Off Topic The Politics Thread
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Why was French the language we were forced to learn
Why not Spanish or german
Why not Spanish or german
Perfect age to learn languages. My next door neighbours are a British West Indian and Polish couple and it often takes people by surprise to see their two young sons speaking fluent Polish. As you say, with hindsight I wish I had tried harder to learn another language especially as my father could also speak Greek and French...
It’s because French was the language of international diplomacy until relatively recently, and is still one of the ‘working languages’ of many international organisations like the UN.
My ex wife is Swedish so my 7yo boy speaks both languages. Puts my basic French to shame!
Spanish and Catalan are lovely languages imo both different I find German a bit mad as the verb is sometimes at the end of the sentence in tense
I have a go in most languages but I am only fluent in 12 whereas my partner is fully fluent in 15
The hardest language I have had to master is without doubt Croydon
Think how hard it is for Europeans to master English when after a sentence we often ask them again if they know what we mean?
I’m not being funny but ...
Seriously
I’m not being funny but ...
Seriously
...
I had to learn German, as my teachers said German was the language of scientists (!).
My hubby 2 years older and initially a chemist learnt technical German at university.
Neither of us ever used a word of it professionally. In my last few working years I strongly collaborated with a company in Lubeck, they all spoke better English than I do.
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My hubby 2 years older and initially a chemist learnt technical German at university.
Neither of us ever used a word of it professionally. In my last few working years I strongly collaborated with a company in Lubeck, they all spoke better English than I do.
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Just when you thought Brexit couldn't get any more surreal, they wheel out this virtue-signalling arsehole...
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Why not the U.K. is more obsessed with entertainment than anything else
Any celebrity in the U.K. with a hint of credibility would get a landslide victory
It would take just one brave soul but as most of them are also self obsessed it may not happen
Entertainers carry a lot more power in the UK’s culture than anyone really considers
Staines الحياة الحقيقية في إنجلترا
Meanwhile here's a perfect place for you to live amongst your fellow concrete cabbages where you can count your blue sheep...
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كل ما يهم هو الفوز بمباراتنا القادمة
Tot el que importa és guanyar al proper partit
Alt, hvad der betyder noget, er at vinde næste kamp
Ĉio, kio gravas, gajnas nian sekvan matĉon
Alles, was zählt, ist unser nächstes Spiel zu gewinnen
Is éard atá i gceist go léir a bhuaigh an chéad chluiche eile againn
C'est peut-être une charge de Bollocks, mais au moins je vis la vie... Je vis ma vie pour servir mon compatriote je suis fier de lui.
Mr S Tu as une vie
Tot el que importa és guanyar al proper partit
Alt, hvad der betyder noget, er at vinde næste kamp
Ĉio, kio gravas, gajnas nian sekvan matĉon
Alles, was zählt, ist unser nächstes Spiel zu gewinnen
Is éard atá i gceist go léir a bhuaigh an chéad chluiche eile againn
C'est peut-être une charge de Bollocks, mais au moins je vis la vie... Je vis ma vie pour servir mon compatriote je suis fier de lui.
Mr S Tu as une vie
Meanwhile here's a perfect place for you to live amongst your fellow concrete cabbages where you can count your blue sheep...
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Why would I live there ?
I prefer the South of France plus I have worked very hard to obtain that. There’s only so much you can do to put the world right but I am proud I do my maximum and that doesn’t involve any copying and pasting
Kids pick up languages very quickly because their brains are like sponges. Unlike adults, who questioning everything, kids accept the structure of the language. I was very good at French when I was younger due to family connections and remember loads. As I have got older I don't retain the newer words as I did. Saying that if you are immersed within that country and work with the locals you should be able to pick up a language quite quickly. Unless of course you are over 30 it becomes harder, over 40 it's very difficult and over 50 I wouldn't bother.
Getting back to Watfords comments regarding
I can't agree with that Watford. Your comments are a generalization. I keep hearing people say that our education system is not very good. Well in that case it would make learning a language even harder? There are many reasons why generally the British aren't very good at languages. The main reason is that
English is the world language. Pilots/Doctors (I could go on all day). So many countries are always going to learn it. I was in Germany at the weekend and the music was English, football on TV, TV programs in English and the fashion for the young was English based. They are bombarded with English every day whereas we are not with say German or French. I wouldn't call it arrogance I would just say we can be 'lazy' and If German was the World language we would be speaking it better.
I don't behave like that and nor do many others. I would also point out that I have been away and heard plenty of Germans/French just as loud and just as drunk as the English. I would also say that I have heard plenty of loud foreigners in this country. We are not the only ones who get drunk and shout.
That’s not a reason for not being good at languages. It’s a reason for having a lazy attitude towards them. The Germans love a drink but you’ll not see the same scale of loutish behaviour though that’s a different conversation.
I wasn’t saying you conform to the stereotype- I know you’re man of the world and the arts.
We don't need to be discussing my love for a good Hockney Watford.
As for Germany, I will indeed be happy to discuss their behaviour in another conversation as I witnessed first hand this very subject. I also spent time discussing things with the locals and was amazed at some of the responses.
However getting back to the languages... I don't see how 'arrogance' or 'isolationism' is why we are generally not good at languages. I think that is too easy to say. It goes deeper than that.
I saw the report yesterday about the falling studying of languages for EU countries. I also saw a rise in Chinese.., that tells its own story? Even the young have worked out that is where future business ls?
Anyway I got to get back to painting my swimming pool blue.
I see the talking bollox level from our resident multilingual, europhile is above average lately,
Haven’t been on this thread in a while as been too busy taking stuff into Airbus in Chester for the new multimillion pound academy being built there as they up production of wings for various Airbus models, but of course as we have all been told this is actually fake news because everything is moving to France as we speak