I myself am German, born here, raised here, educated here. That’s an interesting statement and confirms what I have been thinking for a long time. If the scientific marketplace or general hospitality changed appreciably, I think that the status of English as the vehicle language could actually work against the U.S. Anecdotally, when I peruse post-doc listings in Europe, knowledge of the native language is preferred, but proficiency in English is generally required. The ubiquity of English as a second language could actually aid future reverse (or lateral) migration of scientists. But this factor doesn’t have to benefit nations like the U.S., where English is the predominant native language. In the current scientific marketplace, the status of English as the scientific lingua franca still benefits the U.S., as many budding scientists from Europe and Asia speak fluent English. I wonder: did most aspiring non-German scientists in the early 20th century learn German as a second language?) (I imagine this effect of language might be difficult to parcel out, since the transfer of world power status from the UK to US overlapped with the exodus of scientists from Germany. Thus there was no need for innovators from throughout the British Empire to learn a new language in order to succeed in the U.S. In addition to the post-WWII influx of European (and especially German-speaking) scientists and academics, American military & economic power rose as Britain’s waned. Among the many possible factors leading to attractiveness as a host for research, I wonder what you think of language as a possible contributor.
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