I am just curious how others think.
Do you think that people should learn English as second langugae?
One guy talked his experience in Aisan country( forgot which country), that american guy happened to come into the post office,but no one there couldn't understand English. He said that he was surprised with the low level of English skill in that country.
I don't expect that everybody can communicate in English in other countries, especially Asian countries. Even they speak English,sometimes it's difficult to communicate through second language in case I am not native.
(probably my english don't good enough), I always bring guide book in travelling,usually there was conversation example on those books, so I used that.
In Taiwan, I needed to go to the post office,so I asked a woman if there is one near around. I said many times " post office" but the word didn't hit her at all,so I finally wrote 〒mark and showed the letter to her, then she showed me the way.
In Korean, I wanted to book the restaurant for dinner, but the restaurant staff there didn't understand so that I drew the picture of clock to make it.
In Mongolia, I stayed tourist camp,and nobody except the restaurant staff couldn't understand English at all, so we used body langauge, basic Mongolian word to communicate.
They were good memories for me.
Honestly, I don't require people to speak English. At least people i met were sp helpful which made my travel inpressive. It might be easy to communicate through English but it's fun to use body language.
Do you think that people should learn English as second langugae?
One guy talked his experience in Aisan country( forgot which country), that american guy happened to come into the post office,but no one there couldn't understand English. He said that he was surprised with the low level of English skill in that country.
I don't expect that everybody can communicate in English in other countries, especially Asian countries. Even they speak English,sometimes it's difficult to communicate through second language in case I am not native.
(probably my english don't good enough), I always bring guide book in travelling,usually there was conversation example on those books, so I used that.
In Taiwan, I needed to go to the post office,so I asked a woman if there is one near around. I said many times " post office" but the word didn't hit her at all,so I finally wrote 〒mark and showed the letter to her, then she showed me the way.
In Korean, I wanted to book the restaurant for dinner, but the restaurant staff there didn't understand so that I drew the picture of clock to make it.
In Mongolia, I stayed tourist camp,and nobody except the restaurant staff couldn't understand English at all, so we used body langauge, basic Mongolian word to communicate.
They were good memories for me.
Honestly, I don't require people to speak English. At least people i met were sp helpful which made my travel inpressive. It might be easy to communicate through English but it's fun to use body language.
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コメント(50)
To answer the OP's questions...
I agree with rajio that it's beneficial for you to learn a second language, but that it does not have to be English. It all depends upon your circumstances. For instance, I decided to learn English beyond the classroom because I wanted to come to study in the U.S. It'd be French if you wanted to study at, say, Ecole Polytechnique.
Now, if the subject line means "should one speak English as THE international language," then my answer will vary depending upon how idealistic I'm allowed to be. Ideally, the truly international language should not favour any particular group of people. It pretty much means a new language needs to be created to serve the purpose. Esperanto was a candidate, although it inherited a lot from the basic structure of the Indo-European language group.
Unfortunately, English already seems to serve as a de facto international language in most cases, so practically speaking, if you only pick one second language to learn, it will probably make more sense to pick English than others.
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One guy talked his experience in Aisan country( forgot which country), that american guy happened to come into the post office,but no one there couldn't understand English. He said that he was surprised with the low level of English skill in that country.
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That's pure arrogance.
I agree with rajio that it's beneficial for you to learn a second language, but that it does not have to be English. It all depends upon your circumstances. For instance, I decided to learn English beyond the classroom because I wanted to come to study in the U.S. It'd be French if you wanted to study at, say, Ecole Polytechnique.
Now, if the subject line means "should one speak English as THE international language," then my answer will vary depending upon how idealistic I'm allowed to be. Ideally, the truly international language should not favour any particular group of people. It pretty much means a new language needs to be created to serve the purpose. Esperanto was a candidate, although it inherited a lot from the basic structure of the Indo-European language group.
Unfortunately, English already seems to serve as a de facto international language in most cases, so practically speaking, if you only pick one second language to learn, it will probably make more sense to pick English than others.
-------------------------------------------------------
One guy talked his experience in Aisan country( forgot which country), that american guy happened to come into the post office,but no one there couldn't understand English. He said that he was surprised with the low level of English skill in that country.
-------------------------------------------------------
That's pure arrogance.
