English language spreading like cancer

[Hildegard]

Link

 

Mr Chirac added: "I was profoundly shocked to see a Frenchman express himself in English at the table."

 

[Lucius]

Chirac is an arrogant pompous p***k, always has been, always will be.

I mean you don't see the Germans (who has 20 million more people than France) get all worked up over something like this, do you?

[Deadly_Nightshade]

Chirac is an arrogant pompous p***k, always has been, always will be.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

[metadigital]

Reminds me of Khrushchev's shoe in the UN in 1960. The bad behaviour is just a pantomime to draw attention away form some other issue.

[kirottu]

I mean you don't see the Germans (who has 20 million more people than France) get all worked up over something like this, do you?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Actually dubbing movies/programs instead of subbing them could be seen as first sign of this kind of stuff.

[Lucius]

Everyone dubs, except for small countries like those of Scandinavia+Finland. Travel to any middle-large sized Euro country (or middle eastern country for that matter) and you'll quickly realize this.

However in my online experience Germans do know how to use English, quite unlike the French. But of course, as with any other people, they'll prefer to speak their own language when chance presents itself.

[Surreptishus]

I don't think the dub vs sub thing is the same as chirac's problem. Sometimes people just dont want to read while in a film.

 

Chirac is on his way out anyway.

[thepixiesrock]

Am I the only one who doesn't see whats so funny?

[metadigital]

Yes. The ONLY ONE IN THE ENTIRE FREE WORLD.

[thepixiesrock]

Harray! I'm non-conformist!

[metadigital]

... Like everyone else ...

[Volourn]

Chirac is a bigot. And, he probably would hate me. LOL

 

Volourn = Frenchie who is everything but French.

Edited March 26, 2006 by Volourn

[Dark_Raven]

Chirac is a bigot. And, he probably would hate me. LOL

 

Volourn = Frenchie who is everything but French.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is why we like you Volo.

[Deraldin]

Chirac is a bigot. And, he probably would hate me. LOL

 

Volourn = Frenchie who is everything but French.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is why we like you Volo.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

We do?

[jaguars4ever]

Chirac is a bigot. And, he probably would hate me. LOL

 

Volourn = Frenchie who is everything but French.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is why we like you Volo.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

We do?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Technically...no.

[Craigboy2]

Link

 

Mr Chirac added: "I was profoundly shocked to see a Frenchman express himself in English at the table."

 

   

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Isn't that the same guy everyone hates?

 

Chirac is an arrogant pompous p***k, always has been, always will be.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I guess so.

 

Everyone dubs, except for small countries like those of Scandinavia+Finland. Travel to any middle-large sized Euro country (or middle eastern country for that matter) and you'll quickly realize this.

However in my online experience Germans do know how to use English, quite unlike the French. But of course, as with any other people, they'll prefer to speak their own language when chance presents itself.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And than insult you in it. Gotta love the French.

 

Chirac is a bigot. And, he probably would hate me. LOL

 

Volourn = Frenchie who is everything but French.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is why we like you Volo.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

We do?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Technically...no.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep that's like saying Volourn's a man.

[SteveThaiBinh]

This has been French policy for decades, carried out through La Francophonie. Where schools in foreign countries have a choice of which foreign language to teach students, there's often a sizeable reward in terms of resources for schools that pick French. I don't think there are many takers, though.

 

English is the dominant global language of the globalisation era, but native speakers be warned - it's not your version of English, whether British or American, it's International English and belongs to no-one. Moreover, who's to say how long it will last? The next global language could easily be Spanish, Chinese or even Esperanto.

[Lucius]

Or Danish!.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe not...

[jaguars4ever]

Link

 

Mr Chirac added: "I was profoundly shocked to see a Frenchman express himself in English at the table."

 

   

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Isn't that the same guy everyone hates?

 

Chirac is an arrogant pompous p***k, always has been, always will be.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I guess so.

 

Everyone dubs, except for small countries like those of Scandinavia+Finland. Travel to any middle-large sized Euro country (or middle eastern country for that matter) and you'll quickly realize this.

