New law on Language discrimination

[Lehaut]

http://www.ouest-france.fr/societe/langue-une-breche-ouverte-dans-la-forteresse-francaise-4755681

Though implémentation may go the way of most laws in France?

[woolybanana]

Very interesting. that. As you say, we shall have to wait and see what happens next.

[alittlebitfrench]

My little girl learns more German at school (Paris) than English. How does that work then ? What exactly is the point of that ?

The French don't take English very seriously.

[woolybanana]

Because they see it as a challenge to French in the international language stakes.

German, on the other hand is not

[Gardengirl]

<< The French don't take English very seriously>>

Maybe it depends where you are. Friends and their families in the Drome do, neighbours and friends of ours in the Gard do too.

French people at our local AVF group work really hard at the weekly workshops, some trying to keep their level up that they used before retirement, taking every opportunity to speak English over coffee etc too.

The BritsNîmes group, where the only qualification for joining is the ability to speak English, has a large number of French members amongst many other nationalities.

[alittlebitfrench]

It is completely stupid because most Germans I have met (if not all) speak and write better English than me. Surly the French and the Germans (given the Germans speak English so well) could communicate in English.

That is of course if the French learnt English....which they don't want to. They are to busy learning German whilst the Germans are learning English. Germans no that learning French is of no use to man or beast.

There is no logic to all this.

[Cathar Tours]

Could this mean you don't have to speak French to become a citizen?

[Gardengirl]

<>

But many do want to, as posted just above your last post, albf.

[alittlebitfrench]

I know Gardengirl, but you would think English would be better taught at school. Would you not ?

Why is English not such a priority at school ?

Yet at the same time, English is everywhere...particularly in advertising. But they have all got their English back to front for f*** sake. Half the time it don't make a blind bit of sense. They want to speak and write English but they can't. It is like they want their own version of English.

Why, why , why. ??? Why don't they make learning English a priority at school ? Everyone in the world speaks English !!!! Get over it.

Another thing, kids learn 'handwriting' which is great, but when they write in English, you can't read it. What is the point. Learn to write French in that loverly handwriting, but also learn how to write English you can read.

Did this with my son the other day. He had to write the days of the week in English but he did it in French handwriting. Matey, I can't read it. Write it properly.

Rant over.

[idun]

Loverly handwriting.......... give me a break, yet more Education Nationale from the 1880's as so much still is!!!!!!!!

Remember my friend's daughter's english having the comment 'Very Well' after she got 19/20...... and this from an english teacher in college!!!!!!!!!!!

Best not to get me on about french education.......... my loathing of it......... never diminishes. And I know that it works for some, but not everyone is in that group![:@]

[alittlebitfrench]

I am more worried about why the French educational system seems so opposed to French children learning English.

I am also worried why children do maths calculations backwards. It makes no sense to me. Why make something so easy more complicated ?

'Unexpected shopping' was the latest advertisement that some dumb wit came up with to 'market' our local centre commercial.

What does that mean exactly ? Unexpected shopping ???

[Cathar Tours]

Last summer working for my dad in France most of the "young" people spoke English, I would say about 60% spoke it very well the rest were at different levels.

I asked one of my German workmates (English is the compulsory language both spoken and written at Henry's place here in Germany, except at lunch time) and they said it was compulsory at school in western Germany. This is a legacy from the occupation after WW2.

Even in eastern Germany although Russian was the first foreign language English was the second (one of the guys here read Shakespeare at school in English as a "classic"). I am told that English is compulsory now because it is the official second language of the EU so when they refer to learning a language it is normally a third language like say Spanish or whatever.

This may well change in two years time, who knows.

I do know that the local kids where my dad lives (down south) don't like to learn English and the second language there is Spanish due to historical reasons.

[cajal]

[quote user="alittlebitfrench"]

What does that mean exactly ? Unexpected shopping???[/quote]

Impulse buying.

[alittlebitfrench]

To a nation where the majority can't read, understand or write English ?

You are missing the point.

With no great importance placed at school for learning English, why are there so many advertisements in English in france....that nobody will understand ?

Another one..

'attractiveworld.com'

I am guessing most have seen the adverts (probably not) of this French dating website. Why in English that nobody understands ? Why not in French ?

Kids don't learn English at school but they are subjected to advertising in English everyday.

[Lehaut]

Our eldest is doing the last year of his Masters in Engineering at one of the top UK universities. All his previous education has been here in France.

Given all the mixed nationalities in the class (out of 30 there are only two real Brits), the French students are most at ease/least stressed with the work load.

So at that level, the French system seems to work quite well.

[nomoss]

[quote user="alittlebitfrench"]My little girl learns more German at school (Paris) than English. How does that work then ? What exactly is the point of that ? [/quote]

To be prepared for the next occupation?[;-)]

[Chancer]

Yes ALBF, you can do your bit to help by shaving their heads on a regular basis so that they get used to it.

[alittlebitfrench]

You have lost me Chancer......again. (insert a yellow type thing with a a shrugging shoulders....which I can't lol)

[Mr Wiggy]

I would like to point out that in all sciences English is the common language, it’s also the same in the pharmaceutical industry, This is possibly why English is the required language in a lot of French schools, even our local college teaches English.

[Cathar Tours]

I think your find that it is not mainly aimed at other European (and further abroad) languages but also ancient 'French' languages like Occitan, Breton and the original languages from many other areas in France. More along the line of say if you only speak English in Wales or Welsh in England, still part of the UK.

Actually Cornish is a good example of a minority language which is very similar to Breton.

"Cornish (Kernewek) Cornish is a Celtic language spoken mainly in Cornwall (Kernow) It is a member of the Brythonic or British branch of the Celtic languages, along with Welsh and Breton, and has some mutual intelligiblity with Breton, and much less with Welsh."

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cornish.htm

Germany is similar with at least two regional languages (lower Saxon and lower Rhenish).

[Mr Wiggy]

Newton’s Principia Mathematica was written in Latin; Einstein’s first influential papers were written in German; Marie Curie’s work was published in French. Yet today, most scientific research around the world is published in a single language, English.

Since the middle of the last century, things have shifted in the global scientific community. English is now so prevalent that in some non-English speaking countries, like Germany, France, and Spain, English-language academic papers outnumber publications in the country’s own language several times over. In the Netherlands, one of the more extreme examples, this ratio is an astonishing 40 to 1.