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E-mail is not French

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Sofia
 
  1  
Reply Sun 20 Jul, 2003 05:10 pm
Damn French has taken over the 'Mercun language!
Funny, Tartarin. Laughing
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InfraBlue
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 02:34 am
"Why shouldn't English be made the official language of the US?"

Because languages other than English are spoken in the U.S. of A.
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InfraBlue
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 02:34 am
"Yep. And welcome, InfraBlue -- don't believe I've met you before."

Thanks for the welcome. I joined A2K on an invitation from Perception about a year ago, but I had lost the url. I found it only about a month or so ago!

Perception used to be on Abuzz.com, but he left there for here. I still post over there, though; spammers and the flamers be damned. This forum is a lot more composed than that one. All of the philosophers migrated here. I'm glad fresco is here. I really enjoy reading his posts. The big topic over there is Israel/Palestine, and emotions get highly inflamed. But that's when the truth is revealed, I think. People really lay it on the line in those discussions. But I digress. There is a greater diversity of topics here at A2K. Thanks again for the welcome.
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Setanta
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 04:37 am
Of course, English is the official language of the United States. I also find it hilarious when English speakers object to the French having and preserving their own language--how very contrary they are.
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Setanta
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 04:40 am
au1929 wrote:
Walter
I don't understand the language but I get the picture.
France wants to protect it's language. IMO the French are still smarting because French which had been the language of diplomacy has been supplanted by English. The French are very bad losers, Why I do not know they should be used to it.


How very silly.
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Walter Hinteler
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 05:39 am
Perhaps we poor folks, grewing up at the bottom of human (?) existence with a different language than AMERICAN English, should be glad, when (if, I've learnt "English English") we get the opportunity to express ourselves in this superior language.
And after that, we of course will have to stay reverentially in lifelong thankfulness to the American government and people for this gtatitude. :wink:
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au1929
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 05:44 am
Setanta
English is not the official language of the US. There have been movements to make it so but they have always been rebuffed. There is no official language of the US
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Craven de Kere
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 05:47 am
I think we should retaliate by not allowing the Normans to ever invade England again.
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Walter Hinteler
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 05:52 am
However, since a lot of states have "English only" legislation, English might well be called a "de-facto official language".

Quote:
English Only legislation first appeared in 1981 as a constitutional English Language Amendment. This proposal, if approved by a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate and ratified by three-quarters of state legislatures, would have banned virtually all uses of languages other than English by federal, state, and local governments. But the measure has never come to a Congressional vote, even in committee.

Since 1981, 22 states have adopted various forms of Official English legislation, in addition to four that had already done so. Subtracting Hawai'i (which is officially bilingual), along with Alaska and Arizona (whose English-only initiatives have been declared unconstitutional) leaves a total of 23 states with active Official English laws.

source:
Language Legislation in the U.S.A.
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dlowan
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 05:58 am
Craven de Kere wrote:
I think we should retaliate by not allowing the Normans to ever invade England again.


What about the Brentons, Harries, and Horaces?











Sorry......long day.
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Walter Hinteler
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 06:10 am
Thanks, Dlowan, I really want to add my ancestors from Angeln and especially (being of such origin) Saxon.
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Craven de Kere
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 06:12 am
They can invade as long as they don't add French to the English vocabulary.
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au1929
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 06:17 am
Walter
Again there is no official language of The US.
Regarding the issue at hand. No one is suggesting that the French use English or any other language other than French. It is about the French allowing words that are not French to enter their vocabulary. That is not the case in the US. where foreign words and expression continuously enter ours.
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Setanta
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 06:18 am
Quibble, quibble, quibble -- every document produced by the United States government which has the force of law is in English. English is the official language of the United States.
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Setanta
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 06:18 am
au1929 wrote:
Walter
Again there is no official language of The US.
Regarding the issue at hand. No one is suggesting that the French use English or any other language other than French. It is about the French allowing words that are not French to enter their vocabulary. That is not the case in the US. where foreign words and expression continuously enter ours.



LMAO . . . how very superior we are . . .
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Tartarin
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 06:25 am
When I once worked with the Canadian gov (and ours) on a handbook for American and Canadian actors and musicians and other performing artists working across the border (tax and immigration law,mostly), I had to plan for Canada having two official languages. I came up with the idea of a single booklet which, leafed through this way, was in English, and when reversed and leafed through from other other end, had a cover and title page in French and read through in French. Which turned out to be completely acceptable as long as the French side was never referred to as the upside-down side...! Voila!

Craven -- we use French words all the time in English. They just get absorbed and unnoticed.

Nope, there is no official language in the US and many official and other documents, signs, etc., are in Spanish as well as English... and sometimes French, too.
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Walter Hinteler
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 06:28 am
au1929 wrote:
That is not the case in the US. where foreign words and expression continuously enter ours.


Yes, all laws are in French, German and Spanish :wink:
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Craven de Kere
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 06:40 am
The only reason English wasn't determined to be an "official" language is because of oversight. It was a given and nobody thought to standardize it.

But to act like we don't have out own language issues is a bit disingenuous.

Before a Congressional committee the president of Reading Railroad once said: "These workers don't suffer, they don't even speak English." Discrimination against nonanglophones is well documented in our history and the criticism of the English Language Amendment is not based on recognition of english as our official language but rather rejecting the recognition of certain attitudes (xenophobia and plain language discrimination) that was perceived in it's supporters. I think they are spot on to be wary. IMO it has yet to be proposed except as a pretext.

Throughout our history the attempt to undermine new languages is prevalent:

Benjamin Franklin:

Quote:
"Why should the Palatine Boors be suffered to swarm into our Settlements, and by herding together establish their Language and Manners to the exclusion of ours? Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a Colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of our Anglifying them, and will never adopt our Language or Customs, any more than they can acquire our Complexion?" (The papers of Benjamin Franklin. Ed. Leonard W. Labaree. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 1959. vol 4:234).


Our congress has rejected using german to publish legal notices (in addition to English). This is a quote so common to that situationthat when I looked it up I found that I'd gotten it right the first time.

Quote:
"What! In the Cherokee? [and in] the Old Congo language!" (Congressional Globe 1844, 7)


More:

Quote:
"English should and must be the only medium of instruction in public, private, denominational and other similar schools. Conversation in public places, on trains, and over the telephone should be in the English language. Let those who cannot speak or understand the English language conduct their religious worship in their home." (New York Times, 18 June 1918, p. 12).


We even had to declare such discrimination illegal: 262 U.S. 390, 273 U.S. 284

So while the French are indeed sensitive about their language I don't think this is something to be proud about.
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fbaezer
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 01:03 pm
Really really... do you really think the French are as dumb and nationalistic as the Americans who invented "freedom fries", "freedom toast" or "freedom manicure"?

Well, come to think about it...


But one thing for sure, their useless "protection" of the French language does not have anything to do with Iraq. It's not a payback, nor anything like it.
It has to do with the sinking feeling of "superior" French culture being overwhelmed by "tasteless" Angloamerican culture.
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fbaezer
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Jul, 2003 01:51 pm
"English only" policies are quite tasteless, though, to say the least.
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