[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index][Subject Index][Author Index]
Re: Planet of the New Papers
Jerry D. Harris writes:
> I'm a bit dismayed at some of the voices resounding on the list
> intimating some inherent superiority of English over any other
> language.
I don't believe I've seen one single message on this thread that
intimated any such thing. What has been stated is that "one" has an
inherent advantage over any other number as the number of different
languages in use in scientific discourse.
I'm pretty sure if the word decided to standardise on, say, Spanish,
I'd find it well worth my while to learn that language because the
pain of learning would be as nothing beside the great gain of being
able to read _all_ new papers. Isn't that the whole point of a
universal language?
> Believe you me, after you've had to grade papers where students
> actually use text-message-speak in their answers, you'll realize
> how poorly the natives grasp their own language.
Red herring here -- that's a cultural problem, not a linguistic one.
_/|_ ___________________________________________________________________
/o ) \/ Mike Taylor <mike@indexdata.com> http://www.miketaylor.org.uk
)_v__/\ "If your gal don't respond when you flatter 'er, tell her what
Tony told Cleopaterer" -- Cole Porter, "Brush up your Shakespeare"