*giggle* English as the "national language" (toon)

[Lyric]

http://xkcd.com/84/

:rofl:

[Dappleganger]

1. Love it!!

And if my great-grandma was alive, she'd agree!!

[racaulk]

2. K&R!!!

:rofl:

[DeSwiss]

3. K&R

Hmmm.... those words don't pan-out on http://www.wehali.com/tsalagi/index.cfm?event=showHome">this Cherokee-to-English translator.

[Lyric]

5. Actually it does work.

It's just that the dictionary there uses slightly different phonetics and contains only un-affixed base words, and in Cherokee, the base words can change depending on the sentence structure.

"osio" in the cartoon = "o-si-yo" = "Hello"

"dawado" = base word "du-do-v" which changes with affixation of pronoun = "my name"

Full translation of the Cherokee in the cartoon: "Hello, my name is Sarah."

:hi:

[DeSwiss]

7. Thanks!!!

- I'm part Cherokee but were not close.

on edit - I'd forgotten that I had this one:

[Lyric]

9. No problem! I enlisted the help of the friend who gave me this link.

She's Cherokee, she actually speaks the language, and she gave me what she calls a "quick and dirty" explanation, lol.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Ironic that when Americans travel abroad they ALWAYS expect the natives of the country they are in

to speak ENGLISH for THEM!!! I have seen this too many times...and the idiot UGLY AMERICANS start yelling in English, as if when you speak English louder it will make the people understand..

[pinboy3niner]

8. Once, I saw an ugly American get swift karma

Years ago, I was on a European tour and one guy in our group was a stereotypical caricature of the ugly American--loud, boorish, bigoted, arrogant, overweight, big cigar-chomping, demanding everyone speak English.

When we went on a shopping excursion in Rome, he didn't want to get 'ripped off,' so he negotiated with a street vendor for an expensive wristwatch. When we all boarded the bus after shopping, he bragged loudly how he'd "Jewed the guy down" to get a fantastic bargain on his watch.

But suddenly, Mr. Ugly American put his watch to his ear and then began shaking it vigorously, complaining loudly that he'd been cheated--it had already stopped working. :rofl:

As our bus rolled away, he stood, waving his arms and demanding that the driver stop so he could go back to the vendor. "Sorry," the driver and tour guide told him. "We're on a schedule."

For the rest of us in the tour group, it was one of the highlights of our trip!

[Canuckistanian]

13. I would have laughed my ass off

I HATE assholes like that.

[gristy]

16. I disagree.

While Americans who travel abroad certainly appreciate being able speak English with the local folks, certainly the vast majority do not expect it.

[Codeine]

26. Please. Most Americans don't do anything of the sort. nt

[Frustratedlady]

6. Good point.

We have short memories.

[unblock]

10. love xkcd. nerd humor rules!

[Solly Mack]

11. You get buy xkcd tees at ThinkGeek.com

and at xkcd.com.... :)

[chillspike]

12. Isn't forcing someone to speak a particular language

an infringement of free speech?

[eridani]

14. Great! Next we should make base 10 our official number system

Jeebus. If much of the rest of the world uses English as a second language, it's difficult enough for those of us whose first language is English to ever learn second or third languages.

[applegrove]

15. So true.

[newtothegame]

17. Unfortunately these posts are about the only time DU'ers show any concern for Native Americans.

If we could show concern for their cause when it wasn't just a tool of political convenience, we could enact some real change.

[Lyric]

18. Not this DU'er.

I tend to do more of my advocacy IRL, but here's at least one example that had nothing whatsoever to do with "political convenience".

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7611298

I sincerely hope you'll aim that hand grenade with a little more precision next time. Some of us really *do* care.

[newtothegame]

19. January?

:shrug:

Imagine if all the posts on the Greatest Page about Sarah Palin were instead about what we could do to help the underprivileged and oppressed.

[Lyric]

20. Are you poor? Are you oppressed?

I'm both, and I've been advocating loudly for both issues here for years, quite literally. In, ahem, "other places", I've actually been stereotyped for it.

But seriously--you really are lecturing the wrong DU'er about not giving enough attention to the "underprivileged and oppressed". Here are more of my posts regarding poverty issues, starting with my 25-page college research paper on the horrible, counterproductive effects of the welfare reform legislation:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=9084459

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic=389&topic_id=6849381

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=6699554

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=5284958

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=9163477

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=9171026#9173361

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=9119615#9121698

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=9105896

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=7942471

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=8176965#8177465

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=9193643

There's a lot more. Just do searches on my username and the keywords "poor" or "poverty" or "social justice". Now I agree with you--there needs to be more attention. The suffering is unimaginable, and our First People are suffering worse than just about anyone. But I would appreciate it if you would recognize that there are SOME people here who do indeed make poverty their top priority.

[Deep13]

21. People in CA, NM, AZ, TX and FL were speaking Spanish...

...for about a hundred years before English-speakers arrived.

[kenfrequed]

22. Gego Zhaaganashimong

Ojibwe- "Don't speak English."

[Jackpine Radical]

27. Bouzhou, Niji.

[kenfrequed]

29. Bouzhou

Niin Ken Nindishinakaaz

[Jamastiene]

23. Bravo!

K&R

So true!

Thank you for sharing this.

[yellerpup]

24. U wo tlv di ha!

Wado! :rofl:

[JDPriestly]

25. Actually, I've lived in several countries, and I learned the language

in each. You should learn the dominant language if you decide to live somewhere. It really is not that hard to do when you are LIVING IN THE COUNTRY.

I just had a really time-wasting, stupid misunderstanding with a dear friend of mine -- because she hasn't learned enough English. I speak a little Spanish, but, hey, English is the language here.

Language is about communication. If you want to communicate, you learn the language in which most people where you are living communicate. That's just common sense.

If you've ever learned in a foreign country, you know how frustrating it is not to understand the language. Seems to me that people should WANT TO LEARN ENGLISH MORE THAN ANYTHING IF THEY LIVE HERE. And I say that as one who has experienced having to learn foreign languages. Imagine someone yells, "Fire, you have to go through there to get out" and you don't understand a word. If you are in a crowd, you will probably catch on and run in the right direction. But what if you are alone and just see someone running out? It's stupid not to learn the dominant language where you live. Just stupid. There is no excuse.

[Angry Dragon]

28. There are two universal languages

LOVE and Music