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From: hinsenk@cyclone.ERE.UMontreal.CA (Hinsen Konrad)
Subject: Re: Languages in the EC
In-Reply-To: horne-scott@cs.yale.edu's message of 8 Feb 1995 23:52:21 -0500
Message-ID: <HINSENK.95Feb9185055@cyclone.ERE.UMontreal.CA>
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Date: Thu, 9 Feb 1995 23:50:55 GMT
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In article <3hc725INNo5c@SUNED.ZOO.CS.YALE.EDU> horne-scott@cs.yale.edu (Scott Horne) writes:

   From more than a few bus trips down Nicollet Mall, I know this to be
   a furniture store.  Their sign, which puts miscellaneous diacritical
   marks over the letters of _Esperanto_, bears the slogan "Furnishings
   that speak an international language".

   Anyone care to bet on whether they have Esperanto-speaking staff?

In their case, it seems to be the furniture that speaks Esperanto.

But I hope you do not hold Esperantists responsible for misuse of the
name of their language.

   <Nothing reliable. How would you count them?

   On the fingers of one hand, perhaps?  :-)

I would feel rather uncomfortable having so many fingers...

   <Travelling is a good reason to learn Esperanto. Knowing Esperanto
   <helped me a lot when I arrived in Canada some months ago.

   In Montre'al, try French and English.

I did, and I can report that generally both of them work (although
it is surprising how many people even in this bilingual city
speak only one of these languages reasonably well). But contacting
the local Esperanto group will put you in contact with other
foreigners who shared similar experiences, and with locals who
are used to dealing with foreign visitors.
--
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Konrad Hinsen                     | E-Mail: hinsenk@ere.umontreal.ca
Departement de Chimie             | Tel.: +1-514-343-6111 ext. 3953
Universite de Montreal            | Fax:  +1-514-343-7586
C.P. 6128, succ. A                | Deutsch/Esperanto/English/Nederlands/
Montreal (QC) H3C 3J7             | Francais (phase experimentale)
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