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Anyone speak English?


alibongo

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This struck me as relevant:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4003670/On-line-segregation-UK-NEIL-TWEEDIE-visits-Blackburn-dominated-hilltop-mosques-afflicted-worrying-levels-division.html

A few weeks ago I went to collect my son's car from an industrial estate late at night (he had been forced to leave it there because of a fault).

The car being unfamiliar to me, I did not know where the light control was.

There were quite a few workers standing outside units on a smoke break.

I though I would ask if anyone knew where a Fiesta's light switch was- but no-one spoke English.

Similarly, in our High Street, I have found the first thing to say before starting a conversation or asking something is: "do you speak English?"

Usually to be answered by: "a little".

Does anyone else feel this is strange, or are we all accustomed to multicultural integration now?

 

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Manuel

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But they're so much cheaper! 

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25 minutes ago, alibongo said:

are we all accustomed to multicultural integration now?

Actually that's pretty much the opposite of integration, really i think not making any effort to learn the basics of the language of the country you move to is voluntary segregation really, I think. I know the guardian and the Independent think it's an attitude little short of the Ku Klux Klan, but is it really that unreasonable to argue that it perhaps ought to be a condition of citizenship?

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I think true polyglots are rare.  I speak Vietnamese (my native language) and English fluently.  Other than that I can only stumble along in maybe a dozen more.  However I'm kinda unique since my father was an English and French teacher and I got those and Latin from a very early age.  The point is, in spite of my background, I only became truly fluent in one other language.  I have to say when I hear of people who say they "speak" many different languages, I don't doubt they know enough to get along or maybe read a newspaper, but to be really fluent one must pick up on the little metaphors and subtleties that non-native speakers just don't get.

Now I live in rural Cambodia where few speak any English and speaking Vietnamese is frowned upon, although of course there are lots of Vietnamese in the cities.  So I have taken up Khmer (Cambodian -- both names are acceptable).  At my age it is difficult, in spite of my abilities when I was younger.

The advice I give young people is to learn English.  It opens the world far more than anything else, and most young people see that well enough.  I see no reason why a native English speaker should bother with another language.  They should spend their study time on other things.  Of course Americans sometimes gain a lot of proficiency if they live elsewhere, and this is, I suppose, the polite thing to do, but in the end there are almost always English speakers around, and pretty much all street signs everywhere nowadays have an English component.

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I was taught Welsh, French,and Latin in school.

The most intuitive language was English.

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Whats the more questionable issue here? To not speak English or to not be able to find the light switch in a Fiesta? I think the latter.

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2 hours ago, alibongo said:

I was taught Welsh, French,and Latin in school.

The most intuitive language was English.

I used to live in Wales. In the office I worked in people would come in and start talking to me in Welsh, I just told them "sorry I don't speak Welsh", then they'd just repeat what they said in English. The same on the phone but some people preferred to speak in their native language so then I'd pass the call to the Manager who was Welsh and they'd have their conversation in Welsh. I didn't mind at all and if it involved me afterwards he'd tell me what the call was about so I could deal with the person's enquiry.

I was also taught Welsh in school, it's a very hard language to learn. I can remember words here and there and some of the common phrases but I'm no use when up against a real Welsh person.

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I work with a few Polish ladies who all speak very good English, But tell me that their husbands haven't made the effort to speak the language, Even after living here for over ten years, It makes me wonder how their husbands get by when the wife is not around.

Still waters, I remember my nan telling me once that after a day out with her friend (who was a fluent welsh speaker) they stopped in a pub in Bala for a drink, My Nan ordered the drinks  and upon hearing her English accent  The barmaid asked her boss in Welsh "shall I charge them the normal price or the tourist price"? to which my Nans friend replied in welsh "I think we'll pay the normal price, If that's ok with you", The barmaid went bright red! Made me chuckle.

I was born in Anglesey as my dad was in the RAF and mum said I could read the Welsh place names fluently when I was little, No way could I do that now!

Edited by Cat_From_Hell
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To me, whats stranger then the language barrier, is how can you not know where the cars light switch is.

Its either here *Snip*

  or here *Snip*

 

ok they may be some cars, where its in a totally different location, but it going to be right in front of you. And if it were then I think you was being lazy, and let someone else turn the lights on for you.

