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From: hinsenk@cyclone.ERE.UMontreal.CA (Hinsen Konrad)
Subject: Re: Languages in the EC
In-Reply-To: dik@cwi.nl's message of Mon, 13 Feb 1995 01:20:59 GMT
Message-ID: <HINSENK.95Feb13143546@cyclone.ERE.UMontreal.CA>
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Organization: Universite de Montreal
References: <HINSENK.95Feb9113657@cyclone.ERE.UMontreal.CA> <D3tDoq.C2t@cwi.nl>
	<3hilsv$cfh@lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk> <D3wzqz.F5A@cwi.nl>
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 1995 19:35:46 GMT
Lines: 47

In article <D3wzqz.F5A@cwi.nl> dik@cwi.nl (Dik T. Winter) writes:

    > If the second language in all EU schools became Esperanto (or at least,
    > Esperanto were added to the languages being taught), children would
    > have more than enough opportunities to make use of it!

   If it was added to what they had to do now they have not enough time left.
   So either it should replace English, or something else has to go.  What?
   ...

It should replace whatever is the first foreign language now. This
would then become the second (third...) language. As has been stated
before, there is some evidence that this scheme would lead
to improved capabilities in *all* languages studied, so in spite of
adding Esperanto, you lose nothing else.

   How soon is soon?  I think: forget it.  If from the next school year all
   10 year old children started to learn Esperanto rather than English, when
   would you think the Walt Disney company would first come out with its first
   film in Esperanto?  And when would Esperanto television shows start to come?

A few months, I guess. They just have to translate existing films, after
all. If there is money to be made, they will do it - commercial
companies don't need any ideological arguments.

Besides I seriously doubt that the purposeof language instruction should
be the consumption of TV series.

    > Er, no.  Again, *if* all children started to learn Esperanto, *then*
    > they'd have no problems finding someone to speak it with over the border.

   Do you really think that a 10/13 year old crossing the border would
   easily meet somebody of the same age?  My experience is: no.

Why not? Children of that ager have not yet become a rarity.

   It is relevant.  If she had had Esperanto in stead of English she would
   have had no possibility to make herself understood!  Even when all

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