In message 20050109155648.GI21075@thingy.apana.org.au, David Gerard fun-e016Bj8cE8tLBo1qDEOMRrpzq4S04n8Q@public.gmane.org writes
Anthere (anthere9-/E1597aS9LQAvxtiuMwx3w@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!