Breaking news: French are jealous. Pope catholic.

**Каие** · January 27, 2009, 04:29 PM

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programme...nt/7844192.stm

Oh France!

**Admiral Piett** · January 27, 2009, 04:39 PM

Good grief. France pushing to be recognized as a global language? That's pathetic. They do realize that Americans and Brits didn't purposefully try to make English a global language, right? It just happened because we have been the trade centers for so long.

This so-called "war for linguistic domination" is something entirely of their formulation.

**C-Rob** · January 27, 2009, 04:41 PM

well, french dominated england for a long time. It is cyclic and karmic that english dominates now and who cares about language? If my country was told to speak arabic within the next 3 generations and forsake the english language... well, I would not care. What's the obsession with culture that no one can stand it being changed? Culture is devisive. Ohwell, maybe the french wouldn't have so much sand in their body parts if people really gave a

about what they ahve to say in their cherished tongue.

**Admiral Piett** · January 27, 2009, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by C-Rob

well, french dominated england for a long time. It is cyclic and karmic that english dominates now and who cares about language? If my country was told to speak arabic within the next 3 generations and forsake the english language... well, I would not care. What's the obsession with culture that no one can stand it being changed? Culture is devisive. Ohwell, maybe the french wouldn't have so much sand in their body parts if people really gave a

about what they ahve to say in their cherished tongue.

It's not even a thing about culture. I don't see why the French complain so much. I don't understand why knowing a language completely changes one's culture somehow. The French speaking monarchy didn't change Saxon culture, I can tell you that.

**Mikelus Trento** · January 27, 2009, 04:43 PM

It takes very cunning linguists to become the most popular in the world.

**fieldmarshal** · January 27, 2009, 04:42 PM

I took two years of French in school, and hated it...cant speak one line in French. Thank god it isn't a international language.

**Hunter Makoy** · January 27, 2009, 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by fieldmarshal

I took two years of French in school, and hated it...cant speak one line in French. Thank god it isn't an international language.

^^

. . . you do know French is one of the biggest international languages right? I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that you were just being ironic.

**ML101** · January 27, 2009, 09:57 PM

yeah wtf are they blabbing about, if you look at your passport, usually its your in native language, then english, and then french

**Norge** · January 28, 2009, 05:07 AM

Originally Posted by ML101

yeah wtf are they blabbing about, if you look at your passport, usually its your in native language, then english, and then french

Actually it's in my native language, and English.

I can't ever remember seeing a passport in French, for non-French citizens.

**Romano-Dacis** · January 28, 2009, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by Norge

Actually it's in my native language, and English.

I can't ever remember seeing a passport in French, for non-French citizens.

On Romanian passports the cover is entirely Romanian but inside it is trilingual:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Also on the German one:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

I don't see what the French are complaining about. It's like Luxemburg being pissed off at the Kingdom of Monaco for taking their spot as "richest per-capita country."

**fieldmarshal** · January 27, 2009, 10:06 PM

Originally Posted by Hunter Makoy

^^

. . . you do know French is one of the biggest international languages right? I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that you were just being ironic.

mmm...no not really...other than France and some of its former colonies, who else speaks French? I would say Spanish is a bigger international language than French.

**Hunter Makoy** · January 27, 2009, 10:34 PM

Originally Posted by fieldmarshal

mmm...no not really...other than France and some of its former colonies, who else speaks French? I would say Spanish is a bigger international language than French.

on an international scale, there are more people who speak French then speak Spanish (counting second and third languages). French is the offical language of 29 countries as well. (Spanish in 21 countries)

as a business language it pretty much goes English, French, and then probably Arabic.

**Romano-Dacis** · January 28, 2009, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by fieldmarshal

mmm...no not really...other than France and some of its former colonies, who else speaks French? I would say Spanish is a bigger international language than French.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francophonie
As far as I can remember France never controlled all of Eastern Europe, yet all of them are members, at least at an observer level. Romania is a good example of a country which never had any political influence from France but is a significant cultural partner. 1/4 Romanians can speak fluent French (I guess I'm part of the other 75%

).

To me it seems French is harder to learn to speak at a beginner level but once you're in everything becomes easy to pick up on. English is very easy to speak like an idiot who doesn't fully understand how everything works, but particularities make it harder for people to become completely fluent (the tomb-bomb example was used, also the "f-ph-th" sounds are fairly similar, lastly the a/an problem is a pain).

If everyone's so insecure about it we could all go back to Latin. What are people gonna complain about, Roman linguistic imperialism?

**Каие** · January 27, 2009, 04:43 PM

The domination of English is basically the result of the Free Market, it seems the Americans did best when expanding there products, ways and culture around the world, and it appealed to the world, hey presto, English is widely used.

**fieldmarshal** · January 27, 2009, 04:45 PM

The next time a French person gloats about who won the hundred years war...ask them what language are we speaking..

**Copperknickers II** · January 27, 2009, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by ЯoMe kb8

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programme...nt/7844192.stm

Oh France!

Globish? Je pense that that is completely silly idea and never will catch on, they cannot tell me to speak simple and not to use les metaphors! Because they no can speak English right, not mean that we all speak comme les cavemen at international conferences. Can you imagine if Obama was forced to speak in Globish at a conference to avoid WW3 or something?

"My friends and others, nous somme meeting here to talk how make things better and not to be fighting avec each other. All we must speak easy and not make too complita... complicretit... hard."