialism. Israelis understand English well, and speak it widely, but they often understand it literally, which is why they took offence, and the president had to apologise at length to the Israeli press, assure them that the PM was no toy, and lecture them on the subtleties of popular American English.
Yo'av Karny, Israel (presently in US)

English will change and evolve. No one can stop it, and no one ever has. Otherwise, we'd be speaking like Jacobean play-goers, or Chacuer's Pardoner. As for the point that most non-English speakers learn "the Queen's English," is not so in the U.S. The millions of Spanish-speaking immigrant children are learning what only can be called "the President's English." Go figure.
JD Reed

David Rao from India prefers the Queen's English

"The sort of English which in my mind is good, is the sort of English spoken by the great Shakespearean actors like Olivier and John Gieldgud and Ralph Richardson."
David Rao, India

The use of hopefully at the beginning of a sentence to mean "I hope that" is an important influence on American English of the German language - hoffentlich. It comes out in vocabulary as well as grammar. Examples: dumb to mean stupid in American English, and only non-speaking in British English, comes from the German dumm. Fresh as in don't get fresh with me, American English for the British cheeky, and not just new as in British English, comes from the German frech. Another grammatical difference that angers some people is saying different than rather than different from is also probably from the German anders als. Remember that German in the 19th century was nearly voted the official language of the USA.
Jack Altman (an Englishman), France

I am a teacher of English as a second language. Previous to teaching in the Czech Republic I taught in china for 2 years. What is happening to other languages when everyone wants to learn English. It should be of enormous concern that the world will lose languages and when you realise that language is so closely connected with culture, the implications are just too horrible.
Another point, a little ironic I think, is that English people are the most monolingual of any nationality. No wonder we have difficulty understanding regional accents let alone international ones.
LIZ DENHAM, Czech Republic

I came to Australia 40 years ago but still have my Dutch nationality and for the past 20 years have been an English teacher to migrants -ESL teacher The question always asked in every class is why don't I teach English English. I have to point out that we are in Australia and I teach Australian.
In fact, in 20 years time those speaking English as their first language will be vastly outnumbered by people like myself who speak English as their second language, and their English is not always as accurate as native speakers would like it to be, but is their English any less valid?
Adriaan Loosjes, Australia

Good English is English which communicates effectively. I heard an English woman commenting on her husband's ignorance of the meaning of the word "jumper" and others. I know what a jumper is, and think most Americans do. It's what she said it is. Perhaps her husband's 'having her on', or in American, 'pulling her leg'.
I keep hearing the announcer compare examples of English Standard English with American sub-standard English as if they were equal. Perhaps the tendency for 'class levelling' in America, with easier access for less educated people to the media, makes it seem that the sub-standard English is the norm in America. Perhaps that's so, but I doubt it.
Percy Sandel, USA

It surprised me greatly, probably because I'm Australian and we still generally aspire to standard rather than American English, but it's becoming very difficult to get a job getting a job teaching English Taiwan (and China to a lesser extent) unless you have a north American accent. I had problems with my Australian accent and even knew people who put on a fake North American accent to get a job. Surely this says something about the way spoken English at least is going...
Carl Foat (Australian) Hong Kong

Your reaction before the programme

I feel as though the loss of "RP" English is not only due to the American influence that we all face nowadays, but also due to the advent of the Information Technology age and the Internet. Quite frankly, "Netspeak" does not follow any grammatical or sentence structure rules that we have been taught to abide by. It's just not "cool" man!
Herbert Loong, Hong Kong

Keep the English pure. It is the legacy to our children. We have the same problem with Spanish, threatened by slang, the South American influence.
Konrad, Spain

English has been adopted around the world. "World English" isn't American English any more than it is Indian, African, Australian or Asian. In all of these places (and others) different people have found their own ways of expressing themselves in English. It would be natural for scholars to examine and describe evolving forms and uses of our language. I suppose that since the first English dictionaries were published, this controversy has existed between those who would study change and those who see dictionary citation as advocacy of degeneration.
A Fleischman, USA

I object to 'slang' and new words being used. For goodness sake we are speaking "English". Why we have to insert new words is beyond me and I for one don't mind being considered old fashioned in the way I speak. In fact I'm rather proud of it.
Gerald Parker, Canada

Everything of value in this world, is measured by a standard; be it in monetary currency, diamond carat, English or Metric system of measurement, etc. The Queen's English, to include its rudiments of grammar and proper syntax, is THE world's only standard when it comes to written or spoken English. Let people speak their vernacular English in the streets. But for goodness sake, do not eliminate, but instead preserve, the Queen's English as THE world's only (English language) standard.
Pierre N. Tierra, Hawaii, USA

Look carefully at the changes to spoken English. They reflect conformity to the lowest common denominator. Australians are guilty of the worst bastardisation of English I have ever heard. I have witnessed quite intelligent people falling into step with the most cringe worthy of words and expressions such as putting 'but' at the end of a sentence instead of 'though'. I might add that calling football 'footy' is in the same league as 'horsy and doggy'. Give me the choice between Queen's English and common English and I will take Queen's English without hesitation.
Chris, Australia

Americans have long had a love affair with the distinctive accents and vocabularies of the UK. I think that we would be rather unhappy to hear that our close cousins wished to abandon their native dialects for our own lazy versions. How boring it would be!
Stuart, USA

