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as i browse over the internet i'm racing throu this tv series, which
im finding amusing but highly tautological, just like sex, when it comes to poor little rené rejecting women in the sense of rené what are you doing with that woman/ you stupid woman... i find the nazi couple's sexual antics considerably amusing too.. but all a bit too repetitive... ermm... thou lets not forget that brit bloke that cant speak french, he creates a world unto his own of linguistically sexually connoted pronounced french that goes a la par with something from the 80s that looks like its from the 70s perhaps cuz it talks bout the 40s perhaps cuz it has british men in it as leads, known the brits to be not as enthusiastic as their women for ****ing.. the thin blue line or brief encounter (or mrs miniver) of course till the latest revolution of the last 30 years that's brought out drug addled sex incentivating shows that would make oliver stone's talk radio proud and left eric rohmer or jacques rozier, the only thing to turn any sane lad on, something for the antique show in an era of paranoid solipsistic (500 days of summer) rereadings of the graduate, paranoid preggie (away we go) and paranoid crap a la sex and the city, greek or entourage |
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sirblob2 wrote:
as i browse over the internet i'm racing throu this tv series, which im finding amusing but highly tautological, just like sex, when it comes to poor little rené rejecting women in the sense of rené what are you doing with that woman/ you stupid woman... i find the nazi couple's sexual antics considerably amusing too.. but all a bit too repetitive... ermm... thou lets not forget that brit bloke that cant speak french, he creates a world unto his own of linguistically sexually connoted pronounced french that goes a la par with something from the 80s that looks like its from the 70s perhaps cuz it talks bout the 40s perhaps cuz it has british men in it as leads, known the brits to be not as enthusiastic as their women for ****ing.. the thin blue line or brief encounter (or mrs miniver) of course till the latest revolution of the last 30 years that's brought out drug addled sex incentivating shows that would make oliver stone's talk radio proud and left eric rohmer or jacques rozier, the only thing to turn any sane lad on, something for the antique show in an era of paranoid solipsistic (500 days of summer) rereadings of the graduate, paranoid preggie (away we go) and paranoid crap a la sex and the city, greek or entourage Forwarded to the Minister of Education, with recommendations. |
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On Sep 25, 10:27*am, "Brian Gaff" wrote:
Pardon? Do you know when that was made? *Besides, it was meant to be that way, that was the whole point of the humour. Well, yes, I agree it was mid to late eighties IIRC. But for someone who is potentially not a first language speaker of English (or, yes, a troll) to be fluent in Roman alphabetic numbers? Then again it's a while since I saw the credits. Did they have an MCMX..... whatever for it or was it copyrighted in Arabic? Posted from news:uk.media.tv.misc Brian -- Brian Gaff - Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff' in the display name may be lost. Blind user, so no pictures please!"sirblob2" wrote in message ... as i browse over the internet i'm racing throu this tv series, which im finding amusing but highly tautological, just like sex, when it comes to poor little rené rejecting women in the sense of rené what are you doing with that woman/ you stupid woman... i find the nazi couple's sexual antics considerably amusing too.. but all a bit too repetitive... ermm... thou lets not forget that brit bloke that cant speak french, he creates a world unto his own of linguistically sexually connoted pronounced french that goes a la par with something from the 80s that looks like its from the 70s perhaps cuz it talks bout the 40s perhaps cuz it has british men in it as leads, known the brits to be not as enthusiastic as their women for ****ing.. the thin blue line or brief encounter (or mrs miniver) of course till the latest revolution of the last 30 years that's brought out drug addled sex incentivating shows that would make oliver stone's talk radio proud and left eric rohmer or jacques rozier, the only thing to turn any sane lad on, something for the antique show in an era of paranoid solipsistic (500 days of summer) rereadings of the graduate, paranoid preggie (away we go) and paranoid crap a la sex and the city, greek or entourage G DAEB COPYRIGHT (C) 2009 SIPSTON -- |
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On 30 sep, 08:44, G Daeb wrote:
