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Pour ceux qui ne parlent pas ma langue
Gay Language Vacation
French Language School in Provence, France
Gay Language Vacation is an language institute for gays to study French in Nice. The institute has provided excelent language immersion opportunities for Gays students. Programmes are designed to meet each student's defined goals. The institute offers educational package including high-quality courses and accomodation. Everything has been carefully arranged by the school in order to increase its students' understanding of the French language and the French culture through this experience.
The participants can choose programmes with between 3 hours to 4.5 hours of tuition a day which equates to 20 lessons or 30 lessons per week. For busy people, online tailored courses are also offered. The course commences with a written and oral test to determine the students' level of French. There are individual private courses, joint tutorials (two students) and DELF preparation courses.
Gay Language Vacation offers assistance in arranging accommodation for its students. There are different options, such apartment rentals, host families or a room hotel.
FOR FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT:
Gay Language Vacations
Nice, France
0033 (0) 871760128
N'est-il pas significatif que cette annonce a été rédigée en langue homosexuelle ?
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"Australia and America "Gayest Countries"
According to a international survey of sexual habits by Durex, 17% of Americans and the equal amount of Australians are in homosexual relationships."
http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=33047
-----
17%! Oh my God.
No ones speaks your ugly language you dumb dumb, and for the love of god, have some originality!, copying the title of the previous thread is not even good trolling.
The French president: "Arabic is the language of future"
The French government is strongly advocating the teaching of Arabic language and civilization in French schools. Not surprising, considering the number of Arabs and Muslims in France, and the unctuous deference with which they are treated by officials, beginning notably with Nicolas Sarkozy, who cannot praise enough the splendor of Arabic contributions to the world.
The French National Assembly was the scene of a meeting earlier this month of the first Conference on the Teaching of Arabic Language and Culture, attended by a variety of interested parties. There was much wearisome blather about the need for "dialogue."
In his message to the participants, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Arabic the "language of the future, of science and of modernity," and expressed the hope that "more French people share in the language that expresses great civilizational and spiritual values."
"We must invest in the Arabic language (because) to teach it symbolizes a moment of exchange, of openness and of tolerance, (and it) brings with it one of the oldest and most prestigious civilizations of the world. It is in France that we have the greatest number of persons of Arabic and Muslim origin. Islam is the second religion of France," Sarkozy reminded his listeners.
He proceeded to enumerate the various "advances in terms of diversity," the increase in Muslim sections of cemeteries, the training of imams and chaplains and the appointments of ministers of diverse backgrounds.
"France is a friend of Arabic countries. We are not seeking a clash between the East and West," he affirmed, emphasizing the strong presence of Arab leaders at the founding summit of the Union for the Mediterranean, last July 13. "The Mediterranean is where our common hopes were founded. Our common sea is where the principal challenges come together: durable development, security, education and peace," added the French president.
Indian Languages and effects on radio broadcasting
LANGUAGE AND RADIO IN PERU AND BOLIVIA
To put the Guatemalan sociolinguistic situation and its manifestation in radio broadcasting in perspective, I feel it is useful to briefly examine Peru and Bolivia, two other Latin American countries with large Indian populations. Peru has about three-and-a-half million Quechua speakers out of a total population of seventeen million. In addition there are about half-a-million Aymara speakers. Although their numbers are small, compared to the total population, the Indians are concentrated in five southern mountain departments, where they make up as much as ninety percent of the population. Over half of Bolivia's 5.2 million population are Indians, about equally divided between Quechuas and Aymaras. As in Guatemala, the Indians of Peru and Bolivia were subdued by the Spanish and then relegated to the roles of peasants at the bottom end of society.
However, there is a major difference between Guatemala, on the one hand, and Peru and Bolivia on the other hand. Both of the latter countries have had governments which have taken a positive approach to bilingual education and language planning. The Indians and peasants of Bolivia began receiving a more active role in the government since that country's 1952 revolution. In Peru, serious attention was given to the peasants after a leftwing military coup in 1969. Although other governments have come and gone in the interim in both cases, what was started could not be stopped.
