If you're reading this in English

[undyingking]

Interesting post in languagelog about a bumper sticker saying "If you can read this, thank a teacher. And if you're reading it in English, thank a soldier."

I won't reiterate the discussion there¹ -- but I wondered if anyone had seen this sentiment expressed in the UK, where it would make a lot more sense as a proposition, in relation to WWII². Has anyone in the UK seen or heard of the teachers' message being added to / hijacked in this way?

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1 Except to say that I favour the "ill-thought-out generalized right-wing puffery" theory.
2 Of course one might argue that Battle of Britain aircrew, naval convoys, or Russians, were more to thank, but leave that for now.

Comments

[zengineer.livejournal.com]

I always imagined that the Irish and Scottish spoke English due to invasions by English soldiers in the middle ages and that America and the Commonwealth spoke English due to Colonial soldiers displacing indigenous populations and enforcing European systems of government. A simplification of course and I don't think we would speak German if they had won WWII (they don't all speak English after all).

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

they don't all speak English after all

Ah, but of course they would have been far more fiendishly dictatorial in their triumph than we were.

[celestialweasel.livejournal.com]

But is there any evidence that they planned to do this? Surely not.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

None that David Irving couldn't airily dismiss.