On Sep 25, 10:27*am, "Brian Gaff" wrote: Pardon? Do you know when that was made? *Besides, it was meant to be that way, that was the whole point of the humour. Well, yes, I agree it was mid to late eighties IIRC. But for someone who is potentially not a first language speaker of English (or, yes, a troll) to be fluent in Roman alphabetic numbers? Then again it's a while since I saw the credits. Did they have an MCMX..... whatever for it or was it copyrighted in Arabic? Posted from news:uk.media.tv.misc Brian -- Brian Gaff - Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff' in the display name may be lost. Blind user, so no pictures please!"sirblob2" wrote in message .... as i browse over the internet i'm racing throu this tv series, which im finding amusing but highly tautological, just like sex, when it comes to poor little rené rejecting women in the sense of rené what are you doing with that woman/ you stupid woman... i find the nazi couple's sexual antics considerably amusing too.. but all a bit too repetitive... ermm... thou lets not forget that brit bloke that cant speak french, he creates a world unto his own of linguistically sexually connoted pronounced french that goes a la par with something from the 80s that looks like its from the 70s perhaps cuz it talks bout the 40s perhaps cuz it has british men in it as leads, known the brits to be not as enthusiastic as their women for ****ing.. the thin blue line or brief encounter (or mrs miniver) of course till the latest revolution of the last 30 years that's brought out drug addled sex incentivating shows that would make oliver stone's talk radio proud and left eric rohmer or jacques rozier, the only thing to turn any sane lad on, something for the antique show in an era of paranoid solipsistic (500 days of summer) rereadings of the graduate, paranoid preggie (away we go) and paranoid crap a la sex and the city, greek or entourage G DAEB COPYRIGHT (C) 2009 SIPSTON -- here you are, try this. watch every film i've mentioned and that wont get you crying again. its not like i mentioned you when i paraded my superiority. |
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In message , Ubiquitous
writes wrote: as i browse over the internet i'm racing throu this tv series I caught this once on PBS many years ago. Interesting way to handle everyone speaking languages, but a bit confusing sometimes. Only when dubbed into Swahili. -- Ian |
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You need to 'get it' with the accents really, its hard to explain, but I
think it has a lot to do with the way the British do not do languages, they just shout louder. I blame Peter Sellars myself, he started the badly pronounced English humour so to speak. Your not going to make a Minky out of me... Brian -- Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email. graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them Email: __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________ "Ubiquitous" wrote in message ... wrote: as i browse over the internet i'm racing throu this tv series I caught this once on PBS many years ago. Interesting way to handle everyone speaking languages, but a bit confusing sometimes. -- It's now time for healing, and for fixing the damage the Democrats did to America. |
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sirblob2 wrote:
as i browse over the internet i'm racing throu this tv series, which im finding amusing but highly tautological, just like sex, when it comes to poor little rené rejecting women in the sense of rené what are you doing with that woman/ you stupid woman... i find the nazi couple's sexual antics considerably amusing too.. but all a bit too repetitive... ermm... thou lets not forget that brit bloke that cant speak french, he creates a world unto his own of linguistically sexually connoted pronounced french that goes a la par with something from the 80s that looks like its from the 70s perhaps The show was actually a broad parody of a serious 1970's BBC drama called "Secret Army", in which the situation (Belgian cafe-owner hiding escaping shot-down airmen while appearing to collaborate with local occupation forces) and many of the characters were re-drawn in the traditions of British stage farce. The many references to the drama would have been easily understood by British viewers, but might have passed over the heads of foreign audiences, who presumably just laughed at the comedy. The writers had previously had great success with other WWII-based comedies which made fun of the British at war, mocking many of the myths and manners of the period (especially as portrayed in films such as those mentioned by the OP), and perhaps were able to broaden the situation to create a show of much wider appeal, even to those who'd never seen the drama it spoofed. Even so, the OP can be forgiven for not "getting" the show's satirical (and subversive) intent. In a further twist, the show enjoyed further success on the theatre stage in the 1990s, returning to the roots of the tradition on which it was based. |
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On 09/01/10 18:41, Jim wrote:
In a further twist, the show enjoyed further success on the theatre stage in the 1990s And indeed the 1980s. Think my parents took me to see it in 1986! --- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: --- |
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In article ,
Calum wrote: On 09/01/10 18:41, Jim wrote: In a further twist, the show enjoyed further success on the theatre stage in the 1990s And indeed the 1980s. Think my parents took me to see it in 1986! which was its opening year. -- From KT24 Using a RISC OS computer running v5.11 |
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Jim wrote:
