LL-L "Language politics" 2011.07.08 (05) [EN]

[Lowlands-L List]

====================================================
 L O W L A N D S - L - 08 July 2011 - Volume 05
lowlands.list at gmail.com - http://lowlands-l.net/
Posting: lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org
Archive: http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html
Encoding: Unicode (UTF-08)
Language Codes: lowlands-l.net/codes.php
 =====================================================

 From: Isaac M. Davis isaacmacdonalddavis at gmail.com
 Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2011.07.08 (03) [EN-FR-NL]

Paul Finlow-Bates wrote:
>
>  Might I also add that my experience of Finland is that most of the native
> Finnish speakers I know resent having to learn Swedish at school; many
> thought it a waste of valuable time that could be spent learning something
> else - most thought more English.  Despite the fact that to work in any
> service industry you must be fluent in both, plus English, it seems to have
> done little to reduce the general antipathy towards Swedish-speaking Finns.
> I was surprised to find it was so strong even amongst young people.
>

It's fascinating how similar that is to attitudes in Canada as well, in this
case mainly the attitudes of Anglophones who have to learn French. The
attitudes of Francophones towards learning English are a bit different, but
I don't know whether they'd map closely onto Fenno-Swedes, since the closest
Francophone populations in any given direction are nowhere near as close to
French Canada as other Swedish-speaking populations are to Finland, and I
would expect that to have an impact on attitudes.

Isaac M. Davis

-- 

"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master."
—Abraham Lincoln
=========================================================
 Send posting submissions to lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org.
 Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.
 Send commands (including "signoff lowlands-l") to
 listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or lowlands.list at gmail.com
 http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html .
 http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=118916521473498
  =========================================================
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lowlands-l/attachments/20110708/559ba63c/attachment.htm>