Saturday, November 1, 2008

Wars and language

Terence disputes Dale’s insistence that speaking different languages leads to wars.

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Dale: I mean, if everyone spoke the same the language, we’d all understand each other, and we could resolve all disagreements by negotiation, and wars would die out.


Terence: When did you stop beating your wife?


Dale: What?


Terence: You speak the same language but you still argue.


Dale: I don’t beat her and I never did. What’s your point?


Terence: The point is, dear antipodean, that what have all these countries got in common? In alphabetical order: Bosnia, Korea, Rwanda and Vietnam.


Dale: Rice?


Terence: In those places, the people all spoke the same langu8age, understood each other but they had murderous wars. Words are not the be-all and end-all, they d0n’t solve everything. When did you stop beating your wife?


Dale: I don’t beat her and I never did. You going to take my photo saying this?

Terence: Later. I gotta go to the airport, see off K.

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