[Wikipedia-l] Re: www portal: "The Free Encyclopedia" in Japanese?

Sun Jan 9 22:57:01 UTC 2005

In message <20050109155648.GI21075 at thingy.apana.org.au>, David Gerard 
<fun-e016Bj8cE8tLBo1qDEOMRrpzq4S04n8Q at public.gmane.org> writes
>Anthere (anthere9-/E1597aS9LQAvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org) [050109 18:05]:
>> Mark Williamson a écrit:
>
>> >One prediction I have is that somebody will suggest adding flags to
>> >make it easier to choose languages. This is a BAD idea because there
>> >are speakers of French in Japan, speakers of Thai in Malta, speakers
>> >of Catalan in Greece, etc; also some languages are indigenous to more
>> >than one country, or they don't have a corresponding flag (for
>> >diaspora languages such as Yiddish and Ladino), or it's not
>> >recognizable to most speakers of the language.
>
>> Not a prediction. It was already done. And reverted.
>> Opinions ?
>
>
>I dislike the flag idea, because it's supposed to be languages, not
>countries. (Bosian, Croation and Srpski having separate wikis
>notwithstanding.)
>
>Furthermore, you just *know* some idiot will change the UK flag to a US
>flag. Then another will revert it. Then someone will put both on. Then
>someone else will object to a language having *two* flags. Then soeone else
>will use that horrible split US/UK flag I've seen on some multilingual
>portals. Then someone will protect the page. I suspect flags will provide
>too much material for idiocy.

Well, we /could/ use the English flag (Cross of St George)..... the only 
problem would then be that most English-speakers wouldn't recognise it!

-- 
Arwel Parry
http://www.cartref.demon.co.uk/