e.g., L’Académie Francaise has the aim of limiting the number of anglicisms in the French language, but what else is being done?
The Academie is fighting a losing battle–people adopt what’s useful to them as times and their circumstances change, and English has four times the vocabulary of French. They’ve already adopted English words for concepts they didn’t have before, such a "weekend" (pronounced "le veekend") and Levis ("les Lay-oui") so nothing can stop it. It’s actually a racist outfit trying to protect "linguistic purity" and wasting its time on trivia–it took 20 years to decide whether "l’automobile" is masculine or feminine, and the battle continues to rage. It’s a relic of a past that never should have been–English is colorful and precise because we don’t hesitate to borrow a word if it suits our purposes. And they conveniently forget that English grammar and the bulk of its vocabulary come from French. So what battle are they fighting, after all?
#1 by odzookers on July 14th, 2009
Quote
The Academie is fighting a losing battle–people adopt what’s useful to them as times and their circumstances change, and English has four times the vocabulary of French. They’ve already adopted English words for concepts they didn’t have before, such a "weekend" (pronounced "le veekend") and Levis ("les Lay-oui") so nothing can stop it. It’s actually a racist outfit trying to protect "linguistic purity" and wasting its time on trivia–it took 20 years to decide whether "l’automobile" is masculine or feminine, and the battle continues to rage. It’s a relic of a past that never should have been–English is colorful and precise because we don’t hesitate to borrow a word if it suits our purposes. And they conveniently forget that English grammar and the bulk of its vocabulary come from French. So what battle are they fighting, after all?
References :
#2 by Freedom 1 on July 14th, 2009
Quote
I can tell you what the Prime Minister John Howard Australia
America, Canada , all Europe …..needs a President like this
Prime Minister John Howard Australia:Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.
Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation’s mosques.
Quote: ‘IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians’.
‘This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom’. ‘We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!’
‘Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.’
‘We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.’
‘This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom,
‘THE RIGHT TO LEAVE’.’
‘If you aren’t happy here then LEAVE. We didn’t force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.’
Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, American citizens will find the backbone to start speaking and voicing the
same truths.
References :
“It is natural for man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts … For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth, to know the worst, and to provide for it.”
-Patrick Henry
“Liberty has never come from Government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of it. The history of Liberty is a history of resistance. The history of Liberty is a history of limitations of Governmental power, not the increase of it.”
-Woodrow Wilson
“I own that I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive.”
-Thomas Jefferson
“That government is best which governs least, because its people discipline themselves.”
Thomas Jefferson
“Experience teaches us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the government’s purposes are beneficent.”
-Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, in a 1928 decision
“To say that any people are not fit for freedom, is to make poverty their choice, and to say they had rather be loaded with taxes than not.”
-Thomas Paine, 1792