<div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">===========================================<br>L O W L A N D S - L - 11 May 2009 - Volume 03<br style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Encoding: Unicode (UTF-08)</span><br style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">
<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Language Codes: <a href="http://lowlands-l.net/codes.php">lowlands-l.net/codes.php</a></span><br>===========================================<br></div><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">From: </span><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="gI"><span class="gD" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 28);">Hellinckx Luc</span> <span class="go"><<a href="mailto:luc.hellinckx@gmail.com">luc.hellinckx@gmail.com</a>></span></span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Subject: </span><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="gI">LL-L "Language politics"<br><br></span><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Beste John,</span><div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br><div><div><div>You wrote:</div><br><blockquote type="cite"> Roger Thijs wrote<br><div><font size="2">Since (<strong>many) Flemish people</strong> speak both Dutch <strong>and French</strong> (+ eventually local varieties),</font></div>
<div><font size="2">there is no incentive for French people to speak Dutch. Why should they? For fairness? <strong>Who does such an effort just for fairness?</strong></font></div><br>I believe the French people are being unfair to themselves.<br>
<br>They are losing the opportunity of adding another great literature in Nederlands to their own great literature. <br> Vondel,
Hoofdt and even Vadertje Cats or Bredero can only be to their
advantage. Translations are mostly wan and pale things that lack life. <br><br>As mens iets raak wil sê moet mens soms 'n ander taal se sê- goed hê.<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Nowadays,
given the choice, I think most Walloons prefer to study English instead
of Dutch. If Dutch (economic) resurgence in Belgium would have happened
fifty years ago, it might have been different. Those happy few Walloons
that will take up a third language may even consider Spanish.</div><div><br></div><div>Kind greetings,</div><div><br></div><font color="#888888"><div>Luc Hellinckx</div></font><div><br></div><div>PS: Your family name would be "Verschueren, Verscheure, Schuermans..." and the like in Dutch.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">From: R. F. Hahn <<a href="mailto:sassisch@yahoo.com" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US">sassisch@yahoo.com</span></a>> </span><br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
Subject: </span><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Language politics</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks, Luc </span><i style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">et al.</i><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">!</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">We mustn't forget that most Walloons speak French as a second language, though that shouldn't be an excuse for anything.</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">So everything clearly points to the fact that Walloons consider the Dutch language inconsequential. Theoretically, this alone should explain some of the anger felt by Northern Belgians. On the other hand, Dutch speakers themselves often act as though they consider their own language inconsequential, certainly when foreigners want to learn it and they answer in "major" languages.</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">You could argue that all this is pragmatic on a certain level: learning "key" languages and ignore the rest. This is very common in Europe.</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">And, while I don't want to step on anyone's toes, I must add that this "Belgian anomaly" may be a case of "the chickens coming home to roost (and taking their time doing so)". Didn't it all begin with the Protestant vs. Catholic rift in which religion was considered more important than common language and culture? Of course, the French and Spanish "defenders" did their bit. But the long and short of it is that Southern Dutch speakers and their Romance-speaking bedfellows don't really get along. Sorry if I crossed the line here.</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Regards,</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Reinhard/Ron</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Seattle,USA</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
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