Lol, I bet if they did speak English, they'd be laughing their heads off 'wheres the light switch, wheres the light switch'

So did you drive home with the light switch off??

Edited by Still Waters
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Quote

I though I would ask if anyone knew where a Fiesta's light switch was

It's on the blinker arm.

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10 minutes ago, OverSword said:

It's on the blinker arm.

No, it's on the dash.

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7 hours ago, MissJatti said:

To me, whats stranger then the language barrier, is how can you not know where the cars light switch is.

Its either here *Snip*

  or here *Snip*

 

ok they may be some cars, where its in a totally different location, but it going to be right in front of you. And if it were then I think you was being lazy, and let someone else turn the lights on for you.

Lol, I bet if they did speak English, they'd be laughing their heads off 'wheres the light switch, wheres the light switch'

So did you drive home with the light switch off??

Yeah, I had to drive about 10 miles in complete darkness.

Just as well really, as I'd had a few to drink, and when I hit the bollard the CCTV couldn't get my numberplate.

Edited by Still Waters
Removed copyrighted images from quoted post
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4 hours ago, Cat_From_Hell said:

I work with a few Polish ladies who all speak very good English, But tell me that their husbands haven't made the effort to speak the language, Even after living here for over ten years, It makes me wonder how their husbands get by when the wife is not around.

Still waters, I remember my nan telling me once that after a day out with her friend (who was a fluent welsh speaker) they stopped in a pub in Bala for a drink, My Nan ordered the drinks  and upon hearing her English accent  The barmaid asked her boss in Welsh "shall I charge them the normal price or the tourist price"? to which my Nans friend replied in welsh "I think we'll pay the normal price, If that's ok with you", The barmaid went bright red! Made me chuckle.

I was born in Anglesey as my dad was in the RAF and mum said I could read the Welsh place names fluently when I was little, No way could I do that now!

Yes

i am English, but have close ties in wales.  I once went to a pub in the Rhonda with some family and friends.

i was told by a friend who lived in the Rhonda to keep my mouth shut and just drink.

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We have this on the west coast of Canada, for sure. The asian communities will occasionaly become a bit insular. It's nowhere near as bad as what is being described in the UK, mind you, but if I'm in my city's Chinatown, I generally assume that the shopkeepers do not speak English. I speak Mandarin, so it's not usually a big deal to me, but I could see it being frustrating for those who are monolingual, or who don't speak the language in question.

That being said, the children of immigrants always speak English. Languages aren't easy for everyone, and so I'm not usually too chuffed if someone's English isn't very good. Honestly I get more frustrated when I encounter someone from Quebec who doesn't speak English, despite French being one of our official languages.

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On 12/6/2016 at 9:07 AM, alibongo said:

I was taught Welsh, French,and Latin in school.

 

Now, here's a mad stab in the dark, but were your Welsh teachers unusually viscous and really angry most of the time?

Mine were, they were nuts. I had to go and see the 'Head of Welsh' once for doing something wrong, can't remember what. Christ, talk about Dinsdale of the Piranha brothers.  

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10 hours ago, oldrover said:

Now, here's a mad stab in the dark, but were your Welsh teachers unusually viscous and really angry most of the time?

Mine were, they were nuts. I had to go and see the 'Head of Welsh' once for doing something wrong, can't remember what. Christ, talk about Dinsdale of the Piranha brothers.  

They're probably bitter at being oppressed by the Sassenachs for so long.

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On ‎07‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 9:40 PM, oldrover said:

Now, here's a mad stab in the dark, but were your Welsh teachers unusually viscous and really angry most of the time?

Mine were, they were nuts. I had to go and see the 'Head of Welsh' once for doing something wrong, can't remember what. Christ, talk about Dinsdale of the Piranha brothers.  

The one in Primary School was a liar.

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On 6/12/2016 at 5:37 PM, Grey Area said:

Yes

i am English, but have close ties in wales.  I once went to a pub in the Rhonda with some family and friends.

i was told by a friend who lived in the Rhonda to keep my mouth shut and just drink.

And this bares the question: how did you manage to do it? 

I'm not so good at anatomy, but I'm curious to know! 

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