LL-L "Language use" 2007.11.16 (08) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  16 November 2007 - Volume 08
Song Contest: lowlands-l.net/contest/ (- 31 Dec. 2007)
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From: Ben J. Bloomgren <ben.j.bloomgren at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language use" 2007.11.16 (01) [E]

 Hoi alltouhoop,

Thank you for a lovely story Jonny!
In a way it reminds me of the story of my first visit to a rural post office
in Quebec Province, Canada:

My truckdriver friend, a Mennonite Plautsnakker, warned me that the rural
'Québécoise' will refuse to speak to us in English. So we decided
beforehand to
talk to each other in Afrikaans and in Plautdietsch in case this should
happen.

Well, the good old lady greeted us in French, asked where we were from and
grumbled about the rain ruining her raspberries. I asked her for stamps and
she went on refusing to understand me. So then we started talking in our
mother tongues. And she understood the dilemma and said
in good English, 'Oh,
you don't speak French?' and sold me a few stamps.

You go Elsie! I don't understand why people have to be like that and act
like they are monolinguals when they ARE NOT!
Ben
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