>> M.C. Why, those of us who take Candian citizenship have to swear=20 allegiance too, and to the same august personage. >> I should have known. (Bad luck.) >> to hop the next plane and go help her out. My wife swore the same oath, but she had her fingers crossed behind her back (I kid you not). >> MPs here have to do something like that, I read some of them cross their fingers behind their backs. >> he new generation of immigrants are rather different. The ones = I know= are mainly Latin Americans=A0: they organize Latin American cultural=20 circles and film clubs, celebrate their National holidays with gusto,=20 get together to cook their national cuisines and speak their languages,=20= and make damn sure their children grow up speaking *both* Spanish and=20 English, and often French as well. >> good. That is how I see Canada, indeed. Judy Evans jaye@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx -----Original Message----- From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Michael Chase Sent: 05 February 2004 08:29 To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Long Live the Evolution Le mardi, 4 mai 2004, =E0 20:06 Europe/Paris, Judith Evans a =E9crit : >>> > Perhaps this is the difference between the > U.S. and Canada. For the U.S., the dominant metaphor is that of the > melting pot whereas in Canada it is the mosaic. >>>> > > The UK is more "mosaic" -- there are some worrying assimilationist=20 > trends > like the citizenship ceremony, which makes people do what we "born=20 > citizens" > never have to do, i.e. swear allegiance -- but perhaps less so than=20 > Canada. M.C. Why, those of us who take Candian citizenship have to swear=20 allegiance too, and to the same august personage. If Her Majesty gets=20 into a barroom brawl in some Brixton pub, I had to swear to hop the=20 next plane and go help her out. My wife swore the same oath, but she=20 had her fingers crossed behind her back (I kid you not). In Canada, many if not most of my friends are immigrants. And = perhaps=20 there has indeed been a shift in attitudes : I have friends of Polish=20 and Chinese descent in their 40's and 50's who were regularly smacked=20 in their youth when they spoke anything but English : their parents=20 wanted them to assimilate, and quick. They now have bitter regrets that=20= they don't speak their ancestral language. The new generation of immigrants are rather different. The ones = I know=20 are mainly Latin Americans=A0: they organize Latin American cultural=20 circles and film clubs, celebrate their National holidays with gusto,=20 get together to cook their national cuisines and speak their languages,=20= and make damn sure their children grow up speaking *both* Spanish and=20 English, and often French as well. In this group, there are a number of Latin American women who = have=20 married Canadian men and come back to Canada with them. We often get=20 together at parties and dinners=A0: the men - mainly monolingual=20 anglo-saxons - congregate in one corner of the room and occasionally=20 mutter some comments about hockey, trucks or politics; mainly, however,=20= we just stare at our shoes. In the other part of the room the Latin=20 American women congregate : they shriek with laughter, embrace one=20 another, slap each other on the back, sing, throw food at one another,=20= and shout jokes at the top of their voices, making fun of their own and=20= each others' dialects, politics, and culture.e=20 footwear-scrutinizing males. I'd rather be with the ladies. I get the feeling Andy would feel more at home with th Besides,=20 they're the ones who bring the food (thank God!) Michael Chase=09 (goya@xxxxxxxxxxx) CNRS UPR 76/ l'Annee Philologique Villejuif-Paris France ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html