the thread is interesting and dismaying to me too, BrowserUK

i am appalled by the idea that people have been reprimanded for speaking languages other than english in the cb. the kind of 'censorship' that i feel appropriate, if it can go by such a name, is merely to *recommend* that english be the language for posting - to prefer it, nothing more.

regarding the main point of the proposition being 'i might miss something' - i feel the fundamental misconception is here. it is not 'i might miss something', it is 'we' might miss something. when a posting is made that is not in english, the accessibility of that posting to the community is diminished. it is all very well to assert, as a statement of faith in the efficiency of monastery knowledge transfer, that this node will be translated because of its intrinsic worth. some are, thanks to the good efforts of Monsieur Champs and others. what is at risk more are postings on niche subjects, and their informational content: untranslated, they become invisible to super search, they remain uncategorized. and so the value of the monastery to its community becomes diluted.

i don't want to labour the point. the advantages of a lingua franca are subtle, less emotive than the blunt, arrogant assertion that 'posting in language x is verboten.'. this does not mean they are less important to the community, it's evolution or devolution.

wufnik

in the world of the mules there are no rules