Date: Tue, 5 Sep 1995 15:30:28 CDT

From: Barbara Need barbara[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]SAPIR.UCHICAGO.EDU

Subject: Re: English-only



I was at a joint meeting of the LSA and MLA in San Francisco some years

back when California was considering such a law. Supporters of English

Only were there as part of a panel. I asked, pointing out that, as a

composition instructor I had become aware of the differences between

my English and that of my students, [sorry, a comma is missing above]

which English would be official. The answer: " Well, English English",

of course! was the subtext. Meaing, I suppose, well English--there is

only ONE English and it is the right one and it is mine (that is the

speaker's).



Since I make sure MY students know that spoken English and written

English are two different languages, I'm curious what the good voters of

22 states thought they were voting for -- written English only, spoken

English only, or "it don't matter!"? Can anyone in one of those 22 states



tell us if it was aimed at written only in their state?



[above from Dan Alford]



Barbara Need

University of Chicago--Linguistics