◯みるくオレンジ
>> Chinese people refined and simplified their characters.
>> They no longer use characters of Hang era.
It's probably true for the mainland China. I believe they still use the traditional Chinese characters in Hong Kong and Taiwan. That is why there are two charcater encoding groups - Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. :)
In the meantime, Japan did its own simplification of the Kanji characters after WWII.
>> Chinese people refined and simplified their characters.
>> They no longer use characters of Hang era.
It's probably true for the mainland China. I believe they still use the traditional Chinese characters in Hong Kong and Taiwan. That is why there are two charcater encoding groups - Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. :)
In the meantime, Japan did its own simplification of the Kanji characters after WWII.
Maybe it would be difficult to understand Japanese
if they stopped using kanji, but I guess they
could use furigana more.
I also agree with the Spanish and French points
made. Spanish is very widely spoken, I heard that
by 2050 more people in the U.S. will speak Spanish
as their first language than English.
if they stopped using kanji, but I guess they
could use furigana more.
I also agree with the Spanish and French points
made. Spanish is very widely spoken, I heard that
by 2050 more people in the U.S. will speak Spanish
as their first language than English.
thanks everyone.
I think that we had better learn other language,which will offer you another chance to communicate with various people or know other cultures.But maybe what you choose to learn is deffered by where you live.
Nowadays, english seems to be very familier among people,but other language is more preferred depends on area.
だいはど
That's pure arrogance
♪His talking made me feel sad and bad.It's no fault that people don't know any other langauge, I think it doesn't mean that they are in low level. Also, even they aren't educated well from our standard, I don't think they are in low level. It's depends on what kind of situation they are in. In some countries, education is not so important. For example,
みるくオレンジさん
>In Taiwan, ....I finally wrote 〒mark and showed the letter to her,
This mark comes from Japanese. I didn't know they use it, too.
☆really? I didn't know that! So maybe the girl who I met might try hard to understand what I liked to do. I also gestured to post letters, so she might understand my gesture.
I didn't know that 手紙 means toiletpaper... I would write it at second try if she don't understand me. But.. it's funny what would happened then?
I think that we use same character"Kangi" but meaning of them are different. I tried to make conversation by writing chinese character in Taiwan, but sometimes local people who looked at it had very puzzled exoression. In that case, other person nearby came to transfer for us and told that letters had different meaning with what I had thought.
I think that we had better learn other language,which will offer you another chance to communicate with various people or know other cultures.But maybe what you choose to learn is deffered by where you live.
Nowadays, english seems to be very familier among people,but other language is more preferred depends on area.
だいはど
That's pure arrogance
♪His talking made me feel sad and bad.It's no fault that people don't know any other langauge, I think it doesn't mean that they are in low level. Also, even they aren't educated well from our standard, I don't think they are in low level. It's depends on what kind of situation they are in. In some countries, education is not so important. For example,
みるくオレンジさん
>In Taiwan, ....I finally wrote 〒mark and showed the letter to her,
This mark comes from Japanese. I didn't know they use it, too.
☆really? I didn't know that! So maybe the girl who I met might try hard to understand what I liked to do. I also gestured to post letters, so she might understand my gesture.
I didn't know that 手紙 means toiletpaper... I would write it at second try if she don't understand me. But.. it's funny what would happened then?
I think that we use same character"Kangi" but meaning of them are different. I tried to make conversation by writing chinese character in Taiwan, but sometimes local people who looked at it had very puzzled exoression. In that case, other person nearby came to transfer for us and told that letters had different meaning with what I had thought.
◯ニッキー
>> [French] is the official language in more countries
>> than english.
Purely out of curiosity, do you have any detailed information about it? I know off the top of my head that French is an offcial language in France, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium and Monaco. I'm sure there are other countries...
>> [French] is the official language in more countries
>> than english.
Purely out of curiosity, do you have any detailed information about it? I know off the top of my head that French is an offcial language in France, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium and Monaco. I'm sure there are other countries...
French IS an official language of Canada. But, English is the common language. In restaurants and shops, English is spoken - always. I NEVER hear French spoken in public places. (I live in western Canada.)
All Canadian products are written in both French and English. All government documents are written in both languages. But English is used everywhere: in restaurants, shops, theaters, hotels, swimming pools, etc. I agree that French is mainly used in public places in Quebec only.
