[PLUG-TALK] Re: [PLUG] Sounds good to me ;)

Russ Johnson russj at dimstar.net
Wed Jun 19 20:20:40 UTC 2002


On Wed, 19 Jun 2002 11:43:19 -0000
"J Henshaw" <jeff at jhenshaw.com> wrote:

> You whine that there is a burden for an immigrant to be able to know the
> meaning of a word they must agree to,  to become a citizen.

I don't believe I whined once. I do believe that I stated my opinion that learning materials should be available in multiple languages. If for no other reason than to make the material available to all, and make it useful to those that do not wish to remain here, but must for a time remain here. 

I feel much better knowing the DMV puts out manuals in Italian, for those folks that can speak, but not read, English, and are visiting from Italy. If they can read the manual in their native language, maybe they will be more likely to do so. 

> You say being born here has no such requirement;  seemingly to imply a
> racial bias or other such nonsense; 

No racial bias to it. If I was racist, I probably have to hate myself.

> I put it to you that babies don't speak
> ANY language yet so the requirement would be ludicrous.

Any language that adults understand. There are studies being done now that claim babies do communicate. Just how is the question.

> I also might addd that babies go wherever they are taken, by adults old
> enough to read and write a language in every case,  so the argument is MOOT.

Not everyone can read and write. Literacy is a skill that only recently in history became widely available. Most folks in our grandparents generation didn't read or write. 

-- 
"The power to untie is stronger than the power to tie."                         
                                                                                
Well, yeah, otherwise my shoes would tie themselves.                            
                                                                                
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Russ Johnson                                                                    
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