sirblob2 wrote: as i browse over the internet i'm racing throu this tv series, which im finding amusing but highly tautological, just like sex, when it comes to poor little rené rejecting women in the sense of rené what are you doing with that woman/ you stupid woman... i find the nazi couple's sexual antics considerably amusing too.. but all a bit too repetitive... ermm... thou lets not forget that brit bloke that cant speak french, he creates a world unto his own of linguistically sexually connoted pronounced french that goes a la par with something from the 80s that looks like its from the 70s perhaps The show was actually a broad parody of a serious 1970's BBC drama called "Secret Army", in which the situation (Belgian cafe-owner hiding escaping shot-down airmen while appearing to collaborate with local occupation forces) and many of the characters were re-drawn in the traditions of British stage farce. The many references to the drama would have been easily understood by British viewers, but might have passed over the heads of foreign audiences, who presumably just laughed at the comedy. I seem to remember reading that the series was successfully dubbed into French and used exactly the same linguistic twists in reverse! Terry |
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Terry Casey wrote:
Jim wrote: sirblob2 wrote: as i browse over the internet i'm racing throu this tv series, which im finding amusing but highly tautological, just like sex, when it comes to poor little rené rejecting women in the sense of rené what are you doing with that woman/ you stupid woman... i find the nazi couple's sexual antics considerably amusing too.. but all a bit too repetitive... ermm... thou lets not forget that brit bloke that cant speak french, he creates a world unto his own of linguistically sexually connoted pronounced french that goes a la par with something from the 80s that looks like its from the 70s perhaps The show was actually a broad parody of a serious 1970's BBC drama called "Secret Army", in which the situation (Belgian cafe-owner hiding escaping shot-down airmen while appearing to collaborate with local occupation forces) and many of the characters were re-drawn in the traditions of British stage farce. The many references to the drama would have been easily understood by British viewers, but might have passed over the heads of foreign audiences, who presumably just laughed at the comedy. I seem to remember reading that the series was successfully dubbed into French and used exactly the same linguistic twists in reverse! When I lived in Paris in the 1950s, the favourite programmes on tv there were the Laurel and Hardy films, most of the fun being the dubbed French spoken in the most appalling Franglais accents! Hugh -- Hugh Newbury www.evershot-weather.org |
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In message , Hugh Newbury
writes Terry Casey wrote: Jim wrote: sirblob2 wrote: as i browse over the internet i'm racing throu this tv series, which im finding amusing but highly tautological, just like sex, when it comes to poor little rené rejecting women in the sense of rené what are you doing with that woman/ you stupid woman... i find the nazi couple's sexual antics considerably amusing too.. but all a bit too repetitive... ermm... thou lets not forget that brit bloke that cant speak french, he creates a world unto his own of linguistically sexually connoted pronounced french that goes a la par with something from the 80s that looks like its from the 70s perhaps The show was actually a broad parody of a serious 1970's BBC drama called "Secret Army", in which the situation (Belgian cafe-owner hiding escaping shot-down airmen while appearing to collaborate with occupation forces) and many of the characters were re-drawn in the traditions of British stage farce. The many references to the drama would have been easily understood by British viewers, but might have passed over the heads of foreign audiences, who presumably just laughed at the comedy. I seem to remember reading that the series was successfully dubbed into French and used exactly the same linguistic twists in reverse! When I lived in Paris in the 1950s, the favourite programmes on tv there were the Laurel and Hardy films, most of the fun being the dubbed French spoken in the most appalling Franglais accents! Intentional? Would Hercule Poirot be the same character if he spoke 'perfect' English? Of course, it could be that the French wanted to distance themselves slightly from the antics of L&H, and appalling Franglais was a subtle way of doing it. Or maybe it was Canadians who did the dubbing, and they thought that they actually speaking good French. -- Ian |
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Ian Jackson wrote:
