There was a time when it was clear that German was the language of the upper classes and Czech the language of the poor. To a certain extent, the same is true of English today. That is why some parents are trying to make English their children’s first and primary language, and others at least welcome the fact that the Ministry of Education is suppressing Czech and promoting English in the new framework plan.
But the “to some extent” is true.
When a Czech learns English today, it is not the English of Rudyard Kipling, C.S. Lewis or Bertrand Russell. It is a primitive business language with a very limited vocabulary and extremely simplified grammar. It is not concerned with how to express the same thing in different ways. Subtle nuances of language are very rare. There is a complete lack of expression for many complicated philosophical and logical issues.
Even if someone wanted to get into that difficult, complicated English, they wouldn’t have the teachers to do it, and they wouldn’t have the interlocutors to develop it.
It’s great for quick communication. It’s just that language is also a fundamental medium of thought, conceptual intelligence and creativity. Moving around in a primitive language is like having a third of your brain switched off.
With English, on the other hand, you still have a decent chance that school, books and a stimulating family background will expose you to a complex language with many layers and styles, an incredibly wide vocabulary and endless play with meaning. This leads to a completely different conceptual intelligence and creativity.
It’s an absolutely fundamental difference from the 19th century, when it was possible to learn German in a more sophisticated way than the English of that time.
So who will have the upper hand in life? Who will be more easily replaced by artificial intelligence?