[Ron] Language is ultimately the core expression of a people's existence. [Arlo] Yes, it is. It mediates our every thought. And inherent in language the metaphors by which we structure experience. We should also point out that language is by no means "static". English today is quite different from the English spoken in 1300. Our modern languages contain the adopted metaphors of many cultures, "kindergarten" is a common "English" word that has made its way into our language from German. This is how it should work, as cultures evolve naturally and interact naturally, their languages evolve.
But this is a far cry from the forcible branding of the tongue of Indians who refused to speak "the King's English", and spoke a language "barbaric" and associated with the tongue of the devil. Lest there be no doubt, I adore English, it has proven to be very adept and assimilative. But I also adore other languages, and ardently believe that the best way we can truly respect and understand each other is to learn the languages of others. Polylingualism is the we are going, rightfully so. Embrace your mothertongue, but learn the words of others. A bumper-sticker for the ages. Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
