Re: National Language (from Re: connlang thread)

On 11/22/06, Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...> wrote:
> On 11/22/06, KB <khyranleander@...> wrote:
> > what's the problem with designating a national language?
>
> In and of itself, absolutely nothing.  It's the motivation in this
> case that is suspect; the US has managed without an official lanuage
> for 230 years.  During that time English has become the de facto
> international lingua franca, and is certainly not threatened in any
> sense. Nevertheless a threat is perceived simply because our largest
> minority group now speaks a single non-English language...
> --
> Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>
>
Exactly right. A less-suspect case could be made if the motion were to
declare English AND Spanish the national languages. But that would not
achieve the ends that many of the instigators of this initiative have
in mind.

That said, many of the supporters of this initiative do not have the
same agenda that its leaders do (or appear to).
--larry