I agree. Hell, by the time that English would ever replace French in France, all the other Germanic languages save English and maybe Icelandic would be long extinct, having been replaced long before that point in their home areas by English. Of those, Dutch and the continental North Germanic languages would be only something in the history books by that point, joining Old Prussian, Polabian, countless languages spoken historically in North America, and so on.
English in France? Mais oui!
This is an interesting topic, really.
English is about to become THE official language for international business and trip/vacation concerns. No one can decently argue over that.
"The French should let their kids learn English."
Well they definitely do and basically in a few years from now, i bet that everybody in France will be able to speak English quite fluently.
Now, i got many American friends and no one can decently speak any other language than English. This is worrisome because, at some extent, it shows how some Americans tend to be self centered and not interested in learning about other cultures & countries...
That was my humble opinion about Adam's concern.
(oh and, as a French, i began to study English in elementary school..)
English is about to become THE official language for international business and trip/vacation concerns. No one can decently argue over that.
"The French should let their kids learn English."
Well they definitely do and basically in a few years from now, i bet that everybody in France will be able to speak English quite fluently.
Now, i got many American friends and no one can decently speak any other language than English. This is worrisome because, at some extent, it shows how some Americans tend to be self centered and not interested in learning about other cultures & countries...
That was my humble opinion about Adam's concern.
(oh and, as a French, i began to study English in elementary school..)
**English is about to become THE official language for international business and trip/vacation concerns. No one can decently argue over that. **
About to become? It already HAS, to all intents and purposes.
Practically all the world's airlines use English as the means of international communication in aviation.....just one example.
About to become? It already HAS, to all intents and purposes.
Practically all the world's airlines use English as the means of international communication in aviation.....just one example.
Damian in Scotland : la prononciation anarchique de cette langue pose justement des problèmes sérieux à la bonne compréhension entre tous les acteurs de la navigation aérienne.
A French is what will be called a French person if the French ever actually do learn to speak English properly.
Although I don't doubt that French people will all learn English (they already do), I don't expect them to become fluent. I don't see any trend in that direction currently. Very young French people just getting out of school speak English just as poorly as their elders. They receive years of instruction in public school, but it is absolutely abysmal, useless instruction, and so they never acquire any useful fluency.
But I guess I should be happy, since, as long as the French continue to teach English so poorly in school, ESL/EFL teachers like me will have jobs teaching them to speak English for real so that they can use it for practical purposes in the working world.
Although I don't doubt that French people will all learn English (they already do), I don't expect them to become fluent. I don't see any trend in that direction currently. Very young French people just getting out of school speak English just as poorly as their elders. They receive years of instruction in public school, but it is absolutely abysmal, useless instruction, and so they never acquire any useful fluency.
But I guess I should be happy, since, as long as the French continue to teach English so poorly in school, ESL/EFL teachers like me will have jobs teaching them to speak English for real so that they can use it for practical purposes in the working world.
But don't worry, my French is just as crappy as their English! I tend to say things like "oon anglayz", "je sweez oun amayrikenn", and "parlayy voo fransayyyy".
And Mxsmanic still hasn't proved that French is "on the decline in France"...
"je m'apple Adam!"
Adam, I'll try to give you the flavour of what you wrote "I pomme myself Adam". (Pomme = Apple)
Adam, I'll try to give you the flavour of what you wrote "I pomme myself Adam". (Pomme = Apple)
Actually, my French is excellent, in contrast to the claim made in the forged message above.
Mxsmanic,
Congratulations on the recent speedy progress that you have made with your French.
Mxsmanic - 16 Sep 2005
"I learned French years ago and I speak it reasonably well, but I still do not use slang or substandard French."
Mxsmanic - 30 Oct 2005
"Actually, my French is excellent, ... "
Congratulations on the recent speedy progress that you have made with your French.
Mxsmanic - 16 Sep 2005
"I learned French years ago and I speak it reasonably well, but I still do not use slang or substandard French."
Mxsmanic - 30 Oct 2005
"Actually, my French is excellent, ... "
I reckon there are billions of parallel universes, or maybe infinite ones. I know that because I've read Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time."
There could even be universes which have 4 major dimensions, compared to ours, which has just 3 (and hundreds of microscopic ones that we can't see because they are too small).
There could even be universes which have 4 major dimensions, compared to ours, which has just 3 (and hundreds of microscopic ones that we can't see because they are too small).