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Quotable

Send LALA quotable comments about language from recent media clips.

When I attended kindergarten in Long Beach, I drew a portrait of my mother that I wanted to take home and show her. When the teacher asked me something in English I didn’t understand, I said "yes" and she put my beautiful drawing in her own portfolio. I’d gladly give up all my awards if I could get my mother’s portrait back."

 —George Herrera, twice named Distinguished Teacher of the Year by the California Association of Bilingual Education, March 21, 2007, quoted in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune

The use of "Oscar" to describe an award or awards program is arbitrary or fanciful and deserves maximum protection. However, EchoStar has presented evidence showing that the word "Oscar" could be considered generic in Italy and in the Italian language.

 —U.S. District Court Judge Audrey Collins in a ruling that denied the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences exclusive rights to the term "Oscar," March 16, 2007

Some people hear an accent and assume things about you; its unfortunate, but it’s real.

—Lisa Mojsin, founder of the L.A.-area accent-reduction school Accurate English, March 15, 2007, quoted in The Los Angeles Times

There are parts of our city where you can walk out and hear only a student’s primary language. For some of these kids, the only time they speak English is when they’re in school.

 —Jesús Limón, director of the language acquisition branch of the Los Angeles Unified School District, March 7, 2007, quoted in The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.)

Date Posted: 3/24/2007