Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Len8]

The following is from Barber's "Jihad vs McWorld (McWorld being everything that we have in our western culture. Jihad of course is what ever tears down the western fabric.)

"Most important, the global culture speaks English-or, better, American. In McWorld's terms, the queen's English is little more to-day than a highfalutin dialect used by advertisers who want to reach affected upscale american consumers. American English has become the worlds transnational language in culture and the arts as well as in science, technology, commerce, transportation, and banking. the debate over whether America or Japan has seized global leadership is conducted in English. Music television sings, shouts, and raps in English. French cinema ads are now frequently in English(where American English is to the French as British English is to Americans). New Information Age critics attack the hegemony of CNN and the BBC World Service but they attack it in English. Somalian clan leaders and Haitian attaches curse America, for the benefit of the media, in English. The war against the hard hegemony of American colonialism, political sovereignty, and economic empire is fought in a way that advances the soft hegemony of American pop culture and the English language."

Barber was in the Clinton administration, and Clinton recomended that everyone read "Jihad versus Mcworld"

[Mashimaro]

can someone explain to me what an insurgent is? In a war, wouldn't both sides simply be soldiers? Why the special term?

War on 'terror' is another good one.. I always thought the word was terrorISM.. Maybe the added ism pushed it into the realm of not being truly catchy.

[shifter2009]

[Qinella]

[ernie]

i've been called 'on drugs' for offering this analysis on another forum, but here goes:

war on terror

in 99.9% of cases, the word 'on' means supported by, so really 'war on terror' means 'war WITH terror', which makes a lot more sense when you look at what the US government is doing and has been doing for the last 50 years or so...

if 'on' really means 'against', then can i print (without fear of libel) as FACT that george w bush is 'on' drugs?

[Medic]

I have met a lot of angry bitter English speakers with an English accent. Many are a little miffed , because they think that there aren't the same advantages here for them as there might be

[Wangja]

[Fat_Elvis]

Hmm, I haven't read the book, but the very title suggests to me that the author sees things in rather overdefined shades of black and white. English is not the monolithic entity it suggests, nor is American English. Is the English spoken by hip hop artists the same as that spoken by Harvard professors, or spoken by Mid-west farmers? Probably not. English can be a site of contest, it doesn't automatically support any form of soft hegemony.

I'm not saying there isn't any link between language and imperialism. A standard American English is promulgated by educational institutions, and this seems to be preferred in Korea, largely due to the presence of American military forces.

I asked my adult students the other day who they had actually spoken English to outside the classroom, and none of them mentioned an American or even a native speaker. English isn't owned by native speakers any more. Most people who speak English now aren't native speakers. It's an international language.

[cj1976]

American birds really dig the British accent, so it does have at least some advantages!

[Qinella]

[cj1976]

The Irish aren't British - despite how much they wish they were! (only joshing!)
It's true, though. Some Irish fellas have the same luck with British ladies - the spawny b@stards.

[ChopChaeJoe]

English English -- that kills me.

[Roch]

[SPINOZA]

it's common in America for women to ask me to repeat words....

(not because they didn't understand)

Koreans think British English sounds like German. That's not an unreasonable observation actually.

Koreans always think it's cool when you explain that American English originates from here:



The West Country accent still has more in common with American English (and Irish) than British English.

[djsmnc]