Smallc Posted May 12, 2009 Report Posted May 12, 2009 Ontario has but one official language at the provincial level. Ontario has no official language. Quote
Molly Posted May 12, 2009 Report Posted May 12, 2009 Functioning in two languages is rather expensive for one. For another why do we want to delude linguistic minorities that they can effectively get ahead in life without learning the language of their area?The only reason I think Quebec needs to be bi-lingual is that Montreal is a major world city and has large English-speaking areas. Is it not equally delusional for a nation to think it can get ahead globally while stubbornly insisting on the use of a single language? I find it unfortunate that we have thrown away so much of our potential polyglot. We are an export nation, yet force our customers to accommodate OUR language limitations! We wish to participate in world affairs, yet must recruit translators among the civilians of the nations we enter. How very foolish! Quote "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" — L. Frank Baum "For Conservatives, ministerial responsibility seems to be a temporary and constantly shifting phenomenon," -- Goodale
Argus Posted May 12, 2009 Report Posted May 12, 2009 Is it not equally delusional for a nation to think it can get ahead globally while stubbornly insisting on the use of a single language? Uhm, yeah, why, if they had more than one language the English might have ruled the world. Or at least, the Americans... Quote "A liberal is someone who claims to be open to all points of view — and then is surprised and offended to find there are other points of view.” William F Buckley
Machjo Posted May 12, 2009 Report Posted May 12, 2009 Why? because other English-speaking Canadians in Quebec have rights. Now I don't know if there are any Inuqtitut or Inuinnaqtun-speaking Quebecers who know neither English nor French, but I do know that they do exist in Nunavut (8% in fact). So, would you say that they should have equal rights with their European compatriots across Canada, or should it be strictly on a provincial basis, or local basis? Which is it? Quote With friends like Zionists, what Jew needs enemies? With friends like Islamists, what Muslim needs enemies?
Machjo Posted May 12, 2009 Report Posted May 12, 2009 Ontario has no official language. Sorry, I might be wrong on that. But it's de facto language in most cases is English except for certain services directed specifically to its French-speaking community. Quote With friends like Zionists, what Jew needs enemies? With friends like Islamists, what Muslim needs enemies?
Machjo Posted May 12, 2009 Report Posted May 12, 2009 Is it not equally delusional for a nation to think it can get ahead globally while stubbornly insisting on the use of a single language? I find it unfortunate that we have thrown away so much of our potential polyglot. We are an export nation, yet force our customers to accommodate OUR language limitations! We wish to participate in world affairs, yet must recruit translators among the civilians of the nations we enter. How very foolish! Now this I fully agree with. We should aim at ensuring all Canadians know two languages, but that does not mean French-English bilingualism specifically, but rather knowledge of whatever two languages could be most useful to each school. In vancouver, that might be English and Chinese. In Montreal, likely French and English. In more remote parts of Quebec where English is too difficult for most to learn, perhaps French plus a similar language like italian, Spanish, etc. (no point learning a language that's too difficult for them to learn as statistics suggest). In more isolated parts of English Canada where French is not present, perhaps English and another Germanic language. English and ASL or French and the LSQ might be useful for children with deaf friends or family members, etc. First Nations and the Inuit could be bilingual in their own languages too. We need to redefine bilingualism not along the narrow ethnocentric concept of English-French bilingualism only, but rather in the wider sense of a knowledge of any second language, as the world market demands. No point foisting English and French on those who can't learn it. Let them learn alternative second-languages instead. As for government administration, however, ideally that should be unilingual whenever possible for the sake of administrative efficiency. An appropriate model might be administrative unilingualism and personal bilingualism. Quote With friends like Zionists, what Jew needs enemies? With friends like Islamists, what Muslim needs enemies?
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