Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mprvaxa.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!alberta!ubc-vision!mprvaxa!tbray From: tbray@mprvaxa.UUCP (Tim Bray) Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: English-only Speakers as Uncultured Slobs Message-ID: <480@mprvaxa.UUCP> Date: Wed, 29-Feb-84 11:17:35 EST Article-I.D.: mprvaxa.480 Posted: Wed Feb 29 11:17:35 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 3-Mar-84 09:15:01 EST References: <5761@decwrl.UUCP> <747@psuvax.UUCP>, <201@masscomp.UUCP> Organization: Microtel Pacific Research, Burnaby BC Lines: 21 x <-- USENET insecticide The issue of uni- vs. multi- lingualism is a central one to us Canadians. Having lived in North America and overseas, it is my perception that people who speak more than one language are more likely to be open-minded, well-informed, and better citizens of the world. Also, there is a significant proportion of unilingual anglophones who fall broadly into the redneck category. They base the silliest sort of cultural chauvinism on the fact that English is an international lingua franca for many disciplines. I love the English language. But I would hate to be limited to it. Moldy old European joke: "What do you call someone who speaks 3 languages?" "Trilingual". "What do you call someone who speaks 2 languages?" "Bilingual". "What do you call someone who only speaks 1 language?" "American." decvax!microsoft! or ihnp4!alberta! ...ubc-vision!mprvaxa!tbray