Belligerent interviewer on NPR <br />talking to a rep from Hispanic culture <br />about 'English As the National Language', <br /> <br />quoting George Will: 'But the national <br /><i>conversation</i> is in English! ' <br />Well, maybe for George Will <br />it is— but how many <br />languages does <i>he</i> think in? <br /> <br />With every question, the Hispanic <br />interviewee is on the defensive, <br />has to be <i>so</i> deferential and articulate, <br /> <br />but finally, he gets his point (politely) in: <br /><i>'This is the only country <br />where some consider <br />knowing <i>one</i> language, superior <br />to knowing two or three! ' </i>Pow, <br /> <br />and what if America gave tax credits <br />or student loan breaks for learning <br />new languages—for learning, <br />doing, being <i>anything</i> new, <br /> <br />what would <i>that</i> do <br />to the cobwebs of calcified <br />society and thought?<br /><br />Max Reif<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/english-as-the-national-language/
