Language is key to healing our society
by Mark Ellse, TCW:
In 1881 Eliezer Ben-Yehuda immigrated into Palestine. As a linguist, particularly as a Hebrew scholar, thinking of the Jews scattered around the world, he realised that the defining characteristic of a nation is language. He developed modern Hebrew, the language that binds residents of Israel and Jews around the world together.
Such a view is obvious as soon as one thinks about it. The Welsh have, and really want, Welsh. The Basques are conscious of their separate identity because their first language is not Spanish.
One can see the reasons for the lumping of Sudetenland Czechs with the rest of Germany because most spoke German. Why does Russia lay claim to parts of Georgia and the Balkans? Because these areas have large Russian speaking populations.
Now, with both alacrity and perspicacity, our lords and masters think that this observation might have relevance to England (if I might use that name for the country I live in without being labelled loon or fruitcake). According to the Telegraph, imams are to be encouraged to deliver their sermons in English under measures being prepared to rid Britain of hate preaching.
It’s amazing when we think of it. How did they come up with the idea so quickly? But it’s not the first thought that is breathtakingly wise. Before long we could have a whole society in which we all know what each other is saying. No longer will we have problems like there used to be with Yasser Arafat, who spoke peace in English and war in Arabic.
Yes, we should define Britishness partly in terms of language spoken, not in nominal promotion of some ill-defined equality rights.
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