LL-L: "Code switching" LOWLANDS-L, 03.MAR.2000 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L Administrator]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 03.MAR.2000 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
 Posting Address: <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>
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 A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German), S=Scots, Sh=Shetlandic
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From: "Ian James Parsley" <parsley at highbury.fsnet.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L: "Code switching" LOWLANDS-L, 02.MAR.2000 (01) [E]

Lowlanders,

It sounds to me, yet again, as if the situation with Low Saxon and
Scots is
very similar. All Ron said could equally be applied to Scots, certainly
here
in Ireland.

Pepijn's points were interesting. It will be interesting to see what
happens
in East Timor, where apparently only 10% of the people speak
Portuguese,
which has now been chosen as the single official language. Bahasa
Indonesia
and I daresay Dutch would have been candidates, but I would be amazed
if, in
practice, the people don't switch to English as a lingua franca before
Portuguese.

We shall see!

Best,
-------------------------------
Ian James Parsley
http://www.gcty.com/parsleyij
"JOY - Jesus, Others, You"

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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Code switching

Ian wrote:

> It will be interesting to see what
> happens
> in East Timor, where apparently only 10% of the people speak
> Portuguese,
> which has now been chosen as the single official language. Bahasa
> Indonesia
> and I daresay Dutch would have been candidates, but I would be amazed
> if, in
> practice, the people don't switch to English as a lingua franca before
> Portuguese.

Certainly not Indonesian, for obvious political reasons, though it will
probably be important foreign languages besides English.  Why Dutch?  Even
though the Portuguese proficiency rate is relatively low at this point, there
is a tradition of Portuguese in education and administration and as a lingua
franca.  I expect that various types of ties with Portugual will also be
maintained.  I'm surprised that Tetun and Tetun Dili (both of them linguae
francae) have not been made official.  Perhaps this would be perceived as
unfair to the smaller languages, such as Galoli, Habu, Kolana and Naueti.
Still, what's wrong with recognizing all of them, at least as regional
languages?

Whatever happens in East Timor now, it should seem like paradise compared with
the situation of the past twenty years.

Regards,

Reinhard/Ron

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