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“Se habla American, God damn it!”

8 o'clock, March 18, 2003

Courtesy of Jed Hartman, a short demonstration from the Christian Science Monitor illustrating just how far replacing French toast with freedom toast falls short of solving the problem:

It is time for English-speaking peoples folk to throw off this cultural imperialism lording-it-over-others and declare say our linguistic freedom. It is time to purify clean the English language tongue.

Shades of Poul Anderson’s “Uncleftish Beholding”. I think I could do better, but a valiant effort nonetheless. Down with English; up with Modern Anglo-Saxon!

Comments

picking nits - if you're going to throw out 'language' you should throw out 'linguistic', too.

—— aphrael, 9:50 AM, Tuesday, March 18, 2003

“Cultural” is also out, I think. Like I said, I bet I (and you, and various other people I know) could do better.

But did “linguistics” enter the language from French, or directly from Latin?

—— David Moles, 11:19 AM, Tuesday, March 18, 2003

OED says it's from the French, for what that be worth.

—— Jon, 11:55 AM, Tuesday, March 18, 2003

"Not only does the English Language borrow words from other languages, it sometimes chases them down dark alleys, hits them over the head, and goes through their pockets."
— Eddy Peters

—— Rachel Heslin, 3:31 PM, Tuesday, March 18, 2003

*laugh* that's a fantastic quote!

—— brandon, 5:35 PM, Tuesday, March 18, 2003