another item for Dennis B's Web of Language?

[Laurence Horn]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/us/30english.html?scp=2&sq=Vietnamese&st=nyt

All about the recent commencement in a high school in Louisiana in
which the co-valedictorians, cousins Hue and Cindy Vo, delivered part
of their commencement addresses in Vietnamese.  More exactly, Cindy
spoke one sentence in Vietnamese (to honor her parents, whose English
isn't great) and translated it.  To prevent this outrage from ever
recurring, school officials are considering banning the use of any
language other than English in commencement speeches.  As a school
board official explained, "I don't like them addressing [sic] in a
foreign language.  They should be in English." On the other hand, or
maybe it's the same hand--hard to tell--the officials are also
considering requiring prayer.

LH

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