Foreign Language Signs- The Assasination of English In Your Face, and on Your Turf

Hello again TrueAmerican,

I don't blame you at all for not wanting to lose your identity. As a true American, as I'm sure you are, the very thought of you becoming a ??? (nothing) is so scary you don't want to think about it. But to me, I know no different way.

I think MullberryBlueShimmer made a good point that is valid here, and that is that she like me doesn't really feel anything about the diversity of her local culture in Melbourne. Basically as far as she is aware there have always been Greeks, Italians and Chinese amongst others in her community in Melbourne. Whereas for her parents it is not the case, and there is some resistance there I think. So the key point really here is change, and the fact that people don't like things to change too much. Especially when they stick out like a sore thumb!

It's like when she said that she went to Sydney and saw all of the amazing history that there is there. And turned around and there's McDonalds staring her in the face! It seemed wrong to her and I'm sure it would to me too.

I visited Niagra Falls a few years ago, and it was truely an aweinspiring sight. But right on top of Niagra is the most tacky and dispicable town imaginable. If you've never been, it really is a contrast between the best of nature and the worst of capitalism.

So by saying this I'm really changing what we're discussing here and I apologise for that, but I feel that it is this "sticking out like a sore thumb" that is really the crux of the arguement. I wouldn't have any objection to people coming here and learning the language and being part of a true English community. And I'm sure that if your Spanish friends learnt English there would be no need for those signs to be in Spanish anyway. So really by having these signs in different languages it is underlining divisions in your community.

Thanks for the support and the vote, it was very kind of you. I am considering doing the podcast thing soon, so maybe I can "tell" you what I think.

Stay American, if you can!

Why Can't we be friends?

I grew up in a small town, surrounded by other small towns. Each town around us had a "cultural identity" - one was French, another German, Norwegian, Polish, more. Our town was different - we had no one national background. I liked it. It made my world a bigger place.

Every time I came home from a sleepover, I spoke with a different accent. ...and I can swear in about 20 different languages.

Wish there had been signs though - I might have learned to speak the languages properly - and who knows? I could be a diplomat, or an ambassador today...

Way cheaper than $100K a year for a Harvard degree in linguistics, dontcha think?

PODcast: Foreign Language Signs- The Assasination of English In Your Face, and on Your Turf (reply 9)
Reply to all from BH on page 2 to page 3

length: 13:43
file: atspodcast_274.mp3
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PODcast: Foreign Language Signs- The Assasination of English In Your Face, and on Your Turf (reply 10)
a diffrent perspective

length: 08:00
file: atspodcast_296.mp3
size: 3751k
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status: live (at time of posting)