I don't think people must learn English, but it seems it is becoming common for business. It may be the best second language to learn for that reason.
All Canadian products are written in both French and English. All government documents are written in both languages. But English is used everywhere: in restaurants, shops, theaters, hotels, swimming pools, etc. I agree that French is mainly used in public places in Quebec only.
I don't think people must learn English, but it seems it is becoming common for business. It may be the best second language to learn for that reason.
Some of you are talking about which language is suitable for the international language.
I haven't reached the conclusion that the international language is really needed. Some people clearly need to speak a foreign language, but most people have few opportunities to speak it. I know the situation is different in Europe, but in Asia most people can live happily without speaking a foreign language.
Do all of them have to make big effort to learn it?
I haven't reached the conclusion that the international language is really needed. Some people clearly need to speak a foreign language, but most people have few opportunities to speak it. I know the situation is different in Europe, but in Asia most people can live happily without speaking a foreign language.
Do all of them have to make big effort to learn it?
I think everyone should have to learn a second language, In U.S. high schools, it is a requirement to take at least one language.
I think that everyone Should learn at least conversational in any language, but being that you can almost go anywhere and english is spoken. US doesn't have an official language, but the business language is English,
Also... being that many Mexicans are moving to the U.S. at my school it is mandatory to learn Spanish.
I think that everyone Should learn at least conversational in any language, but being that you can almost go anywhere and english is spoken. US doesn't have an official language, but the business language is English,
Also... being that many Mexicans are moving to the U.S. at my school it is mandatory to learn Spanish.
bunnyborg,
I don't think anyone is denying that French is an official language of Canada. :)
I often visit Vancouver. I agree that I don't hear French spoken over there at all. As you well know, Quebec is another story. All I heard was French when I went to Quebec City.
KrausD,
Thanks for the information. All I knew about Africa was that English was spoken in Kenya. :*(
I don't think anyone is denying that French is an official language of Canada. :)
I often visit Vancouver. I agree that I don't hear French spoken over there at all. As you well know, Quebec is another story. All I heard was French when I went to Quebec City.
KrausD,
Thanks for the information. All I knew about Africa was that English was spoken in Kenya. :*(
NORIKO,
>I haven't reached the conclusion that the international language is really needed.
i think it's better, a lot better, to have an international language than not.
The reason is obvious, isn't it? We ARE communicating here now in English.
>Some people clearly need to speak a foreign language, but most people have few opportunities to speak it. I know the situation is different in Europe, but in Asia most people can live happily without speaking a foreign language.
Do all of them have to make big effort to learn it?
i think it depends on each person. Basic education should be provided though. And i think English is most suitable as a world language simply because it's easier than French.
>I haven't reached the conclusion that the international language is really needed.
i think it's better, a lot better, to have an international language than not.
The reason is obvious, isn't it? We ARE communicating here now in English.
>Some people clearly need to speak a foreign language, but most people have few opportunities to speak it. I know the situation is different in Europe, but in Asia most people can live happily without speaking a foreign language.
Do all of them have to make big effort to learn it?
i think it depends on each person. Basic education should be provided though. And i think English is most suitable as a world language simply because it's easier than French.
Funky Love Bunny> I have to disagree with you on the take Kanji out of Japanese idea. When I first started learning I thought it was difficult but once you can read about 800-1000 it makes it learning and compreheding the rest of the language so, so, so much easier. Words I don't even know I can guess the meaning of simply because I'm familiar with the meanings of the characters and other words associated with those characters. In fact, now I find sentences with lots of hiragana to be annoying to read and quite confusing. There are just too many words with the same pronunciation in Japanese for that idea to be a practical one I think. I would agree that it would be nice if they started putting more furigana on public signs though for the people still learning. But reading a book, or magazine or anything longer than a sentence all in hiragana... if that was the case I would have gave up learning Japanese long ago. When you start to Japanese, kanji can be hard, but once you get into it, I think most people find it is worth its weight.
English looks like an universal language and is useful
if you can speak or read it.
However you should study your native tongue first then
you can learn another language based on your need or
curiousity.
As long as you stick to your country, English needs
are limited.(except for UK, USA and so on)
if you can speak or read it.
However you should study your native tongue first then
you can learn another language based on your need or
curiousity.
