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

[mr-malk.livejournal.com]

Nope, never seen it before now. It does seem to be a variant on the "If [x] hadn't done [y], you/we/they would all be speaking [z] by now." motif, which I have heard fairly often in different contexts.

I sometimes wonder what we'd have ended up speaking if Drake hadn't defeated the Spanish Armada, Nelson hadn't triumphed at Trafalgar (one might add Wellington winning at Waterloo to that as well, if only because it alliterates well), and if the Germans had won either of the World Wars.

I further wonder whether it would be at least as accurate to suggest that if Harold had beaten William in 1066, we might actually be speaking English right now, rather than the bizarre Franco-Norman/Saxon hybrid that we have evolved since then!

Not only that, but if the Islamic advance into Spain hadn't been checked, and arguably middle-eastern expansionism diverted by the Crusades and the Mongol Invasion, maybe we'd all be speaking Arabic. Unless the Roman Empire had hung on, in which case it'd be Latin of course... unless Hannibal had won the Second Punic War... then we'd (Heaven forfend!) be speaking Welsh!!!

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

I further wonder whether it would be at least as accurate to suggest that if Harold had beaten William in 1066, we might actually be speaking English right now, rather than the bizarre Franco-Norman/Saxon hybrid that we have evolved since then!

And if one does take "English" to mean modern English then perhaps the soldiers we should be thanking are Harold's soldiers, for being bad at their jobs?

Still, if I ever decide to get a bumper sticker of this kind it's going to say:

"Oh hai! Can readz? Thank interwebchoobz!"

[mr-malk.livejournal.com]

Ha! I wondered if someone would pick me up on that! (I'd have been surprised if no one had actually).

You know... if you printed a batch of those bumper stickers, and advertised them online, I would be willing to bet that even in this economic climate, you would make a mint. Of course if you did, and someone subsequently hunted you down and killed you for it, pour discourager les autres* (as it were), I'd have only limited sympathy!

*It's not pretension! It's contextual irony, honest!

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

"If you're not reading this in homo erectus, thank a glacier."

And it would be an aurochs-backside sticker, I suppose.