Bilingual education has been at the forefront of both countries' policies. In recent years "there has been a tradition of positive government policy towards bilingual education programmes in Andean Latin America" (Minaya-Rowe,1986, 468), and moreover, the aim of these programs "as officially stated, is not to produce a nation of monolingual Spanish speakers, but rather one of bilingual Spanish-Quechua speakers" (Minaya- Rowe, 1986, 475). Bolivia's education system uses "a bilingual approach which will educate its adult population, allowing them to retain their own
languages and cultures, while at the same time providing the opportunity to learn Spanish (Stark, 1985, p541). Peru designed its bilingual education program "to draw the indigenous groups into the Peruvian mainstream efficiently and with respect shown to their language and culture" (Hornberger, 1987, 206).
Both countries have even gone a step further. IN 1975, QUECHUA WAS MADE AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF PERU (ESCOBAR 1981, HORNBERGER 1987), WHICH EVEN INCLUDED THE TEACHING OF QUECHUA TO SPANISH SPEAKERS. SIMILARLY, BOTH QUECHUA AND AYMARA WERE MADE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES, COEQUAL TO SPANISH, IN BOLIVIA (MINAYA-ROWE, 1986). ONE OF THE MANIFESTATIONS OF GIVING OFFICIAL STATUS WAS "THE USE OF BOTH QUECHUA OR AYMARA AND SPANISH ON (THE) RADIO" (MINAYA-ROWE, 1986).There are, in fact, some great differances between these countries and Guatemala in regards to the use of Indian languages in radio broadcasting.
Both countries, like Guatemala, have Catholic and Protestant stations that use Indian languages (Ballon, 1987; Fontenelle, 1985; Gavilan, 1983; Moore, 1985; Oros, 1987; Perry, 1982; Povrzenic, 1987b, 1987c). But what about privately owned commercial stations? In the Andean highlands of southern and central Peru, there are at least several commercial stations known to broadcast in Quechua and/or Aymara, in addition to Spanish (Hirahara & Inoue, 1984a, 1984b; Llorens and Tamayo, 1987; Povrzenic, 1987a, 1987b). These include at least one member of the Cadena de Emisoras Cruz, one of Peru's largest radio networks (Hirahara & Inoue, 1984a). In addition, Peru's most powerful commercial radio broadcaster, Radio Union in Lima, has an hour long program in Quechua every morning (Hirahara, 1981; Montoya, 1987). Likewise, in Bolivia commercial broadcasters are known to broadcast in indigenous languages (Gwyn, 1983; La Defensa, 1986; Povrzenic, 1983).
What is most significant, though, is that in both cases the official government stations have added Indian language broadcasts. Peru's Radio Nacional broadcasts in both Quechua and Aymara (Povrzenic, 1987a), as does Bolivia's Radio Illimani (Moore, 1985). IN FACT, THE PERUVIAN GOVERNMENT WENT A STEP FURTHER IN 1988 WHEN THEY RENAMED RADIO NACIONAL WITH THE QUECHUA NAME RADIO PACHICUTEC (KLEMETZ, 1989).
In summary, the sociolinguistic situation in Peru and Bolivia is markedly different from that in Guatemala, although all three share Spanish as a dominant language over various native languages. The difference, though is that in Peru and Bolivia, efforts have been made not only to preserve, but to give status to the native languages. Furthermore, the status of native languages in the two countries is reflected in their use by all levels of radio broadcasting in each country; private, religious, and governmental.
http://aymara.org/listarchives/archivo2001/msg00322.html
================================================
Ley de Idiomas Nacionales que oficializa el uso de idiomas indígenas en Guatemala/
Bill recognizing the official use of indigenous languages in Guatemala
Comentario: El Decreto Número 19-2003 fue publicado en Guatemala el 26 de mayo de 2003. Constituye un avance muy importante en el reconocimiento del uso de los idiomas indígenas en Guatemala tanto en esferas públicas como privadas, obligando a la comunicación pública en dichos idiomas (traducción de leyes, educación, servicios públicos, etc.). Esta norma permitirá/obligará a desarrollar un modelo de gestión de la justicia directa en idiomas indígenas, antes limitado a la traducción judicial mediante intérpretes.
A la semana de este decreto se expidió otra norma reconociendo al Chalchiteko entre los idiomas mayas, con lo cual ahora suman 22 (antes sólo reconocía 21).
Nota: Se trata de un documento público (facilitado por la Academia de las Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala a través de Víctor Ferrigno) .
