Oxford Round Table--which doesn't sound very "round"

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

On Oct 24, 2006, at 7:38 AM, Charlie Doyle wrote:

> In this morning's mail I received a form letter from the so-called
> Oxford Round Table ("at Harris Manchester College, Oxford,
> England"), an organization I'd never heard of. The letter begins:
>
> << It is understood by most scholars that a standard language is
> the foundation of a viable nation-state.  Established nations . . .
> cohere around a common national language that is spoken, written
> and perpetuatied by mass literacy and universal schooling.
> However, a natural effect of migration of peoples to the United
> States and other developed countries has created an increased
> concern for bilingual education . . . . >>
>
> "Most scholars," huh?  Is the Oxford Round Table a front for some
> right-wing anti-immigrant crusade?  What IS it--really?

hard to tell from the website:
   http://www.oxfordroundtable.co.uk/

though the interests of the organization seem to be educational
policy in general.

what was the point of the letter?

arnold

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