Defending the language with bullets: If you can read this in English, thank a soldier

[Scot LaFaive]

I recently saw a bumper sticker that had a string of Arabic writing
followed by "If you can't read this, thank a veteran." I nearly
vomited into the bed of the pickup truck.

Scot


On Sat, Aug 2, 2008 at 11:15 PM, Marc Velasco <marcjvelasco at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Marc Velasco <marcjvelasco at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Defending the language with bullets: If you can read this in
>              English, thank a soldier
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Should I thank the revolutionary soldiers who defended us against the
> tyrannical forces of British English, or the bluecoats who defended us
> against the excessive use of "y'all" and "ma'am" found in the Southern
> dialect?
>
>
>
> On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 12:19 AM, Dennis Baron <debaron at illinois.edu> wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Dennis Baron <debaron at ILLINOIS.EDU>
>> Subject:      Defending the language with bullets: If you can read this in
>>              English, thank a soldier
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> There's a new post on the Web of Language:
>>
>> Defending the language with bullets: If you can read this in English, =20=
>>
>> thank a soldier
>>
>> The bumper sticker on the back of a construction worker=92s pickup truck =
>> =20
>> caught my eye: =93If you can read this, thank a teacher . . . .=94
>>
>> This homage to education wasn=92t what I expected from someone whose =20
>> bitterness typically manifests itself in vehicle art celebrating guns =20=
>>
>> and religion, but there was more: =93If you can read this in English, =20=
>>
>> thank a soldier.=94
>>
>> And there it was: a =93support our troops=94 bumper sticker that takes =20=
>>
>> language and literacy out of the classroom and puts them squarely in =20
>> the hands of the military.
>>
>> It=92s one thing to say that we owe our national security and the =20
>> survival of the free world to military might. It=92s something else =20
>> again to be told that we need soldiers to protect the English language
>>
>> But according to this bumper sticker, any chink in our armor, any =20
>> relaxation of our constant vigilance, any momentary lowering of the =20
>> gun barrel, and we=92ll all be speaking Russian, Iraqi, or even Mexican.
>>
>> ..
>>
>> find out what else is wrong with the suggestion, read the whole post =20
>> on the Web of Language
>> ____________________
>> Dennis Baron
>> Professor of English and Linguistics
>> Department of English
>> University of Illinois
>> 608 S. Wright St.
>> Urbana, IL 61801
>>
>> office: 217-244-0568
>> fax: 217-333-4321
>>
>> http://illinois.edu/goto/debaron
>>
>> read the Web of Language:
>> http://illinois.edu/goto/weboflanguage
>>
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>>
>
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