Puesto en línea por Alertanet: junio 2003.
http://alertanet.org/guate-idiomas.htm
TRANSLATION:
National Language Act formalizes the use of indigenous languages in Guatemala /
Bill recognizing the official use of indigenous languages in Guatemala
Comment: The Decree No. 19-2003 was published in Guatemala on May 26, 2003. Constitutes a very important step forward in recognizing the use of indigenous languages in Guatemala both in public and private spheres, forcing the public communication in these languages (translation of laws, education, utilities, etc.).. This standard will allow / require to develop a management model of justice in indigenous languages directly, so far limited to the translation by court interpreters.
A week of this decree was issued another rule recognizing Chalchiteko among Mayan languages, which now total 22 (previously only acknowledged 21).
Note: This is a public document (provided by the Academy of Mayan Languages of Guatemala through Victor Ferrigno).
"Arabic is the language of future", the French President dixit.
The French government is strongly advocating the teaching of Arabic language and civilization in French schools. Not surprising, considering the number of Arabs and Muslims in France, and the unctuous deference with which they are treated by officials, beginning notably with Nicolas Sarkozy, who cannot praise enough the splendor of Arabic contributions to the world.
The French National Assembly was the scene of a meeting earlier this month of the first Conference on the Teaching of Arabic Language and Culture, attended by a variety of interested parties. There was much wearisome blather about the need for "dialogue."
In his message to the participants, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Arabic the "language of the future, of science and of modernity," and expressed the hope that "more French people share in the language that expresses great civilizational and spiritual values."
"We must invest in the Arabic language (because) to teach it symbolizes a moment of exchange, of openness and of tolerance, (and it) brings with it one of the oldest and most prestigious civilizations of the world. It is in France that we have the greatest number of persons of Arabic and Muslim origin. Islam is the second religion of France," Sarkozy reminded his listeners.
He proceeded to enumerate the various "advances in terms of diversity," the increase in Muslim sections of cemeteries, the training of imams and chaplains and the appointments of ministers of diverse backgrounds.
"France is a friend of Arabic countries. We are not seeking a clash between the East and West," he affirmed, emphasizing the strong presence of Arab leaders at the founding summit of the Union for the Mediterranean, last July 13. "The Mediterranean is where our common hopes were founded. Our common sea is where the principal challenges come together: durable development, security, education and peace," added the French president.
""Arabic is the language of future", the French President dixit. "
This hoax has been posted umpteen times by homosexuals.
No one of those fags has ever given a link.
At least Arabic is not a gay language.
THE HINDU EMPIRE OF HINDUSPANICA
hindi songs from spain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VqmXh9rBp8&eurl=http://videos.desishock.net/index.php?module=item&action=show_item_full&itemurl=aHR0cDovL3lvdXR1YmUuY29tLz92PV9WcW
Sahaja Yoga,España Musica hindu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3pvA_zY5w4
Miss España 2008 Baile hindu 1/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nje70Xg6zY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZL7ogYkCto&feature=related
baile hindu chamma chamma in Peru
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btit_GJ0R-8&feature=related
baile hindu en peru
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjS_-SvcCmQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJtd-iy9X2M&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vet0N4Vg7Yk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=595Bvlr8h08&feature=related
Bailamos Bollywood en "Fama, a bailar!" (23-03-2008) España
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpbPqcOLO-k&feature=related
Nash Baliye en Peru
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfn9YxV-6Ns&feature=related
Está el español en peligro? SI
Parece que no todos lo entienden así en la propia España, fuente de incomprensión para su lengua común. Recibo con estupor la carta escaneada que un colegio de Creixell (Tarragona) envía a los padres para que autoricen a sus hijos a acudir dos horas a la semana a clases de lengua árabe. Abundando en la cuestión, la misiva aparece escrita en catalán y árabe, obviando que el español es lengua cooficial en Cataluña, y por tanto de uso obligado por la administración. En definitiva, se pone al árabe en una posición superior al español, en un afán de borrar a éste de la vida social, cuando es mayoritario también en Cataluña. CON ESTA Y OTRAS ACCIONES, SE PRETENDE DAR “MUERTE CIVIL” A UNA LENGUA VITAL PARA LA CULTURA Y LOS NEGOCIOS EN TODO EL MUNDO, PRIVANDO A LOS ALUMNOS DEL CONOCIMIENTO DEL ESPAÑOL POR LA VÍA DE MARGINARLO NO YA POR DETRÁS DEL CATALÁN (QUE A SU VEZ MARGINA OFICIALMENTE AL VALENCIANO Y AL MALLORQUÍN), Y EN SU CASO, DEL VASCUENCE Y EL GALLEGO, SINO DETRÁS DEL INGLÉS, EL FRANCÉS Y AHORA EL ÁRABE.
