allo allo
 

"Roderick Stewart" wrote in
message .myzen.co.uk...
In article , Terry Casey wrote:
More recently, though, we've noticed, both in northern France and
Belgium that, in towns which would be considered off the tourist trail,
the number of young people working in bars, restaurants and shops who
speak surprising good English.

I often wonder what would happen if the situation was reversed. How many
youngsters (late teens - early twenties) in this country speak fluent
French?

You can use English all over the world, but the same can no longer be said
of
French. If the situation really were reversed to the extent that French
was the
language that was spoken everywhere, then there would be an obvious
practical
value in learning it, but there isn't, unless you want to visit France.
Rod.

and Belgium, Canada, North Africa, Indo China, Guiana, (and most diplomats)

But apart from there, nowhere else.

Steve Terry
--
Get a free Three 3pay Sim with £2 bonus after £10 top up
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allo allo
 

In message , Steve Terry
writes
"Roderick Stewart" wrote in
message .myzen.co.uk...
In article , Terry Casey wrote:
More recently, though, we've noticed, both in northern France and
Belgium that, in towns which would be considered off the tourist trail,
the number of young people working in bars, restaurants and shops who
speak surprising good English.

I often wonder what would happen if the situation was reversed. How many
youngsters (late teens - early twenties) in this country speak fluent
French?

You can use English all over the world, but the same can no longer be said
of
French. If the situation really were reversed to the extent that French
was the
language that was spoken everywhere, then there would be an obvious
practical
value in learning it, but there isn't, unless you want to visit France.
Rod.

and Belgium, Canada, North Africa, Indo China, Guiana, (and most diplomats)

But apart from there, nowhere else.

The top-left half of Belgium speaks pretty good English.
All of Canada does (including those parts which 'don't').
Only the die-hard French ex-colonies in N Africa don't (and many
educated people do).
A lot of Indo-China had English taught to them by the Americans.
French Guiana is undoubtedly French (but who wants to go there?).
Diplomats? Surely most have several languages, especially English.
--
Ian

allo allo
 

On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:50:21 -0000, "Steve Terry"
wrote:

"Roderick Stewart" wrote in
message .myzen.co.uk...
In article , Terry Casey wrote:
More recently, though, we've noticed, both in northern France and
Belgium that, in towns which would be considered off the tourist trail,
the number of young people working in bars, restaurants and shops who
speak surprising good English.

I often wonder what would happen if the situation was reversed. How many
youngsters (late teens - early twenties) in this country speak fluent
French?

You can use English all over the world, but the same can no longer be said
of
French. If the situation really were reversed to the extent that French
was the
language that was spoken everywhere, then there would be an obvious
practical
value in learning it, but there isn't, unless you want to visit France.
Rod.

and Belgium, Canada, North Africa, Indo China, Guiana, (and most diplomats)

But apart from there, nowhere else.

Well there is Haiti, which is in the news for all the wrong reasons.
French is one of the two official languages of that country.

--
Peter Duncanson
(in uk.tech.digital-tv)

allo allo
 

Steve Terry wrote:
"Roderick Stewart" wrote in
message .myzen.co.uk...
In article , Terry Casey wrote:
More recently, though, we've noticed, both in northern France and
Belgium that, in towns which would be considered off the tourist trail,
the number of young people working in bars, restaurants and shops who
speak surprising good English.

I often wonder what would happen if the situation was reversed. How many
youngsters (late teens - early twenties) in this country speak fluent
French?
You can use English all over the world, but the same can no longer be said
of
French. If the situation really were reversed to the extent that French
was the
language that was spoken everywhere, then there would be an obvious
practical
value in learning it, but there isn't, unless you want to visit France.
Rod.

and Belgium, Canada, North Africa, Indo China, Guiana, (and most diplomats)


Be careful!

Both my wife and I were told by our respective French teachers that you
could use French in Belgium. Fine, if you visit the south of the country
but not so clever if you visit the north!

If you find a Fleming who does not understand English (extremely rare,
in my experience) then French might be an acceptable communication
medium for both of you but, in general, the Flemish don't like us
confusing them with the Walloons.

Unless your French is so good that you can pass as a native, you will
almost always get a response in English. It may be polite, in a café or
restaurant say, but that may not always be the case in other circumstances!

I think you might also have a problem in most parts of Canada, as well!
Oh, and you forgot Switzerland (another of my French teacher's
optimistic recommendations!)

Returning to Belgium, for a moment, I remember a very pleasant woman
serving in a bar who approached one night with a look like thunder.

Not aimed at me, I must point out, but she had just been serving a
Walloon - and she was livid!

"They refuse to learn our language" she said, "and when you address them
in French, they criticize you because your French isn't 100% perfect!"

Terry

allo allo
 

In article ,
Terry Casey wrote:

Unless your French is so good that you can pass as a native, you will
almost always get a response in English. It may be polite, in a café or
restaurant say, but that may not always be the case in other
circumstances!

a former colleague, slightly lost in the road system of Brussels, asked a
policeman (in French) for the way to somewhere. The responsive involved
the policeman thumping his truncheon on the roof of my colleague's mini. I
suspect the policeman was a Walloon

--
From KT24

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.11

allo allo
 

Terry Casey wrote:

Returning to Belgium, for a moment, I remember a very pleasant woman
serving in a bar who approached one night with a look like thunder.

Not aimed at me, I must point out, but she had just been serving a
Walloon - and she was livid!

"They refuse to learn our language" she said, "and when you address
them in French, they criticize you because your French isn't 100%
perfect!"

I asked two railway staff in Wallonia for some rail-related advice in
French, and one turned to the other and repeated what I had said in a "Dur
dur dur" accent.

--
We are the Strasbourg. Referendum is futile.

allo allo
 

On Jan 13, 6:27*am, Peter Duncanson wrote:

Well there is Haiti, which is in the news for all the wrong reasons.
French is one of the two official languages of that country.

English is widely used in Haiti. Official or not, I didn't have a
problem getting around in the city using English. Good thing since my
French is worse than broken.

William
www.williamahearn.com

allo allo
 

"Terry Casey" wrote in message
...
Steve Terry wrote:
"Roderick Stewart" wrote in
message .myzen.co.uk...
In article , Terry Casey wrote:
snip
I think you might also have a problem in most parts of Canada, as well!
Oh, and you forgot Switzerland (another of my French teacher's optimistic
recommendations!)


Except French speaking Swiss have real names for 70, 80, and 90

French have to use all their fingers and toes and a four other peoples too
to count to up to a hundred

Steve Terry

allo allo
 

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:44 +0000, Steve Terry wrote:

Except French speaking Swiss have real names for 70, 80, and 90

And you never say a score, three score and ten, four score, or a gross?

;+) ;+)

A Walloon has to be careful writing down numbers (eg telephone numbers)
when given by a French person --

A Walloon has to be careful writing down numbers (eg telephone numbers)
when given by a French person since the French person will say soixante
dix (70) and the Walloon will write it down as 60 10.

French have to use all their fingers and toes and a four other peoples
too to count to up to a hundred

Whereas Dutch and Germans say three and thirty for 33, etc, so writing
down a series of numbers may not proceed entirely from left to right.

Norwegian has changed to a new counting system of the style used in modern
English, as compared to the old style as that of Dutch and German.

http://www.101languages.NET/norwegian/numbers.html

allo allo
 

"J G Miller" wrote in message ...
On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:44 +0000, Steve Terry wrote:

Except French speaking Swiss have real names for 70, 80, and 90

And you never say a score, three score and ten, four score, or a gross?

;+) ;+)


Nope, not since about the year 1945

Steve Terry
--
--
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