the politics of language

A fascinating article about how some in France want to cling to "their" language, to keep it pure and unadulterated. This reflects the debate in the United States, where some espouse the English-only approach... a fear that, under the advance of Spanish, English will somehow disappear or become Spanglish. The problem is that every language is alive, not stagnant. It changes over time, and responds to societal changes. We no longer speak like our ancestors did, say, in the Middle Ages. The banner of a language under siege usually means the fear that a culture or values are under siege. As a political refugee in France, I remember being welcomed, but with a large dose of French exceptionalism: bienvenue, but you must become French like us...
I ADD: There were also many French people who accepted us as we were, and who became my dearest friends.
Pardon my French
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/arts/25abroad.html