JUSTIFICAR EL HECHO DE QUE EN MERCADOS DE ABASTOS BARCELONESES SE HAYAN LLEGADO A COLOCAR LETREROS BILINGÜES EN CATALÁN Y URDU (LENGUA OFICIAL DE PAKISTÁN), PERO NI UN SOLO ANUNCIO OFICIAL EN ESPAÑOL, ES JUSTIFICAR UN ODIO PATOLÓGICO, ENFERMIZO Y RIDÍCULO DE VARIOS CRETINOS CON COCHE OFICIAL Y DE PANIAGUADOS VARIOS CON COLUMNA EN MEDIOS SUBVENCIONADOS. CON COCHE OFICIAL Y DE PANIAGUADOS VARIOS CON COLUMNA EN MEDIOS SUBVENCIONADOS.No debemos olvidar que las subvenciones para “experimentos” en árabe, urdu y dentro de nada en swahilli, se pagan con dinero de todos, para producir analfabetos que ni se manejan bien en español, ni en catalán o la lengua local que corresponda.
Por Diario de América
21/10/2008
http://www.diariodeamerica.com/front_nota_detalle.php?id_noticia=4673
TRANSLATION:
Is Spanish in danger? YES
It seems that not everyone understands very well in Spain, a source of misunderstanding for their common language. Receipt stupor scanned the letter that a college Creixell (Tarragona) submitted by parents to allow their children to attend two hours a week for Arabic language classes. Further to the issue, the letter written in Catalan, Arabic, Spanish is obvious that the co-official languages in Catalonia, and thus forced to use by the administration. In short, it puts a higher position in Arabic into Spanish, in an effort to remove him from social life, where a majority in Catalonia. WITH THIS AND OTHER ACTIONS, WE ATTEMPT TO "CIVIL DEATH" IN A LANGUAGE AND CULTURE VITAL TO BUSINESSES AROUND THE WORLD, DEPRIVING STUDENTS OF KNOWLEDGE OF SPANISH THROUGH MARGINALIZE NOT BEHIND THE CATALAN (WHICH TURN MARGINALIZES OFFICIALLY ANDALUSIA ANDALUSIA MAJORCAN AND VALENCIAN), AND WHERE APPROPRIATE, GALICIAN AND BASQUE, BUT BEHIND ENGLISH, FRENCH AND NOW ARABIC.
JUSTIFY THE FACT THAT SUPPLY MARKETS IN BARCELONA HAVE COME TO PLACE BILINGUAL SIGNS IN CATALAN AND URDU (OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF PAKISTAN), BUT NOT A SINGLE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT IN SPANISH, IS TO JUSTIFY A PATHOLOGICAL HATRED, RIDICULE AND SICKLY WITH SEVERAL CRETINS OFFICIAL CAR AND SEVERAL "PANIAGUADOS" COLUMN SUBSIDIZED MEDIA. We must not forget that subsidies for "experiments" in Arabic, Urdu and anything within swahilli, are paid with money of all, to produce illiterate or managed well in Spanish or Catalan or appropriate local language.
Spanish
By American Journal
21/10/2008
You cannot escape the reality that Spanish will become either a Macro-Language just like Chinese or into Neo-Spanishes.
Examples of differences in Spanish in this words:
*Ehpañoleh/Ezpañolez/Españoles/Eshpañolesh/Ethpañoleth/Ezhpañolezh/Epañole for Españoles
*durce for dulce
*puelta for puerta
*to'o for todo (I also hear this from Colombians whose Spanish is considered the purest in Hispanic America)
*agents for agentes
You can hear these and other corrupted words not just from illiterates but also from educated hispanics who insist on using them as a sign of national identity. Result is a newly evolved language.
