Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 00:08:53 -0500
From: Wordsmith <wsmith@wordsmith.org>
To: linguaphile@wordsmith.org
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--alacrity
 
alacrity (uh-LAK-ri-tee) noun
 
   1. Cheerful willingness; eagerness.
 
   2. Speed or quickness; celerity.
 
[Latin alacritas, from alacer, lively.]
 
   "Snider was approved by the museum's board with an alacrity that borders
   on the suspicious, though time was of the essence: Weyl had already
   left."
   Meir Ronnen, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Jerusalem Post, 13 Sep 1996.
 
English is a global language. With the rise of electronic communication,
worldwide trade and international travel, its status has far surpassed
that of a link language. English is equated with success. Wherever you go--
from the luxuriant rain-forests of Costa Rica to the untamed wilds of
Serengeti to the hodgepodge of Eastern bazaars--you're sure to find someone 
who speaks English albeit in an accent far different than yours. If nothing 
else, English makes a disguised appearance in hybrids such as Franglais,
Spanglish, Hindlish, etc. 
 
Of course, this rise in popularity of English is not without a downside. 
Talk with someone for whom English is not a first language and you sense
a feeling of loss. Reactions vary the gamut--from the trace of helplessness 
of parents whose children can't appreciate a poem in their native language, 
to lawmakers making it mandatory for a company to also have a Web site in 
the language of their country before the company can do business there.
 
What do you think? I'd love to hear from you about this subject whether
English is your first language or not. Email anu@wordsmith.org and in the
meanwhile taste some words taken from newspapers of the world.      -Anu 
 
.............................................................................
An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much
you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you
don't. -Anatole France
 
Q: Tomorrow is my friend's birthday and I forgot to send her a gift. Help!
A: Give the gift of words. Send a gift subscription of A.Word.A.Day at
   http://www.wordsmith.org/awad/gift.html . It is the gift that keeps on
   giving the whole year long, and beyond. 
 
Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/alacrity.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/alacrity.ram