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Re: Language superiority, improvement, etc.

From:charles <catty@...>
Date:Friday, October 16, 1998, 15:45
On Fri, 16 Oct 1998, vardi wrote:

> As has already been noted by Ray, myself and others, it can be quite a > small step from saying that a language is superior to another to saying > that the speakers of the superior language are therefore superior.
Not intended here. I compared language to forms of transportation, a better analogy, because obviously different forms suit different purposes. I also tried to say false analogies were dragging down discussion.
> We have been told for years now that economic truths are universal; > only the conditions vary. The IMF imposes this philosophy (religion?) > through its financial power, forces countries to bring themselves to the > brink of ruin on the altar of its beliefs (Indonesia, Russia...)
I happen to agree about commercialism, though it is off-topic. What I object to is the thesis "all languages are the same or equal or ..." etc.
> In Judaism there is a concept of "gader laTorah" - a fence around the > Torah. That means that you don't do act X, not because it itself is > forbidden, but because it may well lead to act Y, which is forbidden.
Cool. Slippery slope avoidance?
> agree with those who have begun to suggest that we may be nearing the > end of any useful discussion on this issue,
It annoys me when people try to stop or censor discussion; even more when moderators attempt to "summarize" or otherwise pontificate. (That is directed to David Durand, obviously.) On the other hand, I've grown tired of it too ...