EvelynVogtGamble

Iceman wrote:

> On Aug 7, 5:49 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>>>SFAIK, the only way France may differ from the rest of
>>>>Europe is that French people are more likely to allow their
>>>>displeasure with rude Americans to be seen. (You think
>>>>citizens of other countries like our linguistic arrogance
>>>>any better?)
>>
>>>It's not linguistic arrogance- it's simply the way things turned out-
>>>i.e. English dominating the world language scene, for the moment anyway.
>>>Who knows what it will be in 300 years? If your average drunken Finn
>>>meats a French speaker in, say, Ecuador, the language they'll most
>>>likely use for conversation is English. Most foreign visitors to France
>>>don't speak French any better than native English speakers do.
>>
>>And besides, any English-speaking visitors to France are to be at least
>>partly forgiven for an initial impression that English is widespread in
>>France, given how much of the music played everywhere is, in fact, English.
>>And what's their fascination with Phil Collins anyway???!!!
>
>
>
> Inexplicably, they love the TV shows "Saved by the Bell" and
> "MacGyver".

Is "MacGyver" still shown anywhere? I thought it died and
went to TV heaven many, many years ago! ("Saved by the
Bell" I never saw.)
>

The Reid

Following up to [email protected] (David Horne, _the_ chancellor
(*)) wrote:

>> > I recent study ordered by BBC knows to tell that in average a Brit can
>> > memorize seven (7) words of that foreign language he/she studied/studies
>> > at school. Not much for a vocabulary.
>>
>> Sounds like the usual BBC "let's trash the working class and their ability
>> to use education in a meaningful way" bollocks to me.
>
>It wasn't. There was featured on quite a few news programmes, and with a
>fair bit of analysis, where the point was actually made that the British
>aren't particularly any better or worse than other people at speaking
>foreign languages, and the quality of teaching isn't any worse. Just
>that as English is so dominant, many people get little exposure to other
>languages, or the opportunities to practise them.

I did Russian and French at school, i can remember something around
the 7 words of russian, as I never used it once beyond noting what
actors said in spy films, usualy "dosvedanya" or "zrasvoochey". For
some reason one of the words is electrogiderostancia, (hydro electric
power station). I can still read the alphabet though and sing a
russian song. The French has been overlaid with spanish, I keep
saying gracias to french waiters! :-(
--
Mike
(remove clothing to email)

The Reid

Following up to "William Black" <[email protected]> wrote:

>You have to be aware that these things aren't done to no purpose and the
>Public School, Oxbridge educated, elitist shits who run the BBC have a
>vested interest in making anyone not educated as they were feel inferior.

listen to BBC LOndon breakfast show, the stupidist, least educated
person Ive heard on radio, this morining its "why would you want to
hang meat, it will just go rotten" one of her more reasonable
statements. (I hear about 10 minutes of it, enough to catch a daily
stupidity).
(I wish digital radio gave half decent reception so the traffic
function worked)
--
Mike
(remove clothing to email)

The Reid

Following up to Frank Hucklenbroich <[email protected]> wrote:

>> Could you
>> still manage to order what you wanted in restaurants?
>
>Depends on the restaurant - in some posh restaurants they sometimes only
>speak french

but french food words are often known aboroad, so it can be quite easy
as long as you arte not picky about exactly what you get.
--
Mike
(remove clothing to email)

-Martin

On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 23:39:20 -0700, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>
>Doesn't Frequently Mop wrote:
>> Make credence recognised that on Tue, 07 Aug 2007 07:17:19 -0700,
>> "[email protected]" <[email protected]> has scripted:
>>
>>
>>>On Aug 7, 6:04 am, The Reid <[email protected]>
>>>wrote:
>>>
>>>> Others dont respond to poor french. But one copes!
>>>
>>>I barely remember the French I learned in high school several decades
>>>ago. Often, when I started a conversation in French, I would get a
>>>response in English. This happened most frequently in areas
>>>frequented by tourists (�le de France, Lyon, etc.). I guess my accent
>>>was so bad that they decided English would be easier for both of us.
>>
>>
>> Even though my Italian is good, people still respond to me in English
>> sometimes, just because they don't want to seem ignorant.
>
>I doubt whether any Italian CARES what some ignorant
>American tourist thinks of them! Evidently your Italian is
>not nearly so good as you think it is, so they reply in
>English out of politeness.

That makes more sense.
--

Martin

The Reid

Following up to [email protected] (David Horne, _the_ chancellor
(*)) wrote:

> Most foreign visitors to France
>don't speak French any better than native English speakers do.

