Jon Carpenter, Geographer

To the editor:In response to Susan Everett's letter about Mike Corthell's letter about language.Language is one of the major forces that either unites a group or splinters a group. These are often called centripetal or centrifugal forces. One can see this in our neighbors to the north in their question about Qubec. It is also seen in Bosnia where one can also add religion and hand writing (letters and numbers) as centripetal forces that cause national woes.In America, English has been a force that connects the many differing cultures that have immigrated here over our history. We have eliminated religion and other forces by having the constitution.We are a representative democratic republic, and communication is the most important factor in that government. Can you imagine two American soldiers in the field trying to help each other stay alive and one speaks only English and the other only French or Spanish or Arabic or Russian or Japanese? So it is either force all Americans to learn every language in the world or pick a national language or in time break up like the former Yugoslavia.It doesn't mean that you have to have only one language. It means that you have to have a PRIMARY language in which everyone is highly proficient.