Final Word from Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Telefónica of Spain set a record by using three languages and the periodic tables in naming its local Český Telecom/Eurotel merger as Telefónica O2 Czech Republic akciová společnost. This is Spanglicz at its best! Telefónica could have reduced it to mere Czenglish by removing the acento agudo from the "o," but this grammatical hodgepodge makes a statement. English might be the global language of business, but it's increasingly foreigners who are setting the rules. The British Council found that communication in English sometimes goes smoother when no native speakers are present. Their superior command of the language can be a headache for those who just want to use their Czenglish, Denglish, Spanglish, Franglais or Spanglicz to get their point across. If native speakers want to remain in the boardroom, they're the ones who will have to start making most of the language compromises.[Czech Republic a.s. acute accent]