I used to think so but I've come around to the idea that the language is just part of the platform. Learning the Apis and idioms is always more work than learning a new syntax anyway.
I guess this is where we're actually parting ways. I agree that learning a platform, its APIs and idioms is important, non-trivial work, but...
As you might guess from my username, I'm a fan of more than a few languages where (at least I believe) the differences go well beyond syntax. That means I want standards because I want to know what I can (or could) take with me to another platform and what I can't.