As long as you stick to your country, English needs
are limited.(except for UK, USA and so on)
No
I think people should be able to speak whatever language their country uses, this is one of the things which make us unique.
I do not think people should be "forced" to learn other ones, however IT DOES have advantages, if I go to another country I would try to learn some basics of their langauge so I can communicate a bit easier.
LOL I would debate if french is really our official language, yes they would love all canadians to speak both english and french, but canada IS an english country ( we were settled by the british and were part of the british empire and won against the french ) which uses english as our official first language. Some of my friends are french or from quebec and they speak english and are sick of the whole quebec vs the rest of canada stuff, really what alot of it comes down to is some french canadians would like more say or power in what canada is overall.
I only learned a bit of french in school and I found it difficult to be honest, however I have never been asked to speak french, if you go to quebec SOME people can be rude if you speak english, even though they speak english some like to be snobs and just talk in french, alot of my french friends have laughed at them and are sick of their arrogance ( they wanted to sperate from the rest of canada lol ). Also they don't speak real french it is a slang form of french, heh its a silly canadian thing.
I think people should be able to speak whatever language their country uses, this is one of the things which make us unique.
I do not think people should be "forced" to learn other ones, however IT DOES have advantages, if I go to another country I would try to learn some basics of their langauge so I can communicate a bit easier.
LOL I would debate if french is really our official language, yes they would love all canadians to speak both english and french, but canada IS an english country ( we were settled by the british and were part of the british empire and won against the french ) which uses english as our official first language. Some of my friends are french or from quebec and they speak english and are sick of the whole quebec vs the rest of canada stuff, really what alot of it comes down to is some french canadians would like more say or power in what canada is overall.
I only learned a bit of french in school and I found it difficult to be honest, however I have never been asked to speak french, if you go to quebec SOME people can be rude if you speak english, even though they speak english some like to be snobs and just talk in french, alot of my french friends have laughed at them and are sick of their arrogance ( they wanted to sperate from the rest of canada lol ). Also they don't speak real french it is a slang form of french, heh its a silly canadian thing.
Incubus9,
>> if you go to quebec SOME people can be rude if you
>> speak english, even though they speak english some like
>> to be snobs and just talk in french
I don't know a whole lot of the historical background between Quebec and the rest of Canada. That said, my understanding is that French is the only official language of the province of Quebec. If I go there expecting English is always understood, then I would be the rude party.
All it comes down to is respect for each other. If I were to go to Italy, I would definitely study the basic Italian so I can at least greet the local people and say a few other things in Italian. That's the least I should do as a visitor to a foreign country. I don't see it any differently when it comes to Quebec.
I visited Quebec City back in 1992. I had prepared myself to be able to say some basic things in French, such as "Parlez-vous anglais?" and "Comment-allez vous?" Of course, that didn't get me very far, but the people that I spoke with over there were all appreciative of what little effort I'd made. They even taught me a few other phrases in French. Voila! :)
I don't think it is necessarily rude of you if you speak French in Quebec when the other party talks to you in English. It depends upon how the other party initiated the conversation. If they talk to you outright in English without even asking whether it's okay to do so, then you have every reason to NOT switch to English.
>> Also they don't speak real french it is a slang form
>> of french, heh its a silly canadian thing.
By the same token, English Canadians don't speak real English, either, do they? :)
>> if you go to quebec SOME people can be rude if you
>> speak english, even though they speak english some like
>> to be snobs and just talk in french
I don't know a whole lot of the historical background between Quebec and the rest of Canada. That said, my understanding is that French is the only official language of the province of Quebec. If I go there expecting English is always understood, then I would be the rude party.
All it comes down to is respect for each other. If I were to go to Italy, I would definitely study the basic Italian so I can at least greet the local people and say a few other things in Italian. That's the least I should do as a visitor to a foreign country. I don't see it any differently when it comes to Quebec.
I visited Quebec City back in 1992. I had prepared myself to be able to say some basic things in French, such as "Parlez-vous anglais?" and "Comment-allez vous?" Of course, that didn't get me very far, but the people that I spoke with over there were all appreciative of what little effort I'd made. They even taught me a few other phrases in French. Voila! :)
I don't think it is necessarily rude of you if you speak French in Quebec when the other party talks to you in English. It depends upon how the other party initiated the conversation. If they talk to you outright in English without even asking whether it's okay to do so, then you have every reason to NOT switch to English.
