Joke about American ethnocentricism
David and Bonnie Altman
A person who knows three languages is trilingual.
A person who knows two languages is bilingual.
What do you call a person who knows only one language?
<scroll down>
American.
A person who knows two languages is bilingual.
What do you call a person who knows only one language?
<scroll down>
American.
[email protected]
HHAHAHAH..
aint it sad, tho??
L
aint it sad, tho??
L
----- Original Message -----
From: David and Bonnie Altman
To: '[email protected]'
Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2002 10:59 PM
Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] Joke about American ethnocentricism
A person who knows three languages is trilingual.
A person who knows two languages is bilingual.
What do you call a person who knows only one language?
<scroll down>
American.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Fetteroll
on 8/9/02 1:14 PM, llindsey3@... at llindsey3@... wrote:
There isn't any other one language that makes an American jump up and say
wow, this could be really useful! Lots of languages could be useful for some
Americans in specific instances but not one that has universal usefulness.
Even being bilingual doesn't have universal uses. Unless that second
language is English! English is becoming a universal language like Latin
used to be.
I think it was said in the video series "The Story of English" that the
second largest publisher of English language books is India. They couldn't
agree on which of the major languages to make the official language of India
so English became the de facto official language. I couldn't find the exact
reference in the book but ran across an Indian scientist who said "if you
meet an active, working scientist abroad, more often than not you can get by
speaking English with him." This is just a guess but if a non-English
speaker is bilingual it's way more likely his second language is English
than any other language.
Native speakers of other languages aren't looked down on for not learning
another language to demonstrate they aren't ethnocentric. If non-English
speakers learn another language it's because they think it will be useful. I
don't see why Americans should be held to different standards.
Joyce
> HHAHAHAH..But ain't it expected? What other language *would* Americans learn? And why?
> aint it sad, tho??
There isn't any other one language that makes an American jump up and say
wow, this could be really useful! Lots of languages could be useful for some
Americans in specific instances but not one that has universal usefulness.
Even being bilingual doesn't have universal uses. Unless that second
language is English! English is becoming a universal language like Latin
used to be.
I think it was said in the video series "The Story of English" that the
second largest publisher of English language books is India. They couldn't
agree on which of the major languages to make the official language of India
so English became the de facto official language. I couldn't find the exact
reference in the book but ran across an Indian scientist who said "if you
meet an active, working scientist abroad, more often than not you can get by
speaking English with him." This is just a guess but if a non-English
speaker is bilingual it's way more likely his second language is English
than any other language.
Native speakers of other languages aren't looked down on for not learning
another language to demonstrate they aren't ethnocentric. If non-English
speakers learn another language it's because they think it will be useful. I
don't see why Americans should be held to different standards.
Joyce
[email protected]
OH MY.. there are SO many people on this earth that do NOT speak english.. perhaps because i live so close to mexico i am particularly aware of the value of speaking more than one language. speaking to people from other cultures is so fascinating and educational.. and to be able to learn from them in their language would teach me so much more.
besides, it's fun to speak another language.. and a bit egocentric (ethnocentric?) nto think that our language is better than others.. they are different, not better or worse.. the reason most business is done in the world in english is because america is like a MAJOR market.. people want to sell us things.. AND english has a lot of words and things can get nailed down fairly well with it.... i am sure there are other languages that could fill that bill, but they dont have the money we do
L
besides, it's fun to speak another language.. and a bit egocentric (ethnocentric?) nto think that our language is better than others.. they are different, not better or worse.. the reason most business is done in the world in english is because america is like a MAJOR market.. people want to sell us things.. AND english has a lot of words and things can get nailed down fairly well with it.... i am sure there are other languages that could fill that bill, but they dont have the money we do
L
----- Original Message -----
From: Fetteroll
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, August 09, 2002 3:01 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Joke about American ethnocentricism
on 8/9/02 1:14 PM, llindsey3@... at llindsey3@... wrote:
> HHAHAHAH..
> aint it sad, tho??
But ain't it expected? What other language *would* Americans learn? And why?
There isn't any other one language that makes an American jump up and say
wow, this could be really useful! Lots of languages could be useful for some
Americans in specific instances but not one that has universal usefulness.
Even being bilingual doesn't have universal uses. Unless that second
language is English! English is becoming a universal language like Latin
used to be.
I think it was said in the video series "The Story of English" that the
second largest publisher of English language books is India. They couldn't
agree on which of the major languages to make the official language of India
so English became the de facto official language. I couldn't find the exact
reference in the book but ran across an Indian scientist who said "if you
meet an active, working scientist abroad, more often than not you can get by
speaking English with him." This is just a guess but if a non-English
speaker is bilingual it's way more likely his second language is English
than any other language.
Native speakers of other languages aren't looked down on for not learning
another language to demonstrate they aren't ethnocentric. If non-English
speakers learn another language it's because they think it will be useful. I
don't see why Americans should be held to different standards.
Joyce
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Fetteroll
on 8/9/02 4:46 PM, llindsey3@... at llindsey3@... wrote:
language to learn, what would it be? (Obviously way more people speak
Mandarin Chinese but that won't do much good in Somalia, France, Czech
Republic, Chili ... )
Don't get me wrong. I think it would be "nice" and "good" for Americans to
be multilingual. But nice and good don't translate into practical. And
aren't we unschooling so our kids aren't subjected to other's ideas about
what it would be "nice" and "good" for them to know? So that our kids can
learn what they want and need to learn? For what practical universal reason
do our kids need to know another language? And, again, what language?
particular. I would bet the percentage of English speakers near the border
who are bilingual is considerably higher than anywhere else because there's
a *practical* reason to be bilingual.
