[NEWS] Five language links: English, French, Gaelic, Cantonese, Russian

[rfmcdonald]

• Despite Brexit, the English language is continuing to make inroads against French in the halls of the European Union. Politico Europe reports.


• The State of Louisiana has made a formal application to join the Organisation international de la francophonie.


• This article in The Scotsman noting how some African slaves taken to plantations in the Carolinas came to use Gaelic, not English, as their common language is fascinating. What other influences came unexpectedly from Gaelic Scotland to African America?


• Can Hong Kong use the Cantonese language to extend its influence deeper into China and elsewhere? The SCMP considers.


• This article/a> in New Eastern Europe makes interesting arguments about how, in the post-Soviet world, the Russian language now has multiple centres and multiple standards. I'm unconvinced about the political arguments, though.