allo allo
 

On Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:05:33 +0000, Terry Casey
wrote:

How many
youngsters (late teens - early twenties) in this country speak fluent
French?

More than should. The target should be set at zero and we must do all
we can to achieve that target.

The reason? The French do the same.


--

allo allo
 

"Mike" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:05:33 +0000, Terry Casey
wrote:

How many
youngsters (late teens - early twenties) in this country speak fluent
French?

More than should. The target should be set at zero and we must do all
we can to achieve that target.

The reason? The French do the same.


Not any more, I'm surprised just how more cosmopolitan many French
have become in the last ten years.
Ten years ago if you tried speaking English you'd more likely than not
get the usual Gaelic cold shoulder.

On my last trip to Paris, most would (if they could) speak English.

Some say it's mostly down to the acute need for Anglo currency,
(pounds / dollars) which could be true?

Steve Terry
--
Get a free Three 3pay Sim with £2 bonus after £10 top up
http://freeagent.three.co.uk/stand/view/id/5276

allo allo
 

In uk.tech.digital-tv Terry Casey wrote:
: 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!)

The vast majority of Canada speaks English (in these parts you won't get
far with French only!) - except Quebec (who can but sometimes won't!)

allo allo
 

In article ,
Mike wrote:

How many
youngsters (late teens - early twenties) in this country speak fluent
French?

More than should. The target should be set at zero and we must do all
we can to achieve that target.

The reason? The French do the same.

Are you under the impression that people here learn French for
the benefit of people in France?

-- Richard
--
Please remember to mention me / in tapes you leave behind.

allo allo
 

On 15 Jan 2010 17:41:15 GMT, (Richard Tobin)
wrote:

In article ,
Mike wrote:

How many
youngsters (late teens - early twenties) in this country speak fluent
French?

More than should. The target should be set at zero and we must do all
we can to achieve that target.

The reason? The French do the same.

Are you under the impression that people here learn French for
the benefit of people in France?

No, they do it to try and avoid getting fleeced on holiday. Doesn't
help as they can recognise a 'filthy' foreigner miles away, the smell
of soap gives us away (the French having the lowest consumption of
soap and water per head in the Western world)

But all I was saying is that the French have a target of zero literacy
in English.


--

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)

But apart from there, nowhere else.

Only in one part of Canada (and by a particular population, many of whom
speak English).

allo allo
 

charles wrote:
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

Did you mean a Fleming?

allo allo
 

"JNugent" wrote in message
...
charles wrote:
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

Did you mean a Fleming?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walloons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walloon_language

Steve Terry
--
Get a free Three 3pay Sim with £2 bonus after £10 top up
http://freeagent.three.co.uk/stand/view/id/5276

allo allo
 

On Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:50:12 +0000, JNugent wrote:

Only in one part of Canada (and by a particular population, many of whom
speak English).

Are you referring to parts of New Brunswick or the area around Sudbury,
ON?

allo allo
 

On Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:05:33 +0000, 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?

When I worked in industry, most of my foreign suppliers spoke better
English than some of the British ones