Languages (Was RE: Answering the phone WAS: ...)

[Kenneth Brody]

Quoting Mike Schwartz (Thu, 20 Sep 2007 09:34:12 -0500):
[...]
>      Around the time of the Revolutionary War, the official language in the
> U.S. almost became German, and not English.  As I recall, it was by just one
> single vote that English because the official language.
[...]

Sorry, but that's not what happened.

It is believed that this urban legend is based on a 1795 bill to translate
and publish federal laws in German as well as English.  A vote to adjourn
and consider it at a later date was defeated 42 to 41, and the matter was
dropped.  (In other words, they voted against putting it aside to discuss
it further at a later date.  A vote on the bill itself never occurred.)

     http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/german.asp

     http://german.about.com/library/weekly/aa010820a.htm

     http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_026.html

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