![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rfmcdonaldElaborating on a theme from my previous post, I'm curious this evening about what people think about the way things get missed because they're communicated in language communities that are less prominent than other language communities.
Here in Canada, for instance, the predominance of English over French with the asymmetrical bilingualism that's a consequence still means that speakers of English are rather less familiar with the culture and opinions of Canada's speakers of French than vice versa. Things get missed. Arguably the missing of these things goes some ways towards explaining Canada's ongoing if recently quieted existential issues.
Then again, does it really matter that much? Arguably, if speakers of English in Canada were more familiar with what was going on in French Canada, tensions could be greater. Many of the successful multilingual countries of the world--Switzerland, say--have survived with relatively little contact between language groups, each having its own secure territory and happy to cultivate its own gardens.
What say you about all this?
Here in Canada, for instance, the predominance of English over French with the asymmetrical bilingualism that's a consequence still means that speakers of English are rather less familiar with the culture and opinions of Canada's speakers of French than vice versa. Things get missed. Arguably the missing of these things goes some ways towards explaining Canada's ongoing if recently quieted existential issues.
Then again, does it really matter that much? Arguably, if speakers of English in Canada were more familiar with what was going on in French Canada, tensions could be greater. Many of the successful multilingual countries of the world--Switzerland, say--have survived with relatively little contact between language groups, each having its own secure territory and happy to cultivate its own gardens.
What say you about all this?
