LL-L "Language politics" 2011.06.02 (04) [EN]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 02 June 2011 - Volume 04
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From: James Ward jamesward at earthlink.net <mike.keach at gmail.com>

Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2011.06.01 (04) [EN]


I have a wistful fondness for Esperanto.  It still has a lot going for it!
 :)

(I shouldn't reply this close to my vacation, but I had to say it.)

With best wishes,

James Ward

Mike Wintzer wrote:

> From: Mike Wintzer k9mw at yahoo.com
> Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2011.05.31 (03) [EN]
>
> Hi Lowlanders,
> Risking the wrath of many of you,
> I would advocate ONE language
> as the lingua franca for the EU,
> for expediency I would choose
> Basic English.

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From: Roger Thijs, Euro-Support, Inc.
roger.thijs at euro-support.be<mike.keach at gmail.com>

Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2011.06.02 (03) [EN]

Two years ago, on a conference of Apics in Toronto, I met a staff member
of a Canadian National Bank division in Montreal. We started speaking
French, but, though I'm not too bad in French, I had big difficulties with
understanding him, and we switched to English.

If I understand what is written in:
http://people.ucalgary.ca/~dcwalker/PronCF.pdf  (Text in English)
there is acceptance inside Canada for a big variety of spoken French when
used in public.

However in written French I don't see that variation (though there may be
some writings in local styles)
(There are many dictionaries of Quebecquois, but these do no cover a
standardized "written" language, I think)

Regards,
Roger

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From: Paul Finlow-Bates wolf_thunder51 at yahoo.co.uk <mike.keach at gmail.com>

Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2011.06.02 (01) [EN]

>From Marlou:

(Now Non-Germans, if you google "oettinger english" and find some videos,
prepare for a good laugh! And YES, it is the same man!!!)

Well, I think my German is a bit better than his English, but I'm not going
to point the finger.  However, this the problem with "English as Lingua
Franca" idea.  There are about 400 million people who speak English, and
another billion or so who think they do.

And it shows in everything from equipment instructions to technical papers.
Everyone is too proud to use a translator, and half the time we get
gibberish.  I don't mind if some new world language evolves out of English,
as long as it has a consistent grammar and syntax.  Much of the stuff we
read has neither.

Paul

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From: Mike Wintzer k9mw at yahoo.com <mike.keach at gmail.com>

Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2011.06.02 (01) [EN]

Hi all,

Paul writes: «surely any citizen of Germany needs to speak German»
Step out of the box with me for a moment, Paul. I am born in LS,
I speak LS, why would I need to speak the language of a neighbouring
region? Yes, Germany considers LS part of itself, but if it suppresses
my mothertongue by imposing their foreign language in education,
media, administration, I tell them leave LS alone. It's not your country.
I don't want to be a citizen of your country.

Marlou writes: «The only winner would be the lingua franca.»
You put your finger there on THE great danger. If the l.f.
inherits the rôle of our present so-called «national»
languages, i.e. highly prestigious, the language of the
more educated, in fact a mother tongue to some, the
most educated and priviledged, then we are back to the
same mess, only on a larger scale. The beginning of
this you describe so poignantly for Germany. It is even
more advanced in some countries such as the Netherlands.
The boundaries of the lingua franca would have to be
defined in a strict legal framework, in the regional Constitutions:
Indiginous language for all domains of public life, administration,
education, media etc. with the use of the lingua france
strictly limited to interregional communication, e.g.
the European government, bi-lingual road signs or
a Catalan having to defend himself in a Welsh court.
I know this requires out-of-the-box thinking which most
people, including governments, are not capable of.

Sincere greetings, Mike Wintzer

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