Talk with foreigner

[Finger of Death]

Now,I work in a PC shop,my duty is repair something and send something.

One day a foreigner in our shop,he use strange Chinese talk with our boss so I go to ask."May I help you sir?"I say."Yes,"he answer,"you can speak English."I say "Yeah,everyone here can speak English ,altough it is simple word."After that we talk much,and I know he is a teacher teach English in high school.

In his eye,only a few pepple can speak English in China,and he suprise I can speak English and more suprise I can speak English but work in a small PC shop.

What about your country?If you mother tongue not English.

[Meshugger]

English is mandatory from 5th grade and upwards in Finland. Still, we finnish are have a hard time to pronounciate the words properly.

[Lucius]

English is also mandatory in Denmark, and we get exposed to English/American TV from an early age without dubbing, yet our accents, like the accents of every other Scandinavian, are horrible! <_<

[Nur Ab Sal]

English is mandatory too, in that backwater part of European Union I am forced to live in.

[Child of Flame]

Americans are uneducated bastards. I know English, and a smattering of Spanish. However, due to the rise of Political Correctness in America, English is not mandatory. We're somehow supposed to know how to communicate in the native tongue of whatever immigrant we may come across.

[Reveilled]

About half of Glaswegians speak English.

[Kaftan Barlast]

I was on the train a while ago and this girl in front of me started talking on her cellphone. She spoke english with a very strong snotty brittish accent, and I naturally assumed she was brittish. Then she got another call and behold, she's a Swede speaking in a completely different voice.

 

 

This disturbed me somewhat. Although I do it too, and even worse than that, since I switch accents every other sentence and unconsciously mimic the particular accent of whoever Im happen to be talking to.

 

 

Is this a disease born by learning languages via television?

 

 

 

Nurbs> I thought you were a frenchie?

[Nur Ab Sal]

About half of Glaswegians speak English

And the other half?

[SteveThaiBinh]

When I worked in Japan, the local city had four high schools, and each school had a native English speaking teacher. One was from the US, one from Ireland, one from England and one from New Zealand. After a year or so, when some kid came up to me on the street (they often do, to practice their English) I could often guess which school they went to because of the traces of the teacher's accent.

 

My experience of Japan is that a lot of people know some English: after all, they've usually studied it for six years at school. What's rarer is to find someone with the courage and confidence actually to speak it to a foreigner. Well done for speaking up - it's always a great feeling when someone makes an effort to speak your language.

[Reveilled]

And the other half?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The other half speaks Ned, which is a language related to English, though lacking in any grammar, conventional written form, or words greater than two syllables in length.

 

An example:

 

Statement: Hello, where is the nearest Bus Stop?

Translation: Auright bawbag, wur cna fin'i bous stoap, ya dobber?

[Kaftan Barlast]

I took german for 6 years and I can only shout things like:

 

 

"bereitmachen f

[Reveilled]

I took german for 6 years and I can only shout things like:

 

 

"bereitmachen f

[213374U]

In Spain foreign language is mandatory since... well, early enough. However, most people don't reach a good level in whatever that language is, unless they spend some time abroad. And that's grammar-wise. Pronunciation and fluency are even worse. I myself can hardly speak without thinking unless I've had a few drinks. After that, it's all fun and games... "

[Rosbjerg]

I switch accents every other sentence and unconsciously mimic the particular accent of whoever Im happen to be talking to.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

yeah I do the exact same.. but I usually speak with a 'normal' british accent ..

 

to add to what Lucius said, English is mandatory from 4th grade here (when the child is 10) but they are considering starting it from 3rd, which I think is a good idea.. and German is mandatory from 7th grade and then you can change to Spanish or French in 9th grade .. although you can still keep German if you want!

 

So everyone in Denmark speaks english .. there are very few who are unable to formulate themselves!

[Child of Flame]

You people are making me sad for my country. We're so stupid! It's not like I didn't already know that, but you don't have to go and reinforce it! Damn Scandinavians!