These remind me of Afrikaans corruption of Dutch words:
1. skouer for schouder (shoulder)
2. nes for nest
3. saal for zadel (sadel)
4. nag for nacht (night)
5. 'n Bietjie for een beetje (een beetje)
Sorry, but the birth of Afrikaans started on corrupting the words which evolved into a distinct language. Spanish variants are on the same path towards new languages.
In 2050, Spanish language is a SHATTERED GLASS or BROKEN MIRROR.
All they can say to the original language is "Adios y hasta nunca, baby!"
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
English joins French and Malagasy as the official languages of Madagascar after approval by voters in referendum.....
Madagascar adopts English as national language
Madagascar adopts English as national language
The recent referendum in Madagascar to approve several constitutional changes has been approved with a 75% majority. The referendum was called to approve a number of changes to constitution put forward by President Marc Ravalomanana including making English an official language, abolishing Madagascar's six provinces and allowing the President to amend laws in a state of emergency without parliamentary approval.
The opposition parties had campaigned vociferously against the changes that increased the Presidents powers claiming it was leading Madagascar down the path of dictatorship. The Presidents supporters however claimed the changes were necessary to speed up progress in the country through decentralisation of the administration as well as transferring responsibilities to local offices and bringing governance closer to the people.
In defending the adoption of English, officials cite Madagascar's changing external economic relationships as the justification for this, in particular having joined the South African Development Community (SADC) which is overwhelmingly English speaking. Officials also believe the promotion of English will aid direct foreign investment from countries such as the United States, UK, Canada, South Africa and India.
Indian Languages and effects on radio broadcasting
LANGUAGE AND RADIO IN PERU AND BOLIVIA
To put the Guatemalan sociolinguistic situation and its manifestation in radio broadcasting in perspective, I feel it is useful to briefly examine Peru and Bolivia, two other Latin American countries with large Indian populations. Peru has about three-and-a-half million Quechua speakers out of a total population of seventeen million. In addition there are about half-a-million Aymara speakers. Although their numbers are small, compared to the total population, the Indians are concentrated in five southern mountain departments, where they make up as much as ninety percent of the population. Over half of Bolivia's 5.2 million population are Indians, about equally divided between Quechuas and Aymaras. As in Guatemala, the Indians of Peru and Bolivia were subdued by the Spanish and then relegated to the roles of peasants at the bottom end of society.
However, there is a major difference between Guatemala, on the one hand, and Peru and Bolivia on the other hand. Both of the latter countries have had governments which have taken a positive approach to bilingual education and language planning. The Indians and peasants of Bolivia began receiving a more active role in the government since that country's 1952 revolution. In Peru, serious attention was given to the peasants after a leftwing military coup in 1969. Although other governments have come and gone in the interim in both cases, what was started could not be stopped.
Bilingual education has been at the forefront of both countries' policies. In recent years "there has been a tradition of positive government policy towards bilingual education programmes in Andean Latin America" (Minaya-Rowe,1986, 468), and moreover, the aim of these programs "as officially stated, is not to produce a nation of monolingual Spanish speakers, but rather one of bilingual Spanish-Quechua speakers" (Minaya- Rowe, 1986, 475). Bolivia's education system uses "a bilingual approach which will educate its adult population, allowing them to retain their own
languages and cultures, while at the same time providing the opportunity to learn Spanish (Stark, 1985, p541). Peru designed its bilingual education program "to draw the indigenous groups into the Peruvian mainstream efficiently and with respect shown to their language and culture" (Hornberger, 1987, 206).
Both countries have even gone a step further. IN 1975, QUECHUA WAS MADE AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF PERU (ESCOBAR 1981, HORNBERGER 1987), WHICH EVEN INCLUDED THE TEACHING OF QUECHUA TO SPANISH SPEAKERS. SIMILARLY, BOTH QUECHUA AND AYMARA WERE MADE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES, COEQUAL TO SPANISH, IN BOLIVIA (MINAYA-ROWE, 1986). ONE OF THE MANIFESTATIONS OF GIVING OFFICIAL STATUS WAS "THE USE OF BOTH QUECHUA OR AYMARA AND SPANISH ON (THE) RADIO" (MINAYA-ROWE, 1986).There are, in fact, some great differances between these countries and Guatemala in regards to the use of Indian languages in radio broadcasting.
