The English language English, or rather American, is the world language. Western economic expansion, and now the Internet, have ensured that. But which language is the best for expressing subtle feelings, shades of attitude and emotion? Which language is the best for poetry and literature? Which language has the most words? Finns, Arabs, Japanese, Hindus, and Zapotecan Mexican Indians will all tell you the same thing: that English is useful for the superficially important - technical manuals, doing business, getting around, pop songs, writing grafitti and so on. But for feelings, emotions and things that matter, there is only one language that does the job. And that is Finnish, Arabic, Japanese, Hindi or Zapotecan, respectively. (Of course they are all wrong. It is English, as any English person can tell you.) In truth, the world's most profound language is whichever one you happened to grow up with. It is the one our mothers sang us to sleep with; the one whose words we first attached to discoveries of pain, joy, surprise, friendship, love, despair, hamburgers and fries. Its words alone capture the true meaning of concepts; any other language can only hint crudely. English has half a million words, more than any other language, according to the reference books. (At least, the ones published in English. Perhaps Finnish and Arabic readers know differently.) So which of them are the most useful? Which are the words that we, as English speakers, find most useful, most profound, most difficult to explain to foreigners? Here is a list of The Most Useful Words. You will hear them on the news, in conversation, at work. They all illustrate the principle that words mean what we choose them to mean, not what the dictionary might say they mean. It doesn't include any slang; using slang in a foreign language is like the middle-aged man who tries to dress like a teenager to impress a woman. It never works. (I know from experience.) 'OK' Supposedly the most-understood expression in the world. (The next is said to be 'Coca-Cola'.) No-one is quite sure how it came to mean 'good' in America in the mid-1800s. 'All right' means exactly the same. It can mean Better Than Expected, or Worse Than Expected. On asking how good a film was, for example, the meaning of the reply 'It was OK' depends on the enthusiasm of the intonation. It can also mean Yes or No; for example, when asked if you would like more coffee, 'OK' means Yes, but 'I'm OK' means No. Therefore, use of 'OK' is best avoided in any situation where misunderstanding might disastrous consequences - for example, when asked what you think of someone's business plan, or replying to the invitations of nightclub touts in Soho. Or, more seriously, if the first cup of coffee was unpleasant instant powder. 'Nice' When describing things or concepts, it used to be a hated word, used unthinkingly to mean pleasant, cosy, unthreatening, bland. Currently back in fashion, thanks to a comic TV character (a spoof jazz programme presenter). Spoken in a low, cool, slightly croaky voice. For example, a particularly impressive piece of software, new car, or stylish suit, is 'Nice!' (Caution: May be out of fashion by next week. Like the suit.) To describe a person as 'nice' is usually a compliment (pleasant, friendly). To describe them as 'nice, but...' is not (it means ineffectual, no personality). 'Great' When spoken in a calm tone, means outstanding, enduring and universally respected (Beethoven, Chekhov, Picasso were 'great'). When spoken with wild enthusiasm, means trivial, ephemeral and for devotees only (for example, a radio DJ who talks about a 'great' new single). 'Great' Britain carries either meaning. 'Interesting' In business meetings, has a range of possible meanings. It can mean hopelessly impractical and uneconomic; or exciting and with as yet unexplored commercial possibilities. A good, safe word to use in reaction to any proposal or idea, because no-one can tell which you mean. You can wait until the plan proves to be either genius or stupidity, then decide which meaning you had in mind. In social life, 'interesting' - spoken with a little hesitation and a smile - is usually a polite way of saying that someone or something is unusual, odd, strange. An 'interesting' evening might be if you were invited to a dinner party and found that your hosts were practising nudists. '-ish' A very useful add-on to almost any word meaning 'approximately, to some extent'. A car can be 'greenish', a film 'longish', a manager 'goodish'. If someone arranges to meet you at 5pm they mean 5pm. If they say 'five-ish', that could be anything from 4.25pm to six o'clock. The word can be used on its own as a reply: is your new manager better than the old one? 'Ish!' - guaranteed to get people smiling. Except your old manager perhaps. 'Right' A troublesome word. It can mean Yes; a direction opposite to left; or a conversational device to introduce a summary or abrupt change of direction. So if you are driving somewhere and say to your map-reader, is it Left here?, the answer 'Right!' could mean 1) Yes, turn left; 2) No, you must turn right; or 3) that you are about to be told of a new plan involving as yet unrevealed directions. To a mathematician, 'Right' means upright, making map-reading even more complicated. 'Potential' Much favoured by estate agents and business. Supposedly implies great opportunities for development, but more often means Needs A Lot Of Money. For example, a house for sale with 'potential' usually means it's falling down. You and I would describe the Titanic as a wreck. A business analyst would describe it as having enormous 'potential'. Use the above words in any order, pad them out with a few hesitations and short words such as 'the', 'a', 'I' and so on, then fill in the spaces with technical jargon or vocabulary appropriate to the situation. You are now speaking English like a native. Easy. Understanding what other people mean is something quite different of course. Ask anyone in Northern Ireland.

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