>> Also they don't speak real french it is a slang form
>> of french, heh its a silly canadian thing.
By the same token, English Canadians don't speak real English, either, do they? :)
I think everybody should learn esperanto, then we ALL can communicate!
If you travel to another country, then you should learn to speak some of their language, especially safety and emergency words. I think that it is unreasonable to travel to another country and expect them to speak your language, unless you are traveling to a part of the country that has only speakers of your language.
22: かわいいエリザベス; I dont know which school system you went to , but in my high school in California, I didnt HAVE to take a foreign language, only if I wanted to go to one of the UC schools. I ended up taking spanish, but my school only offered Spanish, french, recently American Sign Language, and japanese or german if you went to another school.
FYI, I am an english speaking, spanish semi-speaking, japanese learning american.
-Spark
If you travel to another country, then you should learn to speak some of their language, especially safety and emergency words. I think that it is unreasonable to travel to another country and expect them to speak your language, unless you are traveling to a part of the country that has only speakers of your language.
22: かわいいエリザベス; I dont know which school system you went to , but in my high school in California, I didnt HAVE to take a foreign language, only if I wanted to go to one of the UC schools. I ended up taking spanish, but my school only offered Spanish, french, recently American Sign Language, and japanese or german if you went to another school.
FYI, I am an english speaking, spanish semi-speaking, japanese learning american.
-Spark
Well the thing is だいはど there is a bit of a silent dislike between the anglo's and french here in Canada which has alot to do with history, that's not to say they do not get along with eachother but I lived in Ottawa and used to visit one of my friends over in hull ( about a 10 min drive from ottawa ) Quebec and I and other have experienced first hand this silent animosity.
You see the majority of french canadians DO speak english, but when you go there some of them like to speak french only and some will go as far as to speak french even if they know english. One of my friends who is french used to live in quebec and was telling me about some french cops who ( for laughs ) gave an english speaking canadian wrong directions in english, she overheard what they were doing and after he left she ripped into the cop and said she would report it, the cop from what I heard looked very emberassed for being such a rude ass.
It is a little difficult to explain fully for those who have not lived here or understand the kinds of problems we have here with quebec, but these kinds of situations go on alot and both parties know about it here.
And Canadian english for the most part is real english, most of the ways we spell words here are the real "UK" spellings as we are/were and english empire country, the queen of england for example is still the queen of canada even though we are now officialy no longer part of the UK in the traditional sense, she has that titles as mrore of an honor these days, unlike the variations in the USA, alot of military titles here are spelled in the real english versions for example.
You see the majority of french canadians DO speak english, but when you go there some of them like to speak french only and some will go as far as to speak french even if they know english. One of my friends who is french used to live in quebec and was telling me about some french cops who ( for laughs ) gave an english speaking canadian wrong directions in english, she overheard what they were doing and after he left she ripped into the cop and said she would report it, the cop from what I heard looked very emberassed for being such a rude ass.
It is a little difficult to explain fully for those who have not lived here or understand the kinds of problems we have here with quebec, but these kinds of situations go on alot and both parties know about it here.
And Canadian english for the most part is real english, most of the ways we spell words here are the real "UK" spellings as we are/were and english empire country, the queen of england for example is still the queen of canada even though we are now officialy no longer part of the UK in the traditional sense, she has that titles as mrore of an honor these days, unlike the variations in the USA, alot of military titles here are spelled in the real english versions for example.
Incubus9,
Thanks for the quick response. Yes, I realize that there are issues between the Anglophones and Francophones in Canada, although I apparently do not fully understand them. My point is that it is all about respect. If French is the only official language of a region, then those who visit there should make an effort to speak at least the very basic of French. If they don't and assume that English (or whatever language they speak) should be universally understood, then that's rude and they deserve to be treated just as rudely. It's got nothing to do with Quebec per se. The same thing could happen in France.
As for Canadian English being right, the spelling is not the whole thing. Phonetically and grammatically, Canadian English is very close to American English. :)
Besides, what's "real" English/French? If I understand correctly, Canadian French retains many of the linguistic characteristics found in French spoken in France in the 18th-19th century. Mainland French and Canadian French have developed differently since the 18th century, which makes sense considering their geographical differences. That does not make Mainland French "real" and Canadian French "not real."
