【龙腾网】欧洲人只是因为美国才说英语吗?
正文翻译
Do Europeans only speak English because of the USA? Would they speak it or not if the USA didn’t?
欧洲人只是因为美国才说英语吗?如果美国不说，他们会说吗?
评论翻译
Geoffrey Thorndyke
Out of curiosity when the US invented it’s language and sent it to Europe, why did they call it “English” ?
我很好奇。如果是美国发明了这种语言并把它传到欧洲，为什么他们叫它“英语”?
Profile photo for Jeff Dray
You have to wonder at the intellect of some OPs. Europeans speak a wide range of languages, their own and very often English as a second language, because having a second language is quite common in countries outside the USA.
Mostly they speak English because the United Kingdom is quite an important factor in world affairs. That's one of the reasons why the USA decided to adopt English, rather than the more logical Spanish.
你不得不对某些题主的智慧感到惊讶。欧洲人说各种各样的语言，他们有自己的语言，英语通常作为第二语言，因为在美国以外的国家有第二语言是很普遍的。他们大多说英语，因为英国在世界事务中是一个非常重要的因素。这就是为什么美国决定采用英语，而不是更合乎逻辑的西班牙语的原因之一。
Bert Van Loo
When the US was founded, Spanish was not a major language spoken in the original states (most Spanish-speaking settlers were in areas that at the time belonged to Spain and later Mexico. The occurrence of Spanish as the most common primary language for US residents besides English is a much later development. The UK’s influence on English becoming widely spoken comes from their colonial history, and the 20th century shift of world-power from the British Empire to the US cemented English as important for international affairs. So yes the dominance of English is a combination of interwoven history between the UK and the US, but there was never a competition between Spanish and English in the US at the point of making the decision, Spanish was not even a viable option as the ‘local’ language within the US at the time
美国建立之初，西班牙语并不是各州的主要语言（大多数说西班牙语的定居者居住在当时属于西班牙后来属于墨西哥的地区)。除了英语，西班牙语成为美国居民最常见的主要语言是很晚的一个发展。英国对英语广泛使用的影响来自于其殖民历史，20世纪世界力量从大英帝国向美国的转移又巩固了英语在国际事务中的重要性。所以，是的，英语的主导地位是英国和美国历史交织影响的结果，但美国在做决定的时候，西班牙语和英语从来没有竞争过，当时，西班牙语在美国甚至还不是一种可行的“当地”语言。
Donald McLeod
It is my experience, especially in Europe, but while English may be widespread, the most common second language is French. I have also seen this in other parts of the world with possible exclusion of China. I speak both English and German, but frequently, especially in smaller towns and villages in Europe, neither of those languages is used to any great extent; this goes for rural areas in just about every continental country. However, frequently I am asked if I speak French as opposed to the local language, such as Flemish, Dutch, Spanish, etc.
以我的经验，尤其是在欧洲，虽然英语可能很普遍，但最常见的第二语言是法语。我在世界其他地方也看到了这种情况，可能不包括中国。我会说英语和德语，但通常情况下，尤其是在欧洲的小城镇和乡村，人们很少使用这两种语言;这条规律适用于几乎所有大陆国家的农村地区。然而，经常有人问我说的是法语还是当地语言，比如佛兰芒语、荷兰语、西班牙语等等。
Bruce Buirkke
English would just be another language in Europe if it were not for the USA. it has become the common second language all over the world by the USA's ‘economic, military, and especially cultural power. I worked at an English language school in China. Generally, parents would come over to “ check out” the English teacher. They vastly preferred an English teacher that spoke “American English” I asked them why and they generally answered along the lines of,” We want to speak like the super power, not some less significant country.”
如果没有美国，英语在欧洲只算是另一种语言。由于美国的经济、军事，尤其是文化实力，英语已经成为全世界通用的第二语言。我在中国的一所英语学校工作过。一般来说，家长会过来“检查”英语老师。我问他们为什么，他们更喜欢说“美式英语”的英语老师，他们的回答大致是这样的----“我们想要像超级大国一样说话，而不是一些不那么重要的国家。”
Colin Birks
It’s easy for other nationals to choose a second language, because English is the most common. Lots criticize the English for not speaking a second language…… but which language would we choose? You could speak six languages, and still not have the right one when you need it.
对于其他国家的人来说，选择英语作为第二语言很容易，因为英语是最常见的。很多人批评英国人不会说第二语言，但我们要选择哪种语言呢?你会说六种语言，但在你需要的时候仍然没有掌握正确的语言。
Sophie McKenzie
The Scandinavian countries teach English as a second language, along side their native one from a really young age.
Although I should point out that for hundreds of years the upper classes of Europe spoke in Latin. English Kings from William the Conqueror to Edward III only spoke French as a first language, English was a very basic second language. Richard I only spoke French. Richard II spoke English very well, but again only spoke it as a second language, French being his first. Henry IV was the first English King to fully communicate with his court and with the people in English. It was from him when English became the first language of English Kings, while French, Latin, Greek etc were second languages.
斯堪的纳维亚国家在他们很小的时候就把英语作为第二语言来教授。不过我要指出的是几百年来欧洲的上层阶级都说拉丁语。从征服者威廉到爱德华三世，英国国王只把法语作为第一语言，英语是非常基础的第二语言。理查五世只会说法语。理查二世英语说得很好，但还是把英语作为第二语言，法语是他的第一语言。亨利四世是第一位完全用英语与朝廷和人民交流的英国国王。正是自他开始，英语成了英国国王的第一语言，而法语、拉丁语、希腊语等成了第二语言。
Profile photo for Maria C.
The English language existed before America was invented and established. Meditate on that notion.
英语在美国被发现和建立之前就存在了。想想这个概念吧。
Bruce Buirkke（回复楼上）
Like many things in life present circumstances generally count more than past circumstances.
（然而）就像生活中的许多事情一样，现在的情况通常比过去的情况更重要。
Maria C.
That doesn’t change the fact that English was spoken in Europe for centuries before the US, and that the Pilgrims on the Mayflower were from the UK, where the english language was formed and developed, don’t you think? Past circumstances shape the future…
这并不能改变英语在欧洲比美国早几个世纪使用的事实，还有，五月花号上的清教徒来自英国，英语是在那里形成和发展的，你不这么认为吗?过去的情况决定未来……
Profile photo for Bruce Buirkke
Of course they do,but the CURRENT popularity of English is largely because it is the language of the mightiest superpower in history. The USA dominates culturally, scientifically, militarily on and on. The British had their day, and certainly got the ball rolling, but currently we are in an age of giants, USA, China, and Russia. Look at French it was once a must have for the elites, but has become less popular, except in Africa, but some of them are changing to English. So languages wax and wane who started it is not the determining factor, or at least not the main factor.
对，但英语现在如此流行，很大程度上是因为它是历史上最强大的超级大国的语言。美国在文化、科学、军事等方面占据主导地位。英国人有他们的时代，但风水轮流转，现在我们处在一个巨头的时代，美国，中国和俄罗斯。看看法语，它曾经是精英阶层的必备品，但现在已经不那么受欢迎了，除了在非洲，非洲一些人也正在改用英语。所以由谁开始并不是语言兴衰的决定因素，或者至少不是主要因素。
