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From: anderson@uwmacc.UUCP (Jess Anderson)
Newsgroups: sci.lang
Subject: Re: Americans and Foreign Languages
Message-ID: <518@uwmacc.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 16-Nov-86 19:45:06 EST
Article-I.D.: uwmacc.518
Posted: Sun Nov 16 19:45:06 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 17-Nov-86 02:00:36 EST
References: <501@uwmacc.UUCP> <133@akgud.UUCP>
Organization: UWisconsin Madison Academic Comp Center
Lines: 27
Summary: But that's what I meant, of course ...

In article <133@akgud.UUCP>, rjb@akgud.UUCP (rjb) writes:
> 
> Jess Anderson puts the blame on imperialism as to why we are
> language nummies in the USofA .  Naaaaaah Jess, it is plain
> old $$$$.  We Amuricans just have never needed to speak anything
> else to make our weekly paycheck.  It ain't snobbism or imperialism.
> 
> Hadn't anybody noticed ?  Change requires effort and that effort
> frequently requires a very materialistic reward.
You're agreeing with me, I think. Those bucks you refer to are the
(non)heart and (non)soul of imperialism. I agree with you, too.
It may be by default, even the result of laziness, but the effect
is indistinguishable from snobbism, and our wealth was such that
we had no incentive to change. Now that we're slipping into less
pre-eminence in world economic matters, we may find it useful to
learn other languages (Japanese and Chinese come to mind). I'm
glad I already know Russian, in case they become our chief allies
in an economic bloc trading with the traditional East. Lucky me,
I've learned how to say hello and excuse me in Japanese--meagre,
but a start (I assume that "there's a cow on the side of the
mountain," which I can also say, is not very useful :-).

-- 
==ARPA:====================anderson@unix.macc.wisc.edu===Jess Anderson======
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==BITNET:============================anderson@wiscmacc===608/263-6988=======