As a New Englander what *practical* use would I find in speaking another
language? And which language? Spanish? Korean? Hindi? Chinese? (Which
Chinese?) Arabic? Thai? Those are probably some of the most commonly spoken
other languages around here but I've never met a sufficient number of any of
those groups to have made knowing their language of practical use. (And if
it isn't used it fades away just like my high school Spanish.)
And of course they all speak English anyway!
languages for "fun" is the same as in the US. Everyone else has learned for
practical reasons. Why should Americans be put down because they aren't
multiligual for *impractical* reasons?
likely to encounter someone who speaks English in a randomly chosen foreign
country than any other language makes English more practical to know.
What other language is as practical to know as English? I suspect the second
most practical language is a distant second.
Joyce
> OH MY.. there are SO many people on this earth that do NOT speak english..But if someone wanted to become a world traveler and could pick *one* other
language to learn, what would it be? (Obviously way more people speak
Mandarin Chinese but that won't do much good in Somalia, France, Czech
Republic, Chili ... )
Don't get me wrong. I think it would be "nice" and "good" for Americans to
be multilingual. But nice and good don't translate into practical. And
aren't we unschooling so our kids aren't subjected to other's ideas about
what it would be "nice" and "good" for them to know? So that our kids can
learn what they want and need to learn? For what practical universal reason
do our kids need to know another language? And, again, what language?
> perhaps because i live so close to mexico i am particularly aware of the valueI suspect you're aware of the value of speaking both English and Spanish in
> of speaking more than one language.
particular. I would bet the percentage of English speakers near the border
who are bilingual is considerably higher than anywhere else because there's
a *practical* reason to be bilingual.
As a New Englander what *practical* use would I find in speaking another
language? And which language? Spanish? Korean? Hindi? Chinese? (Which
Chinese?) Arabic? Thai? Those are probably some of the most commonly spoken
other languages around here but I've never met a sufficient number of any of
those groups to have made knowing their language of practical use. (And if
it isn't used it fades away just like my high school Spanish.)
And of course they all speak English anyway!
> besides, it's fun to speak another language..I'd bet the percentage of non-English speakers who've learned other
languages for "fun" is the same as in the US. Everyone else has learned for
practical reasons. Why should Americans be put down because they aren't
multiligual for *impractical* reasons?
> and a bit egocentric (ethnocentric?) nto think that our language is better*I* never said English was better. But the fact that someone is far more
> than others..
likely to encounter someone who speaks English in a randomly chosen foreign
country than any other language makes English more practical to know.
What other language is as practical to know as English? I suspect the second
most practical language is a distant second.
Joyce
[email protected]
In a message dated 8/9/02 4:33:19 PM, fetteroll@... writes:
<< As a New Englander what *practical* use would I find in speaking another
language? And which language? >>
Quebeçois-French so you can watch Canadian hockey in its native language! :-)
<< As a New Englander what *practical* use would I find in speaking another
language? And which language? >>
Quebeçois-French so you can watch Canadian hockey in its native language! :-)
[email protected]
I think the most practical use of learning another language is the glimpse into another culture that it provides.. (and dont forget it is much easier to learn more languages when dos.. i mean you two..)
L
L
----- Original Message -----
From: Fetteroll
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, August 09, 2002 5:36 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Joke about American ethnocentricism
on 8/9/02 4:46 PM, llindsey3@... at llindsey3@... wrote:
> OH MY.. there are SO many people on this earth that do NOT speak english..
But if someone wanted to become a world traveler and could pick *one* other
language to learn, what would it be? (Obviously way more people speak
Mandarin Chinese but that won't do much good in Somalia, France, Czech
Republic, Chili ... )
Don't get me wrong. I think it would be "nice" and "good" for Americans to
be multilingual. But nice and good don't translate into practical. And
aren't we unschooling so our kids aren't subjected to other's ideas about
what it would be "nice" and "good" for them to know? So that our kids can
learn what they want and need to learn? For what practical universal reason
do our kids need to know another language? And, again, what language?
> perhaps because i live so close to mexico i am particularly aware of the value
> of speaking more than one language.
I suspect you're aware of the value of speaking both English and Spanish in
particular. I would bet the percentage of English speakers near the border
who are bilingual is considerably higher than anywhere else because there's
a *practical* reason to be bilingual.
As a New Englander what *practical* use would I find in speaking another
language? And which language? Spanish? Korean? Hindi? Chinese? (Which
Chinese?) Arabic? Thai? Those are probably some of the most commonly spoken
other languages around here but I've never met a sufficient number of any of
those groups to have made knowing their language of practical use. (And if
it isn't used it fades away just like my high school Spanish.)
And of course they all speak English anyway!
> besides, it's fun to speak another language..
I'd bet the percentage of non-English speakers who've learned other
languages for "fun" is the same as in the US. Everyone else has learned for
practical reasons. Why should Americans be put down because they aren't
multiligual for *impractical* reasons?
> and a bit egocentric (ethnocentric?) nto think that our language is better
> than others..
*I* never said English was better. But the fact that someone is far more
likely to encounter someone who speaks English in a randomly chosen foreign
country than any other language makes English more practical to know.
What other language is as practical to know as English? I suspect the second
most practical language is a distant second.
Joyce
If you have questions, concerns or problems with this list, please email the moderator, Joyce Fetteroll (fetteroll@... ) or the list owner, Helen Hegener (HEM-Editor@...).
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[email protected]
Visit the Unschooling website: http://www.unschooling.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Tia Leschke
>Canadian hockey still exists? Haven't most of the teams moved south by now?
><< As a New Englander what *practical* use would I find in speaking another
>language? And which language? >>
>
>Quebeçois-French so you can watch Canadian hockey in its native language! :-)
Tia
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Eleanor Roosevelt
*********************************************
Tia Leschke
leschke@...
On Vancouver Island