Thanks for the quick response. Yes, I realize that there are issues between the Anglophones and Francophones in Canada, although I apparently do not fully understand them. My point is that it is all about respect. If French is the only official language of a region, then those who visit there should make an effort to speak at least the very basic of French. If they don't and assume that English (or whatever language they speak) should be universally understood, then that's rude and they deserve to be treated just as rudely. It's got nothing to do with Quebec per se. The same thing could happen in France.
As for Canadian English being right, the spelling is not the whole thing. Phonetically and grammatically, Canadian English is very close to American English. :)
Besides, what's "real" English/French? If I understand correctly, Canadian French retains many of the linguistic characteristics found in French spoken in France in the 18th-19th century. Mainland French and Canadian French have developed differently since the 18th century, which makes sense considering their geographical differences. That does not make Mainland French "real" and Canadian French "not real."
[ADDENDUM] Found this in Wikipedia. Interesting how Canadian English was actually considered a "corrupt dialect" until recently. ;)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_English
-------------------------------------------------------
The term "Canadian English" is first attested in a speech by the Reverend A. Constable Geikie in an address to the Canadian Institute in 1857. Geikie, a Scottish-born Canadian, reflected the Anglocentric attitude prevalent in Canada for the next hundred years when he referred to the language as "a corrupt dialect," in comparison to what he considered the proper English spoken by immigrants from Britain.
-------------------------------------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_English
-------------------------------------------------------
The term "Canadian English" is first attested in a speech by the Reverend A. Constable Geikie in an address to the Canadian Institute in 1857. Geikie, a Scottish-born Canadian, reflected the Anglocentric attitude prevalent in Canada for the next hundred years when he referred to the language as "a corrupt dialect," in comparison to what he considered the proper English spoken by immigrants from Britain.
-------------------------------------------------------
It is rude of them to speak in french when they can speak in english, Canada is not france and it is not a french country, there was a war between the french and english, the french lost and to this day are still acting like crybabies over this stupid crap, alot of canadians are fed up with childish crybaby attitudes. Most non Quebecers feel this way also, well the ones with a spine anyway.
Think of it this way, you are living in japan and there is an area of japan that is 90% english, now I know thisi s not real its just an example but lets say this small protion of the country decided to speak nothing but english, even if they know japanese and the majority of them give you dirty looks, show little respect and refuse to speak japanese just to give you some spite, something tells me people would not put up with that or like it much correct ? especialy if they harbored deep feelings of anger and contempt towards the rest of the country.
In alot ways those kinds of things are felt in Quebec towards the rest of canada, in fact some of them have commited violence ( even killing people )over the years over stupid politcal garbage also.
A very large part of canada speaks english, I am not talking about non english speakers over the years who have moved here ( as that is more of a vancouver and toronto thing since we have tons of non english speaking immigrants and a very different subject ), Quebec would love us all to speak french but that does not change the fact that canada IS and english speaking country,
They need to get over themselves and realise this is 2007, they need to stop trying to change our country, if they don't like it they can seperate like they had originaly said, Perhaps they could move to france if they don't like it ?
Obviously canadian english is not 100% UK english but it far more closer to it than american engish but nobody cares about nitpicking that much. But again it hard to explain to someone who is not used to living here or who does not understand beyond the candy coated stuff that the media spews out.
As far as respect you are right, they need to respect the country they are living in )
Think of it this way, you are living in japan and there is an area of japan that is 90% english, now I know thisi s not real its just an example but lets say this small protion of the country decided to speak nothing but english, even if they know japanese and the majority of them give you dirty looks, show little respect and refuse to speak japanese just to give you some spite, something tells me people would not put up with that or like it much correct ? especialy if they harbored deep feelings of anger and contempt towards the rest of the country.
In alot ways those kinds of things are felt in Quebec towards the rest of canada, in fact some of them have commited violence ( even killing people )over the years over stupid politcal garbage also.
A very large part of canada speaks english, I am not talking about non english speakers over the years who have moved here ( as that is more of a vancouver and toronto thing since we have tons of non english speaking immigrants and a very different subject ), Quebec would love us all to speak french but that does not change the fact that canada IS and english speaking country,
They need to get over themselves and realise this is 2007, they need to stop trying to change our country, if they don't like it they can seperate like they had originaly said, Perhaps they could move to france if they don't like it ?