I always feel sorry for, say, Japanese, who have learned pretty good
english and then find a non english waiter who has none.
--
Mike
(remove clothing to email)

-Martin

On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 23:45:24 -0700, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>
>Martin wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:47:43 +0200, Doesn't Frequently Mop
>> <deepfreudmoors@eITmISaACTUALLYiREAL!l.nu> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Make credence recognised that on Tue, 07 Aug 2007 10:42:33 -0700,
>>>"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" <[email protected]> has scripted:
>>
>>
>>>Above all, try to learn it from listening. Really concentrate on how
>>>they pronounce it, and try to sing it back to them.
>>>
>>>It does work.
>>
>>
>> Only if you are a diva.
>
>Actually, there are differences between French as it's
>spoken and as it is sung. In singing, many sylables are
>pronuounced although the spoken language slurs over them.
>(Also, the final "e" of many words is pronounced in vocal
>music, but not in speech.)

Please tell me you don't "try to sing it back to them".
--

Martin

Mxsmanic

EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) writes:

> Is "MacGyver" still shown anywhere?

Many TV shows never seem to die. I mentioned "The Love Boat" to some clients
recently because I had seen it the previous day on (French) TV, only to
realize that they had been born after the series ended in the U.S.

The Reid

Following up to "Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote:

>And besides, any English-speaking visitors to France are to be at least
>partly forgiven for an initial impression that English is widespread in
>France, given how much of the music played everywhere is, in fact, English.
>And what's their fascination with Phil Collins anyway???!!!

if you listen to a lot of the english language spanish songs popular
on the radio there, they often dont really make any sense at all.
--
Mike
(remove clothing to email)

Mxsmanic

Gregory Morrow writes:

> How do you say in French, "How much is that air conditioning
> unit?"...???

Combien coute ce climatiseur?

William Black

"David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:1i2i1lg.1av3j981edipzhN%[email protected]...
> Padraig Breathnach <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> "Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >And besides, any English-speaking visitors to France are to be at least
>> >partly forgiven for an initial impression that English is widespread in
>> >France, given how much of the music played everywhere is, in fact,
>> >English.
>> >And what's their fascination with Phil Collins anyway???!!!
>> >
>> A highly-developed sense of irony.
>
> Shit taste, probably. It's a mediterranean thing.

I disagree.

It's more about resistance to what they regard as an alien culture.

In both Italy and France I have found the people very receptive to decent
music (for a given value of decent music, my taste runs more to folk)

I have also found that someone dragging out a guitar/fiddle/squeeze box just
about anywhere on the continent and starting to play will get an
appreciative audience if they're any good, unlike the UK where all you'll
get is astonished looks and few sneers about 'crusty old folkies'....

--
William Black


I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.

-Martin

On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:01:17 GMT, "William Black" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
>"David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:1i2i1lg.1av3j981edipzhN%[email protected].. .
>> Padraig Breathnach <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> "Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>> >And besides, any English-speaking visitors to France are to be at least
>>> >partly forgiven for an initial impression that English is widespread in
>>> >France, given how much of the music played everywhere is, in fact,
>>> >English.
>>> >And what's their fascination with Phil Collins anyway???!!!
>>> >
>>> A highly-developed sense of irony.
>>
>> Shit taste, probably. It's a mediterranean thing.
>
>I disagree.
>
>It's more about resistance to what they regard as an alien culture.
>
>In both Italy and France I have found the people very receptive to decent
>music (for a given value of decent music, my taste runs more to folk)
>
>I have also found that someone dragging out a guitar/fiddle/squeeze box just
>about anywhere on the continent and starting to play will get an
>appreciative audience if they're any good, unlike the UK where all you'll
>get is astonished looks and few sneers about 'crusty old folkies'....

Except in Leiden where they are sick of street musicians, who cant play their
instruments, and are discussing a total ban on them.

I blame that Jim Gibbering and his mouth organ, the asylum seeker with the
saxophone and somebody not identified with a discordion.
--

Martin

Mxsmanic

The Reid writes:

> I always feel sorry for, say, Japanese, who have learned pretty good
> english and then find a non english waiter who has none.

The Japanese are like the French in that they study English extensively at
school but often cannot use it for practical communication at all. And
Japanese tourists abroad seek out people who can speak Japanese; they don't
want to speak English if they don't have to.

David Horne

Mxsmanic <[email protected]> wrote:

> The Reid writes:
>
> > I always feel sorry for, say, Japanese, who have learned pretty good
> > english and then find a non english waiter who has none.
>
> The Japanese are like the French in that they study English extensively at
> school but often cannot use it for practical communication at all. And
> Japanese tourists abroad seek out people who can speak Japanese; they don't
> want to speak English if they don't have to.

Japanese is harder for English speakers to learn than French- similarly
it's hard for Japanese speakers to learn English or French.

--
(*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
http://www.davidhorne.net - real address on website
"Abominable, loyal, blind, apparently subservient."
Pres. Carter on Ex-Pres. Blair- May, 2007

The Reid

Following up to Mxsmanic <[email protected]> wrote:

>The Japanese are like the French in that they study English extensively at
>school but often cannot use it for practical communication at all.

WOW!

>And Japanese tourists abroad seek out people who can speak Japanese; they don't
>want to speak English if they don't have to.

they prefer their own language WOW, how the f*** do you know, you say
you dont travel? Ive met Japanese in Wasdale!
--
Mike
(remove clothing to email)