It takes more than a language to unify a nation

[Jonathan Lighter]

I don't see beauty in that. I see cereal boxes with less room for games and color cartoons and to keep the kids quiet while you eat.

  JL

Stefan Dollinger <dstefan at INTERCHANGE.UBC.CA> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Stefan Dollinger
Subject: Re: It takes more than a language to unify a nation
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I am very puzzled by the call (or at least suggestion) for "English-only =
ballots" and "English-only cereal boxes".=20
While I understand that someone can start feeling uneasy about seeing =
another language in a place where there used to be only the majority =
language, these feelings are the expression of societal fears (a culture =
of fear, some have argued). I strongly believe that one should celebrate =
any diversification of codes in a society and embrace multilingualism. =
In Canada, they've had English and French texts on boxes since 1969 and =
English is still spoken. In Europe, you find up to 12 languages =
(sometimes more) on these boxes. Which linguist would not find that =
beautiful? It's up to us to tell the non-linguist and make them see the =
beauty in it. And yes, especially in the States.

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