Both countries, like Guatemala, have Catholic and Protestant stations that use Indian languages (Ballon, 1987; Fontenelle, 1985; Gavilan, 1983; Moore, 1985; Oros, 1987; Perry, 1982; Povrzenic, 1987b, 1987c). But what about privately owned commercial stations? In the Andean highlands of southern and central Peru, there are at least several commercial stations known to broadcast in Quechua and/or Aymara, in addition to Spanish (Hirahara & Inoue, 1984a, 1984b; Llorens and Tamayo, 1987; Povrzenic, 1987a, 1987b). These include at least one member of the Cadena de Emisoras Cruz, one of Peru's largest radio networks (Hirahara & Inoue, 1984a). In addition, Peru's most powerful commercial radio broadcaster, Radio Union in Lima, has an hour long program in Quechua every morning (Hirahara, 1981; Montoya, 1987). Likewise, in Bolivia commercial broadcasters are known to broadcast in indigenous languages (Gwyn, 1983; La Defensa, 1986; Povrzenic, 1983).
What is most significant, though, is that in both cases the official government stations have added Indian language broadcasts. Peru's Radio Nacional broadcasts in both Quechua and Aymara (Povrzenic, 1987a), as does Bolivia's Radio Illimani (Moore, 1985). IN FACT, THE PERUVIAN GOVERNMENT WENT A STEP FURTHER IN 1988 WHEN THEY RENAMED RADIO NACIONAL WITH THE QUECHUA NAME RADIO PACHICUTEC (KLEMETZ, 1989).
In summary, the sociolinguistic situation in Peru and Bolivia is markedly different from that in Guatemala, although all three share Spanish as a dominant language over various native languages. The difference, though is that in Peru and Bolivia, efforts have been made not only to preserve, but to give status to the native languages. Furthermore, the status of native languages in the two countries is reflected in their use by all levels of radio broadcasting in each country; private, religious, and governmental.
http://aymara.org/listarchives/archivo2001/msg00322.html
================================================
Ley de Idiomas Nacionales que oficializa el uso de idiomas indígenas en Guatemala/
Bill recognizing the official use of indigenous languages in Guatemala
Comentario: El Decreto Número 19-2003 fue publicado en Guatemala el 26 de mayo de 2003. Constituye un avance muy importante en el reconocimiento del uso de los idiomas indígenas en Guatemala tanto en esferas públicas como privadas, obligando a la comunicación pública en dichos idiomas (traducción de leyes, educación, servicios públicos, etc.). Esta norma permitirá/obligará a desarrollar un modelo de gestión de la justicia directa en idiomas indígenas, antes limitado a la traducción judicial mediante intérpretes.
A la semana de este decreto se expidió otra norma reconociendo al Chalchiteko entre los idiomas mayas, con lo cual ahora suman 22 (antes sólo reconocía 21).
Nota: Se trata de un documento público (facilitado por la Academia de las Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala a través de Víctor Ferrigno) .
Puesto en línea por Alertanet: junio 2003.
http://alertanet.org/guate-idiomas.htm
TRANSLATION:
National Language Act formalizes the use of indigenous languages in Guatemala /
Bill recognizing the official use of indigenous languages in Guatemala
Comment: The Decree No. 19-2003 was published in Guatemala on May 26, 2003. Constitutes a very important step forward in recognizing the use of indigenous languages in Guatemala both in public and private spheres, forcing the public communication in these languages (translation of laws, education, utilities, etc.).. This standard will allow / require to develop a management model of justice in indigenous languages directly, so far limited to the translation by court interpreters.
A week of this decree was issued another rule recognizing Chalchiteko among Mayan languages, which now total 22 (previously only acknowledged 21).
Note: This is a public document (provided by the Academy of Mayan Languages of Guatemala through Victor Ferrigno).
Guevara:
Interesting posting. It would be cool if you could put this as a single thread so that other people can read it too. I wish the Brazilian government valued more the native languages of Brazil since they are getting close to extinction after Portuguese was declared the only language in Brazil. Too bad Brazil didn't become bilingual with Guarani just like Paraguay.
Cheers!!!
