RE: Beyond Google Print: Culture Wars or The French are coming!

["David Goodman" <David.Goodman@liu.edu>]

Some of the quotations in the Times article (I retain one below)  
indicate that their reporter is not to blame for all the chauvanism. I
also do not recall that Google proposed to digitise only English-language
material. I do recall it is presently limited to US libraries, and not
those of the many other English speaking countries--such as England. I
hope Stevan is not making the mistake of confusing English language
civilization with that of the US alone,

But of course Stevan is correct that such plans are to be encouraged; I do
not think the Times intended to disparage them.  It is precisely the
facilities of such technical developments that permit the preservation of
the full cultrual heritage, and not just selected materia--even if it is
national pride that brings about the funding.

The French will benefit from the digitisation of US libraries as much as
the reverse. Perhaps it may even encourage the monolingual in both
countries to become bilingual, after the example of Canadians.  I hope it
will not encourage them to develop another language entirely, as in
Stevan's final paragraph.

Dr. David Goodman
Associate Professor 
Palmer School of Library and Information Science 
Long Island University 
dgoodman@liu.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu on behalf of Stevan Harnad
Sent: Mon 3/21/2005 7:49 PM
To: liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
Subject: Re: Beyond Google Print: Culture Wars or The French are coming!
 
> As usual with France's schemes for ensuring le rayonnement de la culture
> Fran�aise...

Rarely does one read such superficial, philistine sloganeering as in the
Times article below by Charles Bremner, carping at France's efforts to
raise the cultural and linguistic level of the Web:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1530548,00.html

Instead of celebrating the fact that someone, anyone, somewhere, is
actually trying to do something to counter the globalisation of
McDonalds/MTV "culture," Bremner just does the usual jingoistic bleeting
and baiting.

Humankind itself, and history, would be the beneficiary if -- against all
odds -- the Hexagon did somehow manage to hedge the hegemony of the
mindless, faceless, driverless juggernaut that happens to propel us all in
(almost coincidentally) an anglo drone. The English tongue itself -- and
English-language theatre, film and literature -- could stand only to gain
from having to sing for its supper under some inspiration from alloglot
competitors.

Stevan Harnad
Chaire de recherche du Canada
Centre de neuroscience de la cognition (CNC)
Universit� du Qu�bec � Montr�al
Montr�al, Qu�bec,  Canada  H3C 3P8
tel: 1-514-987-3000 2461#
fax: 1-514-987-8952
harnad@uqam.ca
http://www.crsc.uqam.ca/fr/index2.html