However in my online experience Germans do know how to use English, quite unlike the French. But of course, as with any other people, they'll prefer to speak their own language when chance presents itself.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And than insult you in it. Gotta love the French.

 

Chirac is a bigot. And, he probably would hate me. LOL

 

Volourn = Frenchie who is everything but French.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is why we like you Volo.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

We do?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Technically...no.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep that's like saying Volourn's a man.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

 

A thread was dedicated to the research of teh Magical Volo's gender. The results were inconclusive, but many speculate that he is fact some kind of rogue construct. Initial paranoia had set in claiming Volourn was a cyborg assassin sent from the future to kill us all. However, the general modern day consensus is that he's Wayne Gretzky personal pleasure golem.

[metadigital]

This has been French policy for decades, carried out through La Francophonie.  Where schools in foreign countries have a choice of which foreign language to teach students, there's often a sizeable reward in terms of resources for schools that pick French.  I don't think there are many takers, though. 

 

English is the dominant global language of the globalisation era, but native speakers be warned - it's not your version of English, whether British or American, it's International English and belongs to no-one.  Moreover, who's to say how long it will last?  The next global language could easily be Spanish, Chinese or even Esperanto.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

More likely Spanish and English will hybridize, and Chinese will overtake us all ...

 

English's pre-eminence is due to:

• English being used on most of teH internetz (over half of the infrastructure is US)
  
• Enlgish being used (currently) as the language of science
  
• speakers of English as a second language (especially the 300 million Madarin speakers) outnumbering native speakers
  
• English cannibalizes from other tongues any inadequacy it has, and does this as well or better than any other language.
  

Any of these can change. English might then end up like Latin, with local dialectal derivatives of it surviving in isolation, were it not for the internet. Even if this process is inevitable, and the internet merely slows it down, "classic English" is here for the foreseeable future.

[Gromnir]

"Any of these can change."

 

maybe.

 

we ain't never hade a true global language. latin weren't. english during pax britania weren't. none of the various defacto trade languages during height of mercantilism and empire building came close to being genuinely global. merchants and bureaucrats 'cross the globe not makes a language global, does it? most peoples actually continued to speak their mother tongue, and were unable to speak with the folks in the next valley beyond the hills to the west... or east... whatever.

 

the internet and airplane travel and all sorts o' other devices is making the world smaller, and english is the language that is being utilized as the language of choice during this process. listen to air traffic controllers in lisbon or shanghai. go to a large bank in bogota. correspond on the internet.

 

there is gonna be some kinda critical mass point reached beyond which it is gonna simply become too much trouble for folks 'round the globe to choose another language as the global one.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Janmanden]

I don't mind english, but I hate american. I think Chirac is right in the quoted context, but I think it's pretty bad to dub movies for adults. Watching a movie where even zhe germans speak zhe americanisch is zhe vorst nitemare evar. 'Allo 'Allo is an exception of dub.

 

The European Union is not United States, but sovereign countries and should treat themselves as such and respect their differences and language just as well as their uh, indifferences.

[metadigital]

"Any of these can change."

 

maybe.

 

we ain't never hade a true global language.  latin weren't.  english during pax britania weren't.  none of the various defacto trade languages during height of mercantilism and empire building came close to being genuinely global.  merchants and bureaucrats 'cross the globe not makes a language global, does it?  most peoples actually continued to speak their mother tongue, and were unable to speak with the folks in the next valley beyond the hills to the west... or east... whatever.

 

the internet and airplane travel and all sorts o' other devices is making the world smaller, and english is the language that is being utilized as the language of choice during this process.  listen to air traffic controllers in lisbon or shanghai.    go to a large bank in bogota.  correspond on the internet.

 

there is gonna be some kinda critical mass point reached beyond which it is gonna simply become too much trouble for folks 'round the globe to choose another language as the global one. 

 

HA! Good Fun!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, but if Darwin was right, we'll all be Chinese soon, anyway ...

[Calax]

classic english?

 

isn't that like "ye oulde tyme english" or verily shakespearian?

[Janmanden]

I suppose he is actually referring to classical english... "

 

Subtleties, which are so easily lost unfortunately.