Mourning the decline of French
In today's Guardian, Marcel Berlins approves of Jacques Chirac's walk-out from the opening session of the EU spring summit last week, prompted by a speech in English by the French leader of the EU employers' organisation. Ernest-Antoine Sellière did so because English is "the language of business". Berlins notes that he could have added "of international trade, the internet, pop music, the tourist industry and Hollywood":
French cannot compete. All it has in its favour is that it is the most beautiful language in the world, the most elegant, expressive and mellifluous. It's also the pre-eminent language of culture. But that's irrelevant if all you want is to do a deal.
What Chirac was concerned about, apparently, was that as French becomes less important on the international stage, it infiltrates and degrades French as well, which has been changing very rapidly of late, changes increasingly spearheaded by the younger generation, an example being "the language of the banlieue (slum/suburb), much in evidence last November during the riots of the disadvantaged". Of course, the language of the French slums is likely to be different from middle-class French, because they are populated by large numbers of Arabs and Africans. And as for the preponderance of English popular culture, dreck is dreck in anyone's language, but if the French have not produced a culture they consider worth keeping in the last forty years or so, you can hardly blame their youth for looking elsewhere.
Actually the real reasons French is on the decline is simply that it failed to colonise enough of the right places in the 18th and 19th centuries, and because Europe is enlarging. The British got underpopulated areas like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and (for a while) America. It also colonised most of India and large parts of Africa. Today, English is the lingua franca in many of these places - still used officially in India and Pakistan (its replacement with Hindi being resisted by, among others, the Tamils). France first tried to grab its neighbours' countries, and got trounced. It later got north Africa (which it misruled dreadfully), the desert and semi-desert of the west African interior, Haiti, Syria, Lebanon, Québec, and a few pockets of India - mostly places where a major international language was already spoken or widely understood: Arabic.
French is still an official language in many of these places, the internationally known names of several cities in Algeria, for example, being French rather than Arabic or any other local language. Read any English guidebook of Morocco, and you will find streets being named in French, rather than Arabic or in English translations.
As for the decline of French in Europe, this was bound to happen as French ceased to be the biggest single language spoken in the EU. In the Cold War days France was the biggest country in the EU by far, and French is also spoken in Belgium, Luxembourg and parts of Italy. Italian has similar Latin roots to French, while English and German have substantial amounts of French or otherwise Latin-based vocabulary, and French is generally the first foreign language British children learn. This is not the case any longer, with the arrival of large populations of Slavs whose language has nowhere near this level of French influence, and with French being only one of four major Latin languages. Probably the EU's biggest single language is German, with eastern Germany and Austria now in the union (with speakers in France, Poland, Belgium and Italy), but because of the problems you might have in getting the Poles and Czechs to accept German as the language of European business, it's not really a viable proposition.
I find it rather amusing that Berlins thinks French culture is particularly threatened, with fewer than 100 million speaking the language worldwide - compare this with fewer than half that number speaking Polish and with other European languages with fewer than 10 million - worldwide, not just at home. What do the Lithuanians do when speaking at these summits - do they never speak any language except Lithuanian? The only reason Chirac walked out in a huff is because in bygone days, he would have been able to go to other EU countries and expect to hear French. And I'm not sure the Italians would agree that French is "the most beautiful language in the world, the most elegant, expressive and mellifluous".
English joins French and Malagasy as the official languages of Madagascar after approval by voters in referendum.....
Madagascar adopts English as national language
The recent referendum in Madagascar to approve several constitutional changes has been approved with a 75% majority. The referendum was called to approve a number of changes to constitution put forward by President Marc Ravalomanana including making English an official language, abolishing Madagascar's six provinces and allowing the President to amend laws in a state of emergency without parliamentary approval.
The opposition parties had campaigned vociferously against the changes that increased the Presidents powers claiming it was leading Madagascar down the path of dictatorship. The Presidents supporters however claimed the changes were necessary to speed up progress in the country through decentralisation of the administration as well as transferring responsibilities to local offices and bringing governance closer to the people.
In defending the adoption of English, officials cite Madagascar's changing external economic relationships as the justification for this, in particular having joined the South African Development Community (SADC) which is overwhelmingly English speaking. Officials also believe the promotion of English will aid direct foreign investment from countries such as the United States, UK, Canada, South Africa and India.
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