1996-03-31 - RE: Why Americans feel no compulsion to learn foreign languages

Header Data

From: dlv@bwalk.dm.com (Dr. Dimitri Vulis)
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Message Hash: 8e4edcb10f0954b79aa12691cb35cda9ee3965c5525a959638ba617627757a17
Message ID: <FRimLD40w165w@bwalk.dm.com>
Reply To: <199603301919.LAA26825@dns1.noc.best.net>
UTC Datetime: 1996-03-31 12:01:50 UTC
Raw Date: Sun, 31 Mar 1996 20:01:50 +0800

Raw message

From: dlv@bwalk.dm.com (Dr. Dimitri Vulis)
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 1996 20:01:50 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: RE: Why Americans feel no compulsion to learn foreign languages
In-Reply-To: <199603301919.LAA26825@dns1.noc.best.net>
Message-ID: <FRimLD40w165w@bwalk.dm.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


jamesd@echeque.com writes:
> A foreign language is useful only when there are large numbers of
> folk around who speak *one* *particular* foreign language, and these
> folk have knowledge and skills and power and wealth, for example
> if you are close neighbor of Germany or France.

Why do you suppose people study Latin or Sanskrit or classical Greek?

> Americans feel no compulsion to learn foreign languages because
> the only time they need a foreign language is spanish to
> negotiate with whores.

It's interesting to note that while Tim speaks Spanish to gardeners,
James speaks Spanish to whores. Can't blame him, considering what
American women must be like where he lives. :-)

---

Dr. Dimitri Vulis
Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps





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