On 9 Sep 2007, at 17:27, Greg wrote:
The Académie Française statistics may be true, but your conclusion probably isn't. Compare the income of French speakers with those who speak English. I'm surprised that they are still fighting the battle.
I must pass that on to some of my French-speaking neighbours over the border in Switzerland, particularly the one who lives in grand style on a minute fraction of the interest on his interest ;-)
As my message made clear, it is possible not to swallow the Académie française figures on the number of French speakers, but the fact remains that the French have fewer problems with quotes than some more Anglo-Saxon keyboarders, thanks to the guillemet. I also find the ≤ and ≥ signs rather useful...
As for the Académie française being chief executioner of the French tongue... perhaps GK has not attended one of their meetings lately... most of those present would have trouble executing a fly, let alone the language of all those billions of people. I have just finished doing an article on Voltaire's attempts to wake them up in 1778, a total failure... et plus ça change!
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