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To speak English, or not to speak: that is the question.
With Brexit looming on the horizons, the future of English as an official and working language of the European Union seems uncertain. If Brexit does indeed happen, it will be hard for English to maintain its dominant status. Malta and Ireland are the only Member States that use English – alongside their indigenous languages (Maltese and Irish respectively) – as an official language. The next vote on Brexit is scheduled for October 31, 2019. Until then, we should already consider different linguistic options: Will the English language exit hand in hand with the United Kingdom? What about German and French?
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“What’s up?” Formal vs. Informal Language Use
In most European languages there is usually a formal and informal version of the personal pronoun “you”. For example, in German “Du” can be replaced by “Sie” and in Hungarian “Te” or “Ti” can be replaced by “Ön” or “Önök”. Some people consider the wrong usage as being rude and irreverent. However, in today’s fast-paced society informal language seems to become the norm as nobody seems to have time for politeness. The question gives itself: When does language become too casual? Is casual language a bad language? Who decides?
