Ar 17:52 -0800 2000-12-29, scríobh Elliotte Rusty Harold:
>The average citizen of any country has neither
>the time, money, nor interest to learn more than two languages; nor
>should they have to.
I think this assertion is unwarranted as it is quantified without
reference. In a great many societies, "average citizens" are multilingual,
not just bilingual (Africa for instance). MOST Europeans are bilingual to
some degree -- except in Britian. Doh! True, you've got large populations
of monolingual speakers of the largest languages (Chinese, English,
Spanish), but in any case with proper education, the suggestion that "time,
money, and interest" are the chief elements mitigating against
non-monolingualism isn't compelling.
Michael Everson, http://www.egt.ie
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