Dragaera

A Linguistic Note

Tue Dec 14 12:01:23 PST 2004

I have long believed that the one phrase an American needs to learn when
visiting a foreign country is, "I do not speak your language.  I am
Canadian."

On Tue, 2004-12-14 at 13:22, Philip Hart wrote:
> Noted in part because the idea has a vaguely Vladiad feel:
> 
>    Some years ago, one Ethan Mollick created the I Can Eat Glass Project,
>    which he described thus:
> 
>    The Project is based on the idea that people in a foreign country have
>    an irresistable urge to try to say something in the indigenous tongue.
>    In most cases, however, the best a person can do is "Where is the
>    bathroom?" a phrase that marks them as a tourist. But, if one says
>    "I can eat glass, it doesn't hurt me," you will be viewed as an insane
>    native, and treated with dignity and respect.
> 
> http://www.geocities.com/nodotus/hbglass.html
>