And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Sunday, June 23, 2024
I can vouch for this in Scandinavia. Everyone there (I exaggerate, but not by much) speaks English, and doesn't want to hear you butcher their mother tongue.
Erroneous. The reaction in Scotland is : "Sassenach!" The reaction in Ireland is to spit, and say "Coilíneach fuilteach!", which is Gaelic for "Bloody colonizer!" Then they invite you in English to come spend your money at the local pub.
I knew better, traveling alone in France, to speak English slow and polite. Not only was there was never a problem I was invited to interesting places.
20-something years ago I was in Germany visiting family and we went shopping. Had to duck back into the store for something I forgot to buy, figured it was a cash transaction, how hard can it be? Cashier politely took my items and asked me a question... I had no clue at all what she was saying. After a few moments of me stammering auf Deutsch and looking lost she said in perfect English "Cash or credit card?"
I have traveled quite extensively around the globe. I have found that for the most part, with the exception of France, the natives appreciate any and all efforts to make an attempt to at least say, "Thank you" in their native tongue.
For six years I was stationed in Germany right on the border with the Netherlands, close to Belgium and Luxembourg, not far from France. Early in my stay I met a young Dutch hitchhiker couple and they were a riot. They spoke excellent English and avidly believed in UFOs, which they were happy to tell me a great deal about. More usefully they pointed out the pickpockets in the area.
Most useful of all they advised sticking to English whenever I first got to a town or pub I had not visited before. The Europeans had been fighting with each other for centuries, memories were long, and in that region the ethnicities/nationalities were all mixed up regardless of the current borders. One small town might be of French heritage and language, another only 3 km away German, the one in between Dutch or Flemish, and they were all in Belgium and all disliked each other. Each hamlet had its name in three languages on the sign at the edge of town, and it was not unusual to see the two names in the “wrong“ language roughly spray-painted out. If you waltzed into town and started speaking in the “wrong” language, you’d get crappy service and someone probably spit in your soup. So stick to neutral English for starters until you got the lay of the land.
I made friends with the staff at the Dutch restaurants just across the border from I was stationed. They were all young, bright, and pretty. Once I got to know them, I was amused to find out that they hated the Germans and absolutely refused to speak German to customers. Dutch kids, all learn English, German, and Dutch, starting in grade school, and can speak and understand German perfectly well. But if someone came in and ordered in German, they would reply only in English or Dutch. I had already started learning German, so I asked them to start teaching me Dutch, but then they made me stop because they said I spoke Dutch with a German accent.
The French Canadians I was stationed with told me that they quickly found out they should speak only English when they went to Paris. When they tried to speak their Quebeçois version of French, the Parisians were NOT amused.
Of course, Paris was its own entity within France anyway. It looked down on the rest of France, and the rest of France reciprocated. I took several vacations in France outside of Paris, speaking English and limited French, and always received decent treatment.
I've learned that if you first learn the "polite words"(excuse me, please, thank you,good morning, ...) and then use local language/english dictionary, in most countries you are treated very well, Better,in fact, than those who try to rely on most quick (less than 1 year) classes. Seems that showing that you are willing to display both your ignorance and desire to not offend but learn thier language ls treated as a compliment. Dennis the librarian shusher
Always fun to harsh the foreigner who troubled themselves to make an effort. The fwench excell at this. While sharing their unwashed B O with you.
ReplyDeleteErroneous.
ReplyDeleteThe reaction in Scotland is : "Sassenach!"
The reaction in Ireland is to spit, and say "Coilíneach fuilteach!", which is Gaelic for "Bloody colonizer!"
Then they invite you in English to come spend your money at the local pub.
I knew better, traveling alone in France, to speak English slow and polite. Not only was there was never a problem I was invited to interesting places.
ReplyDeleteI was in Paris once and tried using French, was insulted! Never going back, the arabs and africans can fuck all them frogs right up the bum.
Delete20-something years ago I was in Germany visiting family and we went shopping. Had to duck back into the store for something I forgot to buy, figured it was a cash transaction, how hard can it be?
ReplyDeleteCashier politely took my items and asked me a question... I had no clue at all what she was saying. After a few moments of me stammering auf Deutsch and looking lost she said in perfect English "Cash or credit card?"
I have traveled quite extensively around the globe. I have found that for the most part, with the exception of France, the natives appreciate any and all efforts to make an attempt to at least say, "Thank you" in their native tongue.
ReplyDeleteFor six years I was stationed in Germany right on the border with the Netherlands, close to Belgium and Luxembourg, not far from France. Early in my stay I met a young Dutch hitchhiker couple and they were a riot. They spoke excellent English and avidly believed in UFOs, which they were happy to tell me a great deal about. More usefully they pointed out the pickpockets in the area.
ReplyDeleteMost useful of all they advised sticking to English whenever I first got to a town or pub I had not visited before. The Europeans had been fighting with each other for centuries, memories were long, and in that region the ethnicities/nationalities were all mixed up regardless of the current borders. One small town might be of French heritage and language, another only 3 km away German, the one in between Dutch or Flemish, and they were all in Belgium and all disliked each other. Each hamlet had its name in three languages on the sign at the edge of town, and it was not unusual to see the two names in the “wrong“ language roughly spray-painted out. If you waltzed into town and started speaking in the “wrong” language, you’d get crappy service and someone probably spit in your soup. So stick to neutral English for starters until you got the lay of the land.
I made friends with the staff at the Dutch restaurants just across the border from I was stationed. They were all young, bright, and pretty. Once I got to know them, I was amused to find out that they hated the Germans and absolutely refused to speak German to customers. Dutch kids, all learn English, German, and Dutch, starting in grade school, and can speak and understand German perfectly well. But if someone came in and ordered in German, they would reply only in English or Dutch. I had already started learning German, so I asked them to start teaching me Dutch, but then they made me stop because they said I spoke Dutch with a German accent.
The French Canadians I was stationed with told me that they quickly found out they should speak only English when they went to Paris. When they tried to speak their Quebeçois version of French, the Parisians were NOT amused.
Of course, Paris was its own entity within France anyway. It looked down on the rest of France, and the rest of France reciprocated. I took several vacations in France outside of Paris, speaking English and limited French, and always received decent treatment.
I wonder how the cheese-eating surrender monkeys would react to cajun.
DeleteI would imagine that speaking Cajun (or "Geechee French") would label you "black" in Paris.
DeleteI've learned that if you first learn the "polite words"(excuse me, please, thank you,good morning, ...) and then use local language/english dictionary, in most countries you are treated very well, Better,in fact, than those who try to rely on most quick (less than 1 year) classes.
ReplyDeleteSeems that showing that you are willing to display both your ignorance and desire to not offend but learn thier language ls treated as a compliment.
Dennis the librarian shusher
I found that the fastest way to get a German to speak English was to talk to them in Spanish. Worked every time.
ReplyDeleteSteve Y.