Obviously canadian english is not 100% UK english but it far more closer to it than american engish but nobody cares about nitpicking that much. But again it hard to explain to someone who is not used to living here or who does not understand beyond the candy coated stuff that the media spews out.
As far as respect you are right, they need to respect the country they are living in )
Incubus9,
>> Quebec would love us all to speak french
That's another story. If a Quebecer comes to Vancouver and expects its residents to speak French to him, then yes, that's rude. It's just the same thing the other way 'round.
>> ... the fact that canada IS an english speaking country,
IMO, just because 77% of the Canadians speak English as their first language doesn't make Canada a solely English-speaking country.
>> Think of it this way, you are living in japan and
>> there is an area of japan that is 90% english
If they lived in a partcular province with enough autonomy to select English as their official language, then I would definitely respect them by speaking to them in English. Of course, when they come out and talk to us in the other parts of Japan, I would expect them to speak in Japanese. That's mutual respect, as we both agree. :)
>> they need to respect the country they are living in
It's the Canadian government that gave provinces enough power to choose their own provincial official languages and set the local laws (such as the requirement to display all public signs in French only).
One country does not have to have only one offcial language. Mutual respect is all about respecting the different cultural/linguistic/what-not aspects of different people. When in Calgary, let's try to speak English. In Montreal, let's try to speak French. To me, it's simple as that.
>> Quebec would love us all to speak french
That's another story. If a Quebecer comes to Vancouver and expects its residents to speak French to him, then yes, that's rude. It's just the same thing the other way 'round.
>> ... the fact that canada IS an english speaking country,
IMO, just because 77% of the Canadians speak English as their first language doesn't make Canada a solely English-speaking country.
>> Think of it this way, you are living in japan and
>> there is an area of japan that is 90% english
If they lived in a partcular province with enough autonomy to select English as their official language, then I would definitely respect them by speaking to them in English. Of course, when they come out and talk to us in the other parts of Japan, I would expect them to speak in Japanese. That's mutual respect, as we both agree. :)
>> they need to respect the country they are living in
It's the Canadian government that gave provinces enough power to choose their own provincial official languages and set the local laws (such as the requirement to display all public signs in French only).
One country does not have to have only one offcial language. Mutual respect is all about respecting the different cultural/linguistic/what-not aspects of different people. When in Calgary, let's try to speak English. In Montreal, let's try to speak French. To me, it's simple as that.
I disagree, I grew up in scarborough in the 1980s and clearly remember markham being what some would call "a small town" these days 90% of the signs are all in chinese, I can hardly navigate the place if not for the fact I was there so much that I remember streets by memory, are you saying that markham should also expect ENGLISH CANADIANS to speak chinese when they are there ?
Are we to suggest that all countries who suddenly have a major non speaking native langauge be forced to learn or speak that language ? I would find that insulting and would refuse, language and other cultural differnces are what make us invidiual and give us an identity, forcing us to change those is cultural suicide. Just because markham has alot of chinese and speaks more chinese than englash at this point does not make it china, it is still canada and still an english speaking country, it is fine they choose to speak that but they can hardly expect us to learn that when they come to our country just like if we went to their country.
Would you accept tons of english immigrants moving to japan and refusing to speak in japanese because there is suddenly tons of them ?
That would be insanity.
Like I said canada is an english speaking country as japan is a japanese speaking country, but that is not the point, most english speaking canadians do respect Quebec french speakers, but many french speaking canadians do not in return and langauge is only one of the reasons.
Are we to suggest that all countries who suddenly have a major non speaking native langauge be forced to learn or speak that language ? I would find that insulting and would refuse, language and other cultural differnces are what make us invidiual and give us an identity, forcing us to change those is cultural suicide. Just because markham has alot of chinese and speaks more chinese than englash at this point does not make it china, it is still canada and still an english speaking country, it is fine they choose to speak that but they can hardly expect us to learn that when they come to our country just like if we went to their country.
Would you accept tons of english immigrants moving to japan and refusing to speak in japanese because there is suddenly tons of them ?
That would be insanity.
