Jonzjob Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Need I say more?http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090709/tod-pushy-french-are-world-s-worst-touri-7f81b96.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 SCANDALE MENSONGES PAS VRAI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Being an American article I suppose we don't need to guess who is the greatest nation at everything [Www] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 You're too right, teapot !!I'm sure of one thing, the French are not the worst at languages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Guerriere Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Why yes, even the kids speak French ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 [:D][:D][:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 The Germans, Swedish, etc, are better than French at languages, but the English must be about the worst.. [Www]Why would they bother?The world speaks English, n'est ce pas ? [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I think being an island nation contributes. The only 'border' I crossed as a child was the one between England and Wales so my first question in my first French lesson was 'Why are we learning French, Miss, and not Welsh?' I genuinely couldn't think of a single occasion when I might need to speak French. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulT Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Yes, the English attitude 'they should speak English'. I was going to put British but some of the Welsh and Scots are bilingual.I think the great pity is that children are not taught other languages at a far earlier age when they are more receptive.I was once in a restaurant in France and there was a couple with 2 children, the mother spoke in English and the father in French. Presumably the children knew the differences between the two languages by who was speaking. I thought this a wonderful way of the children being bilingual.Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 [quote user="P2"]Yes, the English attitude 'they should speak English'. I was going to put British but some of the Welsh and Scots are bilingual.I think the great pity is that children are not taught other languages at a far earlier age when they are more receptive.I was once in a restaurant in France and there was a couple with 2 children, the mother spoke in English and the father in French. Presumably the children knew the differences between the two languages by who was speaking. I thought this a wonderful way of the children being bilingual.Paul[/quote]I saw this for myself in a hotel in Geneva about 3 weeks ago. The child, a girl, was about 4 years old and the mother spoke English with a very good accent (sorry, my snootiness coming out) and the father spoke very correct French.I had a chat with the father latter on the way to our respective rooms and he confirmed that the child is perfectly happy with either language.Also have an American friend with a Belgian husband. Their son, 8 years of age, speaks French and American. I have noticed that when I speak French to him, he answers in French and when I speak English, he speaks to me in American.He doesn't seem to pause to think about what language I am using (I do but he definitely doesn't appear to have to think about it) but I have never caught him answering me in the "wrong" language. I test him out sometimes, particularly when he is playing and not really paying attention ,but he never gets the language "wrong".I find this most intriguing but it's really too complex for me to work out how the child can speak so effortlessly and seemingly without conscious thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 My brother married a German lady. Their daughter, now 20 , is fully bilingual German/French.Her mum never spoke a word of French to her, and my brother always spoke French to her.It waés funny when she was 3, she asked things such as " tata, je peux avoir " kaugumi?" ( chewing gum.. [:D] )Or to my mum " Je veux du zaft mamie" ( orange juice) [:D]But at 4 she knew exactly who she could speak French or German to, and she never mixed languages again.Now she is going to live and study in Berlin for a year.Having parents from different nationalities was a chance for her. ( And my brother speaks good German now ..) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5-element Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 Leaving aside the language issue - what about one of the other statements, namely, that French tourists are rude and disrespectful?Certainly, in the area where I live, I do find the French often unspeakably rude - in shops, in "queues", on the roads, in many other situations - so I am not at all surprised that they should continue behaving in that way outside of France.I know this is in direct contrast to what some posters experience, who think that "the French" are so terribly polite.Not my experience at all. In fact, if I was asked to generalise about a national characteristic for "the French", being rude would be close to the top of the list.I may be biased, as people north of the Loire are supposedly not so rude, and more friendly. No doubt there are also people who live in the south who will have very different opinions.[:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 Rude ? I don't know. Being French, I'm not in the best position to say yes or no.But I would say that we are " RALEURS " .. [:$] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrCanary Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 The rude Germans have to learn other languages, because if they did not, nobody would ever speak to them!As for French folk, speaking from personal experience, I find them generally very polite and friendly - certainly no worse than Brits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprogster Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I travel frequently to the USA and when I have come across French tourists in shops, I have noticed a reluctance for them to attempt to speak any English, even Hello, Thanks or Goodbye, which is a real problem as in America French is less understood than the UK. The main second language being Spanish. Although Brits are bad, most seem to at least say Bonjour and Merci! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted July 17, 2009 Author Share Posted July 17, 2009 The Brits say that in the US of A?[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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