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Oh but people sometimes do.
When I was driving a taxi in London a few years back, I stopped at a set of lights in Whitechapel.
A car stopped on my left and the driver tooted her horn.
I glanced to my left, and she lowered her window and called out, "Mile End?", a district some one and a half miles straight ahead.
I replied, "Stepney Green?"
She looked at me bemused, and said, "Excuse me?"
I said, "Oh sorry, I thought that it was some word association game", then drove off as the light changed.
lol. This thread is getting funny.
But seriously, people; the French are perfectly nice if you meet them halfway, like any other people. Get over the French. It's all a non-issue.
I'm French and I find most tourists rude when they visit our country, most of the time they just ask for stuff right off the bat, they don't care if English is not your first language. I answer them because my English is good but it annoys me. If they say Bonjour, Excusez-moi, parlez-vous anglais ? and then switch to English it's fine but most don't do that. Imposing your English on French people in France is irritating and irritated people are not always kind. A lot of French people speak very bad English and many will not be bothered to speak the language of our long time enemy (who are still busy bashing our country every week or so in their newspapers) in their own country
Do French tourists that go on vacation learn the local language to such a degree that they can actually communicate with the locals or do they impose their French on foreigners?
I highly recommend the Berlitz audio series. Do all three- novice, intermediate and advanced. Listen to them over and over until they are practically memorized. Practice them out loud to work on your accent. There is no need for the written version but I do recommend memorizing at least a dozen phrases for any situation that you may encounter during the trip.
Keep a good phrase book/dictionary with you. If you will have a smartphone, find an app that has audio.
I have visited and worked (very very briefly) in France so this is from my experience.
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On a separate note, I think that if you need to ask for directions, it is too time consuming to spend time making small talk with shopkeepers or making small talk with strangers when you need directions. The American way is not rude. It is just more efficient. I do say hello and madame, etc. because of my non-American upbringing but it is a waste of time.
When some approaches me on the street in Manhattan asking where is Carnegie Hall, I don't need for that person to call me Ma'am or to do anything besides say "thank you."
I'm French and I find most tourists rude when they visit our country, most of the time they just ask for stuff right off the bat, they don't care if English is not your first language. I answer them because my English is good but it annoys me. If they say Bonjour, Excusez-moi, parlez-vous anglais ? and then switch to English it's fine but most don't do that. Imposing your English on French people in France is irritating and irritated people are not always kind. A lot of French people speak very bad English and many will not be bothered to speak the language of our long time enemy (who are still busy bashing our country every week or so in their newspapers) in their own country
I'm an American, but I get it. Expecting people to speak your language in your own country and show some basic respect for local customs and manners is not a lot to ask for.
Hey, don't blame us for George Bush! You're aware that he stole both elections, aren't you? We didn't elect him.
I was talking about England of course, the US has never been an enemy of France.
The English LOVE bashing our country, it's like a national hobby there.
A recent article bashing a new development in Paris in the Guardian A custard-coloured flop: the
I was talking about England of course, the US has never been an enemy of France.
The English LOVE bashing our country, it's like a national hobby there.
A recent article bashing a new development in Paris in the Guardian A custard-coloured flop: the
In the meantime in France nobody cares about England
ROFL - most English people have nothing against the French, it's certain sectors of the media who try to stir things up. I actually like France and the French, and so do many other British people.
The French do however have a reputation for being a bit smug and superior in relation to culture, food, fashion etc although we just generally laugh it off.
“One cannot trust people whose cuisine is so bad,” Jacques Chirac
In terms of insults both nations have been doing it for centuries, anything disgusting or sexual in English was always referred to as French (who we sometimes refer to as the Frogs), such as kissing with your mouth open is French kissing, condoms were French Letters, Sexual Diseases were often referred to as the French disease and there are numerous other examples of Frenching and Even the V sign used as an insult relates to battles with the French.
However in our defence the French did exactly the same in regards to the English or the Les Rosbifs as we are known, and to be honest I just find the whole thing laughable.
Do French tourists that go on vacation learn the local language to such a degree that they can actually communicate with the locals or do they impose their French on foreigners?
ROFL - most English people have nothing against the French, it's certain sectors of the media who try to stir things up. I actually like France and the French, and so do many other British people.
The French do however have a reputation for being a bit smug and superior in relation to culture, food, fashion etc although we just generally laugh it off.
“One cannot trust people whose cuisine is so bad,” Jacques Chirac
In terms of insults both nations have been doing it for centuries, anything disgusting or sexual in English was always referred to as French (who we sometimes refer to as the Frogs), such as kissing with your mouth open is French kissing, condoms were French Letters, Sexual Diseases were often referred to as the French disease and there are numerous other examples of Frenching and Even the V sign used as an insult relates to battles with the French.
However in our defence the French did exactly the same in regards to the English or the Les Rosbifs as we are known, and to be honest I just find the whole thing laughable.
does this Mr Paxman speak any language other than his native tongue?
If not, he should shut up. In today's world, not speaking a second language is equivalent to being illiterate.
Not all of the British are like this, but there is a certain fringe in the UK that is extremely irked by France and the French, probably because France is the main challenger to their linguistic and cultural hegemony.
This is not to say that the French don't "play ball". English has a way bigger place in France than French or any other language have in the UK.
And some of the pretentions with respect to French being an international language on par with or in the same league as English are obviously fallacious in this day and age.
But yeah, the French are seen as linguistic and cultural resistors, recalcitrants. And for this some of the British can't stand them.
Which explains the critical overkill from people like Mr. Paxman.
Also now that I'm in Italy I often use that ironic humor that my italian friends take some time to understand, and now they always talk about my French humor whereas I've always tried to out-english the english.
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