Yeah my daughter used to do that when she was about 5 years old. If this silly ****s would of stuck their fingers in their ears and gone ‘la, la, la I can’t hear you’ it would of been perfect.
1998: Veterans reject Japanese 'sorrow' Emperor Akihito of Japan has spoken of his "deep sorrow and pain" over the suffering inflicted by his country during World War II, but did not apologise for the treatment of prisoners in work camps. Addressing a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, attended by the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Mother and 11 other senior Royals, the Emperor said he could "never forget" the many kinds of suffering experienced by so many. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image The Empress and I can never forget the many kinds of suffering so many people have undergone because of that war please log in to view this image Emperor Akihito of Japan please log in to view this image War veterans said that Emperor Akihito had not gone far enough and demanded a "real, meaningful apology." They are angry with Japan over its refusal to offer more substantial compensation and a full apology for their suffering during the war. Backs turned to the emperor Earlier, in a gesture of contempt, former prisoners of war turned their backs on Emperor Akihito and whistled the wartime anthem Colonel Bogey as he rode with the Queen in a Royal carriage down The Mall. Later, outside nearby Westminster Abbey where the emperor laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a memorial to the dead of World War I, around 500 protesters repeated their protest, turning their backs and humming Colonel Bogey again. Under the post-war Japanese constitution, Emperor Akihito is a non-political figurehead and, as such, cannot formally apologise for the suffering inflicted by the Japanese imperial army. But in the banquet speech on Tuesday, delivered in Japanese, he came close to saying sorry. "It truly saddens me, however, that the relationship so nurtured between our two countries should have been marred by the Second World War. "The Empress and I can never forget the many kinds of suffering so many people have undergone because of that war. At the thought of the scars of war that they bear, our hearts are filled with deep sorrow and pain. All through our visit here, this thought will never leave our minds. We sincerely hope that such a history will never be repeated between our two nations."
Aah, poor victimised snowflake spineless poppets. Bless. Wasn’t it the right wing who were most upset by black Americans making a point, and made a big noise about ‘respecting’ a bit of cloth and a tune? Anyway, both right and left wing press pretty unanimous in condemning the back turners and t shirt wearers as puerile fools further undermining trust in politicians this morning. Good. And I’ll bet if he was faced with a genuine punk, Punkjock1314 would literally **** himself.
Two rather depressing news stories this morning. Big decline in pupils taking languages, especially French and German, at schools. Some rises in other languages but the total numbers studying how foreigners talk to each other way down. Teachers report some parents telling them that with Brexit no one needs a second language. Now, before people get all upset, these parents aren’t necessarily Brexit voters.* Cancer Research has a press campaign going on how big a factor obesity is in many forms of cancer, a bigger factor than smoking in bowel, liber, kidney, ovarian etc. They have been accused of ‘fat shaming’ for pointing out that if you don’t manage your weight, which is totally within your own control, you could die as a result. Obviously much better to have a painful and expensive for the taxpayer death than have your feelings hurt because you are embarrassed about your weight. *I should add that I think it is extremely difficult to learn a language, even to a basic level, in a classroom setting, especially if your motivation isn’t strong.
A second language is useful, but probably not German (most Germans speak English) or French (declining language in the EU). Chinese, Japanese or Spanish (for emerging markets in S America) seem to me most helpful
The Catalans have been treated really badly by Spain, which is no surprise given Spain's fascist history. The increasingly autocratic EU supports Spain - of course it does.
Very utilitarian. Most Germans don’t speak English, though many more of them do than English who speak any foreign language. I’m sure the pleasure of being able to converse with someone in their own language (and the appreciation of your attempts to do it) and also be able to read great literature in its original, intended form, might be a motivation for a tiny percentage of us. Not everything is about ****ing trade and markets.
Ok, I make allowance for you and the handful of academics in the tiny percentage. Which languages do you speak fluently, as a matter of interest, and what great literature have you read in its original, intended form?
I’m not a natural linguist (nor am I an academic, simple first degree, that’s all). I used to speak decentish Italian, but that because I lived there for 4 years (though my work was in an English speaking environment). I’ve read Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s Il Gattopardo and Primo Levi’s Se Questo e un Uomo in Italian, but I did have English translations handy. It was hard work, but worth it. And for me, regular use is key, and I haven’t had that for a long time, so I fear I’d need to live in Italy for a few months for the language to return. Which wouldn’t be a chore. I can survive with very very basic Spanish and French (O level grade C) for tourist and business travel purposes, and can painfully and very slowly get about 70% of a newspaper story in these languages. I used to have some spoken Cantonese as I spent six months in a classroom learning it and had to pass a test as a condition of employment in the Hong Kong Government. But that was in 1983 and that has long gone, except for some swear words. It’s not a pretty language. What languages do you speak Goldie? And what do you take joy in, apart from EU bashing and I presume football?
Sounds like you treat languages more like a hobby than for a practical need - nothing wrong with that. I'm not a natural linguist either. Passed French at O level, did an exchange in a year off before uni, and spent a month improving French at a university in Tours. That was all a long time ago and, as you say, if you don't practice, you lose it. I worked in the world office of an international organisation, so did a lot of long haul travel. It was pretty Anglo-Saxon, I was in my thirties and forties, and few of the bosses spoke anything other than English (the Americans are lazier languists than the Brits). My experience was that those that did volunteer to speak languages, ended up as lowly paid translators. The spread of English, particularly since the end of the second world war is a big disincentive for English speakers, other than academics, hobby-makers or those wanting a home abroad. When we leave the EU, will it revert to French as the major language? I think not. All the Eastern European countries' officials speak English. Presently have been taking joy in some cheap land I bought down here in Sussex. The farm around us was sold and broken up, and I took the final 5 acres, giving 14 in all. It was in a badly overgrown condition with trees fallen etc and land undrained, but some years on, its clear, planted with interesting trees, has 200 yards of trout stream and amphibian ponds, and a 4 acre field that I leave fallow (with paths cut) for insects and birds. Huge amount of wildlife, something of a nature haven, which I love.
Nice one, that’s a good thing to do. A surprising number of educated Americans speak at least some Spanish, but in general they are the most monoglot nation out there. In my company though, if you speak a foreign language and have some talent and ambition (I lack both) it ups your chances of a senior level job in a country affiliate, because you can talk with local government officials in their own language (and understand what they are saying to each other if they don’t know you speak their language). English isn’t really owned by native English speakers (whether us, the Irish, Yanks, Aussies or Kiwis) anymore, it’s just the default international language. Soon our version of it will be a dialect. I’m sure the EU will continue using English because of this. Interesting to remember though that many Eastern Europeans, especially those in education before and until the mid 90s, speak Russian. I’ve heard Polish and Hungarian work colleagues chatting to each other in a mix of Russian and English, which was bizarre.
One of my biggest regrets in life was my attitude towards learning French at school. I've been practicing a lot recently on Duolingo, a great language learning app for anyone interested. However, as you say Sb, very hard to learn properly without being immersed in the language.
