ELL: list purpose

[Inge Genee]

I apologize for posting this to the list, but since Eric Brunner's email makes
me identifiable (I don't assume there are many Europeans with University of
Lethbridge email accounts on this list) I would like to respond briefly to his
criticisms. I apologize for any offense I may have caused. It was certainly not
intended that way.
After my message about Canadian bilingualism, Eric wrote to me asking to pass
his email address on to any speakers of Blackfoot with email accounts I might
know. He did not say he was a Siksika speaker, but that would not have made any
difference to me. I wrote back saying I would be glad to help but asking why he
wanted to contact them. I did this only out of respect for my friends. Just
because someone is a speaker of a minority language does not mean they should
be subjected to me passing on unsolicited email to them from someone about whom
I know no more than that he subscribes to ELL list. I would have done exactly
the same thing if someone had asked me to pass on their email address or help
them get in touch with speakers of Dutch (my own language) or Frisian or any
other language.
I again apologize to anyone who may have interpreted me in the way Eric
suggests, and for taking your time.
Hartelijke groeten,
-Inge Genee



Eric Brunner-Williams in Portland Maine wrote:

> Oki all,
>
> For the first time in what seems like rather too long, I read twice what
> someone wrote, and replied. The writer to whom I refer is a European who
> apparently is in contact with some other Siksika (or Piikani or Kainaa,
> as I wouldn't expect a non-Blackfoot to know one from the other when she
> reports "Blackfoot speakers", and as she's using a UofLeithbridge account,
> those three are more likely than South Piikani).
>
> To my amazement, this European wanted to apporove, to know why, one Siksika
> wanted to email another.
>
> I have trouble imagining my coorespondents on indian-predominated lists
> requiring the odd Frisian speakers to go through vetting before using a
> language workers list for its intended purpose, which isn't waxing poetic
> on polemics, in English.
>
> If there are any Wabenaki workers (Abenaki, Maliseet-Passamaquoddy, Micmac)
> on the list, or Cree or Siksika, please drop me a line off-list.
>
> Kitakitamatsinopowaw,
> Eric
>
>         J'ai perdu quelque chose...
>         quelque part... dans mes reves,
>         les gens ont commence a parler ...
>         ... en anglais.
>                 Carol Ennis, Maliseet
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