The fact we speak english is just luck, we were just a bunch of grunting savages until the romans turned up speaking latin for the next four hundred years and we never managed to learn latin. Then when they left we went back to our primative ways for the next six hundred years until the normans turn up speaking french, but we end up speaking english.
The language is mutating (and always has done)
- Thread starter rogxwhit
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Jacob
New Luddism. Awake and resist!
The ruling clarses still speak with a french accent - the long "A" whereby "ass" sounds like "buttocks"
We do use french a lot when it comes to marketing, look at the stench quench (perfume) adverts , they all use a french twist.
selectortone
Still waking up not dead in the morning
You missed out the Angles, after which England and the language are named.
I am not convinced a lot of energy should be spent on dead and dying languages at school other than as a footnote in history. Time would be better spent on teaching kids the more global languages like Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese. Stop wasting their time with French. We need to look at how best to achieve this, countries in Scandinavia and The Netherlands are almost 100% bilingual. Why are we so different, what are we doing wrong?
IE welsh, not much use unless you live in a small area of north wales.
MARK.B.
Established Member
Jacob
New Luddism. Awake and resist!
Welsh Gaelic neither dead nor dying. They are part of our culture and history. Also being bilingual increases language learning ability in general. What's wrong with learning our nearest neighbours' language French?
Basically being xenophobic and suspicious of "abroad", e.g. as demonstrated by the brexit vote. How many brexiters have taken up the brexit "opportunity" as a reason for learning another language? I guess none at all - they probably feel that they are now free of horrible foreign stuff!
rogxwhit
Established Member
It might be 1 in 10000 globally, or even for all I know in Somerset, but round here I'd guess that its at least 1 in 2. Give peace a chance ...
Here we go again. It's not racist to wish not to have your laws made by unelected foreign politicians.
Incidentally, I did A level French 50 years ago ................ and have never needed to use a word of it since.
Incidentally, I did A level French 50 years ago ................ and have never needed to use a word of it since.
rogxwhit
Established Member
Done a study, have you? I doubt it.
Don’t mention the B word. You’ll get in bother.
We live in global world and French isn’t spoken as much as Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese.
I don’t think it’s xenophobia it’s more of a self belief in English. It’s a failing at school level. It needs to become embedded from an early age and we just don’t do it.
I travelled a lot in my 20’s and 30’s with work and had the opportunity to spend months at a time in a number of different countries. The thing I always remember is that local people were excited at the opportunity to speak English with native speakers and took advantage. The words they used was often creative and they often shoe horned large and complicated words or phrases in where ever they could. It often sounded odd to my ear but they were stretching their language muscles and developing their skills.
And I let them, as a result I have few language skills. No one’s fault but my own.
And I let them, as a result I have few language skills. No one’s fault but my own.
Jacob
New Luddism. Awake and resist!
They weren't unelected and they didn't make laws without our consent.
You need to get out and about a bit! What a missed opportunity!
What you do find is the english speak english but I have found both the Japanese and Germans speak english fluently, that must show that there is a need and because they both spoke english then us english did not bother to speak anything else but english.
If you had learnt a different language to French would it have been more use?
Why? I've never since school needed or wanted to go to France.
German and Latin. Latin, yes. German, no.
MEPs, the elected ones are there for show - they have little influence.
