English as a Second Language

I went to an open mike night at a local bookstore where a man read a commentary about how far we have strayed from proper English. I applauded politely, like everyone else, but what I was really thinking was 'how do I set him straight without hurting his feelings?'
Because I, like most of the other listeners there, (two women were English immigrants) speak American. And since the Golden Age of Hollywood, most of the rest of the world has adopted American also.
Not that the American language spreads only because of cultural exports. Movies and music might be how people from other countries learn the vernacular, but American is also the language of science, technology, diplomacy and money- the 'lingua franca' of modern times.
Just a short note. Lingua franca once referred to the fact that in order to move about the world of money and diplomacy, you needed to learn French as a second language. Those days passed as the British Empire grew. Also, German used to be the language of science and technology.
But as the American folk song goes, 'the beat goes on.' All over the world, people who say they are learning English are disappointed if they have wasted their time when what they really meant to learn was American.
This became obvious to me when talking to a young immigrant from Hong Kong. She spoke English really well, but once she got here, she realized that she needed to speak American real good. I remember once when Jerry and I went to a small, empty hotel bar in Germany, the ambitious young woman who served us was anxious to practice speaking 'English' because that is a requirement for promotion in the travel industry. She had a pretty good vocabulary, all pronounced in unmistakable American.
So when I hear people saying English should be the official language of the USA, I point out that I speak American, and if they want to talk to me they had better speak American too.
Unless I'm in Germany where I like to practice my hobby language of Deutch.
Nancy Sherer