Pancake Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I think the bottom line is.."The choice is yours.Do you want to be part of the team or just be a spectator ? " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Riff-Raff Element Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 [quote user="hastobe"][quote user="You can call me Betty"][quote user="Jon"]Austalia (in population terms) is a small nation surrounded by much larger ones. France is not. Her only larger neighbour is Germany. The Netherlands, Scandinavia are also small nations and they consequently have become very adept at speaking the language of larger neighbours - it makes good business sense after all.[/quote]I assume that your reference to Australia as a "big" nation in linguistic terms refers to the fact that Australians speak English? I can't tot up the numbers of French speakers in the world, but I don't think it leaves France as a linguistic "also ran" by any standards.[/quote]Exactly - and that is what Jon was implying when he made the comparison... [/quote]No I wasn't. You infered something that I can't make head nor tail of. The point was clear: Australia's regional neighbours - such as China, Japan, the Phillipines, etc have very large populations for whom the first language is not English (though I think it might be an official language in the Phillipines). Instead they speak Japanese, Mandarin, etc. Australia (an NZ) have tiny populations in comparision, so it is hardly surprising that these English speaking nations should take on the mantle of competent linguists, a behaviour that is not necessarily reflected in the dominant language nations in Europe (France, the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy) outside of those few professions that actually need to speak other languages. That's it.Andy - I agree with you: the idea, widely held, that the Dutch can universally speak excellent English is utterly false. I had to learn Dutch to appreciate just to what extent my collagues were winging it. The same, according to two of the few Englishmen I have ever met who can speak Nordic / Scandinavian languages is true in those parts of the world too. A lot of people try to speak English and quite a few of those can sound pretty good, but only a small number ever become truly competent. An easy language it is not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 [quote user="Just Katie "]I think this very long winded thread boils down to an opinion of Wen. My opinion, for what it is worth lays with the majority in this instance. Wen writes that it is courtesy to attempt to speak the language of the visitor. That would be an awful lot of English, Dutch and German the poor French professional would need to learn. In a very obvious nutshell, don't you think the courtesy lays with the visitor to speak the language of the country he is visiting? And, if he cannot do that as Jon has rightly said, engage through a translator. That way your Professional could spend more time in keeping up to date with the legislation within his field.[/quote]Amen to that Katie, common sense really. However I have an issue with your avatar. 'Wales - God's Finest'!! Heck![8-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Common sense? Me? Why thank you Mr L.[:D]. Wales is God's finest, according to the Allbright advert anyway[:D][:D].By the way, we often get called "The Welsh" either in England or France. I really take it as a compliment too. However it does of course depend upon the manner in which it was said. There you go more common sense from Katie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 No offence to Hastobe - any word can be insulting if it is used in a derogatory way, or not so if used in a friendly way, of course. That's why I find so many of the 'racism' arguments arising from things like Big Brother so perplexing. It's rather a sensitive subject with me anyway, I am proud to be English and/or British and get very annoyed when it is inferred that being English is in some way not good. I would feel the same, I am sure, if I was Welsh, just as I am proud to have Irish, Scottish, and even Norman ancestry.Thanks Katie for being sensible (in the English sense of the word, not the French one, like me [;-)] ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 [quote user="Just Katie "]Common sense? Me? Why thank you Mr L.[:D]. Wales is God's finest, according to the Allbright advert anyway[:D][:D].By the way, we often get called "The Welsh" either in England or France. I really take it as a compliment too. However it does of course depend upon the manner in which it was said. There you go more common sense from Katie.[/quote]Don't the French call you Galles or Gallise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Neither Logan. I expect them to speak to me in English so they call us The Welsh[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I used to have gallois friends, I would always put Pays de Galles on envelopes and they always got their OK ps not lost friendships, these friends are now deceased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWINKLE Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I think you mean Galloise Logan - and it's Pays de Galles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 These friends who insist on speaking English to me have ooodles of courtesy! They invited me to a houseparty. When I arrived, I drove up the long treelined drive and posters were pinned to the trees.EVERYONE WELCOME "Ahhh how kind", I thought, on the next tree was written, "No Dogs" then the next one said "No Travellers", finally "No Welsh". To make sure I fully understood, when I arrived at the front door, there was another notice saying "I said NO effing Welsh".Will, I am not sensible in the French sense so I ignored it and had a wonderful time.[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWINKLE Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I remeber it well! Do you remember what I was wearing that night?My lovely flag with the dragon on[:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Hi ,I think reading and speaking French a bit does help to integrate. However I struggle reading and writing in English.Katie i am not sure what you mean by "je vais" are you trying to say "j'y vais".Parisien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Hi everyone,I am a parisien and get on with everyone, even the English. I don't live in paris now but as you can imagine we must be the most friendly people as so many of us want to live together. We moved to the country side to improve our English!j'y vais!! Parisien xx[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalpa Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 [quote user="max"]We moved to the country side to improve our English![/quote][:D] Brilliant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 [quote user="max"]Katie i am not sure what you mean by "je vais" are you trying to say "j'y vais".[/quote]Sorry Max, I don't know what I mean either[blink]. You could have taken that one up with Michel Thomas who claims to have a wonderful theory of teaching language but he is sadly now deceased so I am afraid it will have to remain a mystery to us both.[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blitzen Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 If he's dead his website is not letting on - still referred to in the present tense. If you buy any of his CDs you can find out all about his theory on teaching languages - don't get them from his site - Amazon or EBay would be best (much cheaper). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 What a good investment. Buy his tapes and confuse the natives.[:D]Has anyone noticed how much I am smiling lately? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Is there something you would like to share, Katie ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWINKLE Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I think it's because she is officially a pub owner[B] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 No Twinks it maybe that the Evening Primrose has kicked in.[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWINKLE Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Thank heaven for l'huile d'onagre!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blitzen Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I like the 'good student - bad student' routine ! [:D] Note I'm smiling too - must be the end of the day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 [quote user="TWINKLE"]Thank heaven for l'huile d'onagre!!![/quote]When I first saw that I thought it was 'huile d'onager'.What an a.s.s oil. [;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 It is brilliant Will. Get the wife on it. I makes us stable. I am not saying she is not stable but she is a woman! (Sorry Jude)[:D].Or to put it another way...........sorry I can't. Women are bonkers and arent we the lucky ones. Right nuff said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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