Right on, Herb:

"A minor point, but while we do need the language of wider communication
and we must, as we all agree, prepare our students
to compete, what makes the language of wider communication what it is is
not that it "can communicate thoroughly and
precisely the meanings we need to communicate across geographical,
cultural, and ethnic boundaries" but, simply and
tautologically, that it is the language of wider communication.  It is
its status as the prestige dialect that makes it
acceptable across various boundaries, not its linguistic properties."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Johanna Rubba   Associate Professor, Linguistics
English Department, California Polytechnic State University
One Grand Avenue  • San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Tel. (805)-756-2184  •  Fax: (805)-756-6374 • Dept. Phone.  756-2596
• E-mail: [log in to unmask] •  Home page: http://www.cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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