Monday, June 9, 2008

Writes Like She Talks

Someone in this thread in which I announced the Blogging in Tongues project wrote, “I have to think protecting what is the language today is wise.”And my reaction:

Protect it from what? What exactly are we afraid of?

I don’t see where, practically speaking, we have anything to fear about the use of language - language is a way to communicate but we all already communicate in multiple ways. Having multiple languages is no different. We provide accommodation for sight and hearing differences. Why not language?
The purpose of making state-related information available in languages other than English is to enrich not just the individuals who need that alternative, but the rest of us for the experience and knowledge and skills those individuals bring.

Why is the organic (as well as invited) evolution of any society, from something homogeneous into one that includes people with differences so hard for people to accept? What is the actual fear?

I just don’t get that. To me, it’s arrogant and uninformed and disrespects some of the basic premises of what makes many of us most proud of our country.

People need to get with the 21st Century and stop being so fearful of what is different.

You can read the bill here. You can find the contact info for your representatives in the senate here (it's already passed the house).

This post of mine includes comments written by regular Ohioans in which they express, vehemently at times, why this bill in theory as it would be in practice, is so repulsive. Finally, the ACLU is urging that the legislation be quashed because it is "ill-conceived, will lead to costly litigation and will hurt Ohio's ability to attract innovative companies and good jobs."

See the original post here.

3 comments:

-Sepp said...

So having a common language to conduct business is a bad thing? Are you going to do your next tax form in Armaic purely to enrich yourself...and hope for the best?
Sure it's easy to play liberal diversity games on your blog but, show me where your heart really is and demand that every staff member of your surgical team speak a different language should you need an operation!
Funny how that "diversity" goes out the window when it's life or, death and having people who can effectively communicate becomes important.

English being the common language and made into the "official" language cheats no one from the opportunity to be "diverse" as liberals would have us all believe.
I speak 3 languages because I've lived in 3 different lands. It would be arrogant and lazy of me to demand that every land I go to catered to my laziness and made special provisions for me to NOT to have to learn the language of the land.
What people choose to speak in their homes or, with friends is their own business but, while conducting commerce in a land where English is the business language is just plain common sense to know it.

Jill said...

-sepp

You have read into this your own fears and biases. Nothing remotely related to what you say here is what's being discussed in any of these posts. And I would put money on the fact that you know that. Or, you haven't been reading.

Scott Piepho said...

To the person who wrote “I have to think protecting what is the language today is wise,” my response would be that if there is a threat from which the language needs protection, it is people like that who mangle it on a daily basis.