Ask the French how much standardisation they have achieved with their Académie Française and you might be surprised to find out that a language cannot be successfully controlled by a few know-it-alls. Having said that, I think it should be considered good manners to treat a language with respect, be it English, French or Zulu.
Epie, USA

First of all, most Americans are not in the habit of peppering their language with words such as yadda yadda yadda (which was fun to say for a few days after that famous Seinfeld episode aired )and like (as an adverb). If you Brits want to import our sitcoms and lament the use of American slang by your compatriots, so be it. But, Mr. Lewis from Ireland, no one is forcing anything down your throat.
Second, American English is English. Its evolution reflects the diversity of our culture and the great strides made in telecommunications. To begrudge such change is to begrudge both diversity and progress.
Third, I've been to the U.K. many times and believe me, spoken English there is no closer to the "Queen's English" than American English is.
Noah S, USA

If languages do not change and evolve with the needs of their users, they become irrelevant. Users then seek words in slang, or in other languages to express the thought they want. It is the very strength of English that it has been able to adapt quickly to changing needs. English's greatest power is its use as a technological language. There can be little doubt that never in the history of human communication has technical development been so closely tied to a single language.
Richard Sadleir, New Zealand

Jon Stone's point is excellent. The preservation of the English language as an exact means of expression is a laudable aim. Allowing the language to degenerate into an insipid stew of Americanisms verges on contempt for our heritage.
Staffan Scheja, US

Languages evolve. Probably half the words in the Queen's English are derived from its colonies and parts of Europe. What's happening is that the Queen's English is absorbing more words, this time from the United States. This is not a big deal. Languages must evolve or die.
Kenny Teoh, Malaysia

I think this is a rather dated subject. If you go back to the lyrics of My Fair Lady, you'll find Higgins complaining about why the English don't know how to speak. He also jeers at Americans who have stopped speaking English years ago. So maybe it is true after all, that when you meet someone who you really admire for the use of the English language, he must be from Bulgaria.
Nanne Migchels, Netherlands

There will always be many different modes of expression within English. Street English has always been a looser, less formal language than that used (for example) in a formal presentation such as a non-fiction book, or the BBC news! The difference is that one can take advantage of a shared sub-culture with its own norms, whereas the other must be comprehensible to a very wide audience.
It is, perhaps, salutary to recall that that great arbiter of English usage, the Book of Common Prayer, is practically incomprehensible to most people today. A single example serves to make the point - the BCP uses the word "prevent" in a sense completely opposite to its present use.
Paul Cooper, UK

It is not a question of words or phrases, but feelings. Can this new dialect enrich our lives and encroach upon the emotions the way a Shakespearean tragedy or sonnet can?
Mark Kobayashi-Hillary, UK

According to me English has changed although I am from India where English people ruled us for 2 centuries. Here we speak good English but nowadays people have started using unwanted words like wanna, gonna which has changed every one to speak like this. I think it is only due to American culture. It is the place where they speak rubbish English.
R. Suresh, India

If we do not maintain the Queen's English as such, all English speaking people will suffer. There have always been ill-educated people who spoke improperly, as well as regional dialects. It is important to retain the ability to understand past scholars as well as literature and people from all over the world.
John Hedges, USA

Every generation creates its own language and in a time of fast social and technological changes this process accelerates. The question is who is dominant in this process. The educated or uneducated; Brits or Americans. What seems to worry many people (and me) is the strong influence of the uneducated in America on language in general (not only English).
Friedrich, Austria

Publishers can swagger as they like, but a print dictionary does more to reflect the status and evolution of a language than it does to affect them. The development of English is driven by the quotidian need of its speakers for communication and expression, not by dictionaries. - The conservatism of the British regarding the language, relative to non-British speakers, is valuable and appropriate. English belongs to the British more than it does to the rest of us. It has been in their veins and in their country the longest. I have observed in Britain a pervasive respect for and connection to English which does not exist in the U.S.
Adam Cooper, U.S.A.

I'm an ESL (English as a second language) teacher, originally from the UK, but have visited over a dozen different countries where English of various types is spoken. Pidgin was one of the most interesting variants. It's evident that English is still changing very fast. One prime example is the American tendency to 'lose' the adverb from the language. For example, "That's real good" instead of "That's really good". It's beginning to appear as if English will eventually become the world lingua-franca, but increasingly likely that the different variants will diverge much more than at present. Personally I think the most arrogant action any people ever took about 'standardising' English was that of the USA 'Simplified Spelling Board' who, just after the turn of the century, invented a whole new range of spellings. (For example, changing instances of 'ph' to 'f', as in sulphate and sulfate. So as a result we have the USA spellings for a lot of words different from the rest of the world. A 'World Dictionary' would have to be the size of a house to contain all the different possibilities.
Clive Warner, Mexico

People who stress about the idea of English being "corrupted" are completely ill informed about the nature of language. The very idea that English has a "pure form" is misguided and often crudely nationalistic ("The language of Shakespeare" etc. People who go on about what words used to mean are referring, usually, to the meanings they had in the 50s.So what? "nice" used to mean "fastidious", "doubt" used to mean "fear" in earlier centuries. Are these people suggesting we all speak Anglo-Saxon because that is English in its "pure form"? All languages change, that's how they work.
Maria, England