Comments on: Everybody’s got an idea for the transition except me and my monkey http://nonprofiteer.net/2008/12/09/everybodys-got-an-idea-for-the-transition-except-me-and-my-monkey/ Nonprofits Without The Nonsense--and that's just the tip of the iceberg! Fri, 04 May 2012 17:31:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Dear Nonprofiteer, Can I borrow working capital from a Board member? « The Nonprofiteer http://nonprofiteer.net/2008/12/09/everybodys-got-an-idea-for-the-transition-except-me-and-my-monkey/#comment-3077 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:03:12 +0000 http://nonprofiteer.wordpress.com/?p=689#comment-3077 [...] would lend to nonprofits the way the Small Business Administration lends to small businesses.  But this hobby-horse of the Nonprofiteer’s doesn’t seem to be making any more headway in the Obama Administration than in any previous [...]

]]> By: Nonprofiteer http://nonprofiteer.net/2008/12/09/everybodys-got-an-idea-for-the-transition-except-me-and-my-monkey/#comment-1285 Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:12:25 +0000 http://nonprofiteer.wordpress.com/?p=689#comment-1285 I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that someone is arguing seriously for a position I offered as an exemplar of absurdity. Whatever the solution to the problem of majoritarian destruction of minority languages (if there is a solution), I doubt it’s to institute a new language that no one speaks–that’s not the way communication works.

]]> By: Brian Barker http://nonprofiteer.net/2008/12/09/everybodys-got-an-idea-for-the-transition-except-me-and-my-monkey/#comment-1123 Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:34:22 +0000 http://nonprofiteer.wordpress.com/?p=689#comment-1123 I think the endorsement of Esperanto, by President-elect Obama, is a sensible idea.

I live in London and if anyone says to me “everyone speaks English” my answer is “Listen and look around you”. If people in London do not speak English then the whole question of a global language is completely open.

The promulgation of English as the world’s “lingua franca” is impractical and linguistically undemocratic. I say this as a native English speaker!

Impractical because communication should be for all and not only for an educational or political elite. That is how English is used internationally at the moment.

Undemocratic because minority languages are under attack worldwide due to the encroachment of majority ethnic languages. Even Mandarin Chinese is attempting to dominate as well. The long-term solution must be found and a non-national language, which places all ethnic languages on an equal footing is essential.

An interesting video can be seen at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8837438938991452670

A glimpse of Esperanto can be seen at http://www.lernu.net

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