> Just throwing this out - Romanian and Portuguese are 2 very different
> languages yet if you start out in Romania and migrate through Italy.
> France and Spain to Portugal I'll bet the border people speak a
> mutually-understood "trade language" or patois along the way in addition
> to their school-taught pure language. It appears to me that this is
> bilingualism at its best, born of necessity and adopted by all.
Neat point! Reminds of a book "The Middle Ground" (name of author escapes
me at the moment). Describes a couple centuries of "border living" -- not
only between europeans and natives, but among various native peoples as
well. Adaptation to the circumstances of life can produce the creativity
necessary for survival; legislating "customs" is a sure way to turn the
people away.