In message , Hugh Newbury writes Terry Casey wrote: Jim wrote: sirblob2 wrote: as i browse over the internet i'm racing throu this tv series, which im finding amusing but highly tautological, just like sex, when it comes to poor little rené rejecting women in the sense of rené what are you doing with that woman/ you stupid woman... i find the nazi couple's sexual antics considerably amusing too.. but all a bit too repetitive... ermm... thou lets not forget that brit bloke that cant speak french, he creates a world unto his own of linguistically sexually connoted pronounced french that goes a la par with something from the 80s that looks like its from the 70s perhaps The show was actually a broad parody of a serious 1970's BBC drama called "Secret Army", in which the situation (Belgian cafe-owner hiding escaping shot-down airmen while appearing to collaborate with occupation forces) and many of the characters were re-drawn in the traditions of British stage farce. The many references to the drama would have been easily understood by British viewers, but might have passed over the heads of foreign audiences, who presumably just laughed at the comedy. I seem to remember reading that the series was successfully dubbed into French and used exactly the same linguistic twists in reverse! When I lived in Paris in the 1950s, the favourite programmes on tv there were the Laurel and Hardy films, most of the fun being the dubbed French spoken in the most appalling Franglais accents! Intentional? Would Hercule Poirot be the same character if he spoke 'perfect' English? Of course, it could be that the French wanted to distance themselves slightly from the antics of L&H, and appalling Franglais was a subtle way of doing it. Or maybe it was Canadians who did the dubbing, and they thought that they actually speaking good French. Some years ago, I was in the home of a manager from Barco, in southern Flanders close to both the French border and the Belgian language frontier between Dutch speaking Flanders and French speaking Wallonia. A young lad from their UK agent at the time was also present, and asked the perennial question "What is the difference between the Flemish and the Walloons?" That, of course, is one of those 'How long is a piece of string?' type questions, but Joel kept things simple and, by way of illustrating what he was saying, turned on the TV. The Flemish (and Dutch) broadcasters, he explained, always transmit programmes with their native sound track and subtitles, whereas the Walloon and French broadcasters won't touch anything that hasn't been dubbed into French, and started clicking through the channels. We saw a bit of "Soap" from the Netherlands, with original American dialogue, and a BBC programme (can't remember which) from BRT in English. Going through the French language channels brought up one gem: a good old fashioned western! We watched Lee Marvin, six guns rattling at his side, march down the board walk, through the bat-wing doors of the saloon, then smash his fist down on the bar and open his mouth ... .... and collapsed in fits as this high-pitched, squeaky French voice came out ...! Terry |
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In message , Terry Casey
writes Ian Jackson wrote: In message , Hugh Newbury writes Terry Casey wrote: Jim wrote: sirblob2 wrote: as i browse over the internet i'm racing throu this tv series, which im finding amusing but highly tautological, just like sex, when it comes to poor little rené rejecting women in the sense of rené what are you doing with that woman/ you stupid woman... i find the nazi couple's sexual antics considerably amusing too.. but all a bit too repetitive... ermm... thou lets not forget that brit bloke that cant speak french, he creates a world unto his own of linguistically sexually connoted pronounced french that goes a la par with something from the 80s that looks like its from the 70s perhaps The show was actually a broad parody of a serious 1970's BBC drama called "Secret Army", in which the situation (Belgian cafe-owner hiding escaping shot-down airmen while appearing to collaborate with occupation forces) and many of the characters were re-drawn in the traditions of British stage farce. The many references to the drama would have been easily understood by British viewers, but might have passed over the heads of foreign audiences, who presumably just laughed at the comedy. I seem to remember reading that the series was successfully dubbed into French and used exactly the same linguistic twists in reverse! When I lived in Paris in the 1950s, the favourite programmes on tv there were the Laurel and Hardy films, most of the fun being the dubbed French spoken in the most appalling Franglais accents! Intentional? Would Hercule Poirot be the same character if he spoke 'perfect' English? Of course, it could be that the French wanted to distance themselves slightly from the antics of L&H, and appalling Franglais was a subtle way of doing it. Or maybe it was Canadians who did the dubbing, and they thought that they actually speaking good French. Some years ago, I was in the home of a manager from Barco, in southern Flanders close to both the French border and the Belgian language frontier between Dutch speaking Flanders and French speaking Wallonia. A young lad from their UK agent at the time was also present, and asked the perennial question "What is the difference between the Flemish and the Walloons?" That, of course, is one of those 'How long is a piece of string?' type questions, but Joel kept things simple and, by way of illustrating what he was saying, turned on the TV. The Flemish (and Dutch) broadcasters, he explained, always transmit programmes with their native sound track and subtitles, whereas the Walloon and French broadcasters won't touch anything that hasn't