Newsgroups: soc.culture.belgium,soc.culture.spain,soc.culture.indian,soc.culture.south-africa,alt.politics.ec,za.politics,sci.lang
From: philip@storcomp.demon.co.uk (Phil Hunt)
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!news.mathworks.com!hookup!news.moneng.mei.com!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!peernews.demon.co.uk!storcomp.demon.co.uk!philip
Subject: Re: EU Policy on Language
Distribution: world
References: <3hmub1$h6g@fido.asd.sgi.com> <792719422snz@storcomp.demon.co.uk>
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Date: Wed, 15 Feb 1995 01:48:45 +0000
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In article <792719422snz@storcomp.demon.co.uk>
           philip@storcomp.demon.co.uk "Phil Hunt" writes:
> > I think that the onus is on you to say why you think everyone will
> > be able to speak understandable Esperanto.
> 
> Let's assume that the EU decides on a common 2nd language, and further
> the EU evolves into a European state, with real power held by the
> European parliament.
> 
> In this case, politicians will need to speak the second language well, or
> they will be ignored (outside their country of origin).
> 
> It's the same situation as if I was trying to be a politician in Britain
> without speaking English fluently: I wouldn't get very far.
> 
> Also voters will want their elected representatives to represent them. So
> they will tend not to vote for a candidate who cannot speak the common
> language well, as he would be seen as not an effective representative.
> 
> So if a common EU language is chosen (whatever that language is), within
> a few years MEPs will (nearly) all speak it, even if there is no formal
> rule saying they must. Of course, national politicians will not necessarily
> speak it.
> 
> This is not IMO a big problem, since anyone of normal intelligence can 
> learn a foreign language, and people who are lazy or stupid are not fit 
> for high political office.

It has occurred to me that there already exist multilingual democracies.
South Africa and India spring to mind. Within the EU, there is Spain and 
Belgium, although these are multilingual to a lesser extent than the other
2 I mentioned.

Can people in these countries tell us 
(a) what languages do the politicians speak in?
(b) what problems does the existance of multiple languages cause?
(c) when 2 people don't have the same native language, what language do
they communicate in?

-- 
Phil Hunt...philip@storcomp.demon.co.uk
Majority rule for Britain!
