> From: Robin Szemeti [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
>> Has anyone yet called French a glue language for English?
>
> ahh ... but what it boils down to is you are indulging in a little
> horse play at the expense of our Gallic freinds. it is amusing to
> make thes little remarks on the hoof is it not? ..
There's a sweet irony in describing English as a global Lingua Franca...
particularly given the sensitivities of our Gallic brethren - quite galling
for them I'm sure :-)
While we're at it, there's an urban myth that sometimes pops up, to the
effect that German almost became the official language of the U.S., missing
out by one or two votes. IIRC, the reality is that in one state there was
once a vote on whether the laws should *also* be published in German (for
the benefit of immigrants), which was defeated by a couple of votes - not
quite the same thing as making German the official language of the U.S.!
Andrew.