been dubbed into French, and started clicking through the channels. We saw a bit of "Soap" from the Netherlands, with original American dialogue, and a BBC programme (can't remember which) from BRT in English. Going through the French language channels brought up one gem: a good old fashioned western! We watched Lee Marvin, six guns rattling at his side, march down the board walk, through the bat-wing doors of the saloon, then smash his fist down on the bar and open his mouth ... ... and collapsed in fits as this high-pitched, squeaky French voice came out ...! I believe that the Flemish and the Walloons are supposed to learn each other's languages as second languages. However, while most Flemish speak essentially prefect English and passable French, most Walloons are uneasy in anything other than French. After a few beers, I would sometimes say to the Belgians that it would be far easier for the official second language (for both) to be the politically neutral English. For the Flemish, this would be essentially accepting the status quo. For the Walloons, they might consider English as being more use to them (especially in the wider world), and also a way out of having to learn a language which they couldn't really see much use for. For both, they would have a common, neutral language in which both sides could communicate easily. But it hasn't happened yet. -- Ian |
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Ian Jackson wrote:
In message , Terry Casey writes Ian Jackson wrote: In message , Hugh Newbury writes Terry Casey wrote: Jim wrote: sirblob2 wrote: as i browse over the internet i'm racing throu this tv series, which im finding amusing but highly tautological, just like sex, when it comes to poor little rené rejecting women in the sense of rené what are you doing with that woman/ you stupid woman... i find the nazi couple's sexual antics considerably amusing too.. but all a bit too repetitive... ermm... thou lets not forget that brit bloke that cant speak french, he creates a world unto his own of linguistically sexually connoted pronounced french that goes a la par with something from the 80s that looks like its from the 70s perhaps The show was actually a broad parody of a serious 1970's BBC drama called "Secret Army", in which the situation (Belgian cafe-owner hiding escaping shot-down airmen while appearing to collaborate with occupation forces) and many of the characters were re-drawn in the traditions of British stage farce. The many references to the drama would have been easily understood by British viewers, but might have passed over the heads of foreign audiences, who presumably just laughed at the comedy. I seem to remember reading that the series was successfully dubbed into French and used exactly the same linguistic twists in reverse! When I lived in Paris in the 1950s, the favourite programmes on tv there were the Laurel and Hardy films, most of the fun being the dubbed French spoken in the most appalling Franglais accents! Intentional? Would Hercule Poirot be the same character if he spoke 'perfect' English? Of course, it could be that the French wanted to distance themselves slightly from the antics of L&H, and appalling Franglais was a subtle way of doing it. Or maybe it was Canadians who did the dubbing, and they thought that they actually speaking good French. Some years ago, I was in the home of a manager from Barco, in southern Flanders close to both the French border and the Belgian language frontier between Dutch speaking Flanders and French speaking Wallonia. A young lad from their UK agent at the time was also present, and asked the perennial question "What is the difference between the Flemish and the Walloons?" That, of course, is one of those 'How long is a piece of string?' type questions, but Joel kept things simple and, by way of illustrating what he was saying, turned on the TV. The Flemish (and Dutch) broadcasters, he explained, always transmit programmes with their native sound track and subtitles, whereas the Walloon and French broadcasters won't touch anything that hasn't been dubbed into French, and started clicking through the channels. We saw a bit of "Soap" from the Netherlands, with original American dialogue, and a BBC programme (can't remember which) from BRT in English. Going through the French language channels brought up one gem: a good old fashioned western! We watched Lee Marvin, six guns rattling at his side, march down the board walk, through the bat-wing doors of the saloon, then smash his fist down on the bar and open his mouth ... ... and collapsed in fits as this high-pitched, squeaky French voice came out ...! I believe that the Flemish and the Walloons are supposed to learn each other's languages as second languages. However, while most Flemish speak essentially prefect English and passable French, most Walloons are uneasy in anything other than French. After a few beers, I would sometimes say to the Belgians that it would be far easier for the official second language (for both) to be the politically neutral English. For the Flemish, this would be essentially accepting the status quo. For the Walloons, they might consider English as being more use to them (especially in the wider world), and also a way out of having to learn a language