I have reverted to Simplified English in my everyday speech. Not just with Japanese folks. Not just with the Italians, French, Chinese, and Germans populating the dorms. No, even with Americans and Brits, I find myself using simple language and speaking... absurdly... slowly.... (Yes, slower than normal.)
You may not be familiar with this concept, but there are some people out there who are proposing that the commonly-used international language should be Simplified English. For internationals, what is the point of memorizing all of the plural exceptions, obscure sentence patterns, and bizarre spellings? As long as information is carried across, there's no need for sticklerism.
Before you balk, please consider this: according to Wikipedia, estimates vary, but many indicate that there are more speakers of English as a second language than there are speakers of it as their native tongue. There are more of them than us. Therefore shouldn't they have a say in how English is to be defined?
They certainly have a say in how my English is defined. I go around saying stuff like "This fish does good." "I live on floor one." "At this time can you go?" Help.
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