Like I said canada is an english speaking country as japan is a japanese speaking country, but that is not the point, most english speaking canadians do respect Quebec french speakers, but many french speaking canadians do not in return and langauge is only one of the reasons.
what about international language? Respect thing goes to the culture side that includes languages. But when it comes to an international language, respect thing can be put aside for a moment and universality should come first, isn't it so?
In another words, everyone should be making efforts to understand each other in an international language, rather than demanding respect and such. Not that respect is not there, it's a whole new CREATION based on the hope of better understanding and friendship on the planet as one humankind.
the very idea everyone can speak the same language is so cool and it makes us feel we are just same human after all. So i think international language should be taught in every school on the planet, and i believe English is the best choice.
In another words, everyone should be making efforts to understand each other in an international language, rather than demanding respect and such. Not that respect is not there, it's a whole new CREATION based on the hope of better understanding and friendship on the planet as one humankind.
the very idea everyone can speak the same language is so cool and it makes us feel we are just same human after all. So i think international language should be taught in every school on the planet, and i believe English is the best choice.
Sparkypinball:
The Preuss School UCSD.
That is my school. geared on mandatory Spanish learning, from 7-at least 10th grade then either AP Spanish or Japanese.
I don't know when you graduated, and it's probably none of my business, but now it is required that you take at least 1 year of a foreign language to graduate from Highschool, And at my school, Spanish is the most useful, because Spanish is Spoken a lot in San Diego.
The Preuss School UCSD.
That is my school. geared on mandatory Spanish learning, from 7-at least 10th grade then either AP Spanish or Japanese.
I don't know when you graduated, and it's probably none of my business, but now it is required that you take at least 1 year of a foreign language to graduate from Highschool, And at my school, Spanish is the most useful, because Spanish is Spoken a lot in San Diego.
I think learning English is worthwhile because it may give us chance to communicate with people aroud the world.
But, native speakers of English take it common for anyone to speak English in the world is kind of rude I think.
Like the person tsas introduced in the topic.
People somehow should at least try to communicate in the language(s) of that country.
That is a way to show the politeness to people there and the country also.
But, native speakers of English take it common for anyone to speak English in the world is kind of rude I think.
Like the person tsas introduced in the topic.
People somehow should at least try to communicate in the language(s) of that country.
That is a way to show the politeness to people there and the country also.
47: みるくオレンジ>>
im not being an ass, but i thought it was describing someone puking or something! LOL
48: りぃ>>
i totally agree with you!
i see a lot of native speakers of English think WE ALL SHOULD learn their f'n language. that aint no rite!! i see a lot of americans like that in okinawa. thats where im from. they should learn japanese once they are in japan! at least they should try and possibly just to get by at local restaurants or shops or whatever..
tho i believe English would be nice to learn as a second language to start, then you learn other languages too.
i learned some korean but im not studying it anymore since its hard doing it by myself. ive been learning Spanish for a few years. now i take a class in college. when i went to CA and NYC there were a lot of spanish speaking ppl and i could communicate w/ them in spanish. they were very friendly too. also they were very curious about me speaking their language cuz they probly dont expect me to speak spanish cuz im asian looking? lol
id like to learn Chinese next. once you learn 1 foreign language it would make it easier to learn others. i can understand some portuguese and italian since i know some spanish. french sounds a bit different but i could try too.
im not being an ass, but i thought it was describing someone puking or something! LOL
48: りぃ>>
i totally agree with you!
i see a lot of native speakers of English think WE ALL SHOULD learn their f'n language. that aint no rite!! i see a lot of americans like that in okinawa. thats where im from. they should learn japanese once they are in japan! at least they should try and possibly just to get by at local restaurants or shops or whatever..
tho i believe English would be nice to learn as a second language to start, then you learn other languages too.
i learned some korean but im not studying it anymore since its hard doing it by myself. ive been learning Spanish for a few years. now i take a class in college. when i went to CA and NYC there were a lot of spanish speaking ppl and i could communicate w/ them in spanish. they were very friendly too. also they were very curious about me speaking their language cuz they probly dont expect me to speak spanish cuz im asian looking? lol
id like to learn Chinese next. once you learn 1 foreign language it would make it easier to learn others. i can understand some portuguese and italian since i know some spanish. french sounds a bit different but i could try too.
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