[Kaftan Barlast]

I switch accents every other sentence and unconsciously mimic the particular accent of whoever Im happen to be talking to.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

yeah I do the exact same.. but I usually speak with a 'normal' british accent ..

 

 

 

I speak danish wonderfully.

 

 

"Hvorfor aer paprika Steen syk? Hon aer skyldi Mogens halftrestusen."

 

 

which brings me to issue of why you only have 10 actors that you use in absolutely everything? and is there a danish actor in existence that has never been on "Taxa" ?

[Lucius]

Because we only have 10 actors, but I must admit, the only Swedish actor I know of is Stellan AKA "Swede in American movies"

 

As for the accents, I meant those who don't bother switching from their native accents when speaking English of course, like my father. Sounds.... terrible!

[Verenti]

I was on the train a while ago and this girl in front of me started talking on her cellphone. She spoke english with a very strong snotty brittish accent, and I naturally assumed she was brittish. Then she got another call and behold, she's a Swede speaking in a completely different voice.

 

 

This disturbed me somewhat. Although I do it too, and even worse than that, since I switch accents every other sentence and unconsciously mimic the particular accent of whoever Im happen to be talking to.

 

 

Is this a disease born by learning languages via television?

 

 

 

Nurbs> I thought you were a frenchie?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'm a Native English speaker (whose supposed to be bilingual with French, but I'm not) and I do that too. I think its simply adapting to the Social conditions. As one would not speak proper english to an average teenager in this day and age, They get confused with all the "big words".

[Rosbjerg]

I speak danish wonderfully.

 

 

"Hvorfor aer paprika Steen syk? Hon aer skyldi Mogens halftrestusen."

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

huh? what is "halftrestusen"?? do you mean halvtrestusinde? as in 50.000 .. (which doesn't make anymore sense, but it's the only thing I could think of)

 

aer = er , Syk = Syg, Hon = Hun, Skyldi = Skyld i

 

which brings me to issue of why you only have 10 actors that you use in absolutely everything? and is there a danish actor in existence that has never been on "Taxa" ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Nikolaj Lie Kaas wasn't n Taxa .. :D

[SteveThaiBinh]

So everyone in Denmark speaks english .. there are very few who are unable to formulate themselves!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Scandinavia is rather unusual in the West, but very much in tune with the rest of the world. Most people in the world are bilingual or multilingual. Europeans are the worst monolingual offenders.

 

By the way, I often wondered ... is Sandi Toksvig famous in Denmark?

[Rosbjerg]

Scandinavia is rather unusual in the West, but very much in tune with the rest of the world.  Most people in the world are bilingual or multilingual.  Europeans are the worst monolingual offenders.

 

By the way, I often wondered ... is Sandi Toksvig famous in Denmark?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

who is Sandi Toksvig? .. which I guess answeres your question ..

[Kaftan Barlast]

I speak danish wonderfully.

 

 

"Hvorfor aer paprika Steen syk? Hon aer skyldi Mogens halftrestusen."

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

huh? hvad fanden er "halftrestusen"??

 

 

Well, I cant be made responsible for your language consisting mainly of unitelligble gibberish :D

 

 

(the jugoslav mafia boss in "pusher" says that, and the subtitle says "50 000 dkr")

[SteveThaiBinh]

who is Sandi Toksvig? .. which I guess answeres your question ..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yup, thanks. She's a broadcaster and comedienne in the UK, originally from Denmark, probably the second most famous Dane in this country after Hamlet. One of the many 'professional foreigners' who exist around the world.

[Rosbjerg]

Well, I cant be made responsible for your language consisting mainly of unitelligble gibberish :D

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

at least we are not trying to cover it up by singing our words .. and then use german spelling half of the time .. I mean "och"? .. or

[Baley]

Well in my country we start learning English in the first grade,then another language in the 5th grade and finally another one in highschool(and sometimes an optional one from the 5th grade)