which they couldn't really see much use for. For both, they would have a common, neutral language in which both sides could communicate easily. But it hasn't happened yet. An interesting argument - and a possibility for the future. The problem with Belgium, as I see it, was that in the early days (it only became a country in its own right in 1830) all the coal, iron, industry and, therefore, the wealth of the country, was in the South i.e Wallonia. The Walloons saw the Flemish in the north as ignorant, peasant farmers and assumed control. (I find it appalling that maps of Flemish towns dating back to WWI, nearly a hundred years on, show all street names in French.) Times and fortunes change, fortunately, and, particularly since WWII, the Flemish have actively been able to assert their own identity. So now, back to the plot ... I always used to say that the basic difference between English and French speakers, when confronted by someone who does not understand their language, was that the English speaker believes that, if you SHOUT LOUD ENOUGH, they will understand! The French speaker, on the other hand, believes that if you speak *fast* enough, they will understand ...! (Proven, some years ago, when I asked a French speaking hotelier "répétez très lentement, s'il vous plait?" and she replied at double her original speed!) 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? |
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"Terry Casey" wrote in message
... Ian Jackson wrote: In message , Hugh Newbury writes Terry Casey wrote: Jim wrote: sirblob2 wrote: snip We watched Lee Marvin, six guns rattling at his side, march down the board walk, through the bat-wing doors of the saloon, then smash his fist down on the bar and open his mouth ... ... and collapsed in fits as this high-pitched, squeaky French voice came out ...! Terry Lee Marvin was US marine during WW2, they've never forgiven him for liberating them ;-) Steve Terry -- Get a free Three 3pay Sim with £2 bonus after £10 top up http://freeagent.three.co.uk/stand/view/id/5276 |
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Terry Casey wrote:
the English speaker believes that, if you SHOUT LOUD ENOUGH, they will understand! The French speaker, on the other hand, believes that if you speak *fast* enough, they will understand ...! (Proven, some years ago, when I asked a French speaking hotelier "répétez très lentement, s'il vous plait?" and she replied at double her original speed!) I have had exactly the same experience with the woman who sold tickets for the Eiffel Tower. 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? Judging by the prevalence of pierced tongues, I think young English women have French well and truly licked. -- We are the Strasbourg. Referendum is futile. |
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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. -- Virtual Access V6.3 free usenet/email software from http://sourceforge.net/projects/virtual-access/ |
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"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 http://freeagent.three.co.uk/stand/view/id/5276 |
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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 |
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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) |
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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 |
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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 |
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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. |
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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 |
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"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 |
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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 |
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"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 -- -- Get a free Three 3pay Sim with £2 bonus after £10 top up http://freeagent.three.co.uk/stand/view/id/5276 |
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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. -- |
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"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 |
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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!) |
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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. |
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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). |
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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? |
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"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 |
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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? |
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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 |
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