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From: elna@netcom.com (Esperanto League N America)
Subject: Re: Please learn English
Message-ID: <elnaE2n0Lt.8Ft@netcom.com>
Organization: Esperanto League for North America, Inc.
References: <4el8tf$a3v@chleuasme.francenet.fr> <58pruc$st7@cc.tut.fi> <32B0C013.41C6@cranfield.ac.uk> <850572780.17014@dejanews.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 01:39:28 GMT
Lines: 24
Sender: elna@netcom11.netcom.com

oi@os.is writes in a recent posting (reference <850572780.17014@dejanews.com>):
>
>     By the way, why is it considered an advantage to be a native
>speaker of the common language? One would think, and the example of
>Britain and the U.S.A. shows, that it discourages learning other
>languages and is therefore actually a disadvantage (here I am using the
>possibly false working hypothesis, that learning per se is a good thing).
>
Those who grow up speaking the accepted language of science and commerce
can focus on mastering the subject matter in a language which they already
master; while others must spend *much* time and energy to learn the 
language in question, while native speakers are getting ahead in the stuff
of science and commerce.

Reinhard Selten shows how game theory demonstrates that the advantage of
native speakers of the ruling language leads to a short-term gain, but
a long-term loss. This of course includes the notion that the various
players act rationally...

-- 
Miko SLOPER              elna@netcom.com              USA  (510) 653 0998
Direktoro de la          ftp.netcom.com:/pub/el/elna   fax (510) 653 1468 
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