On Wed, 29 Dec 2010 02:28:02 +0100 JLuc <jluc at no-log.org> dijo: >Le 29/12/2010 00:58, James Elliott a ?crit : >> Bounjour JLuc >> >> I believe that all French-Canadians speak English as well as French, >> but not all Canadians speak French well, and we Australians >> certainly do not (although some of us older Aussies might have a >> tiny bit of schoolboy French tucked away in our aging memories - >> certainly not enough to understand a technical reply). If you are >> bi-lingual, why not reply in English so that all Forum members can >> read your reply and benefit from it? > >it has been stated many time that this list is multilingual, and i >guess many of us are french speaking, so it was a pleasure to share >some experience in my native language. > >Beside some french native speakers can not speak english.
It is a joy to me that this list is multilingual and tolerant of all languages. It would be a better world if everyplace was the same. I can read most Germanic and Romance languages (although I need a dictionary at hand if I have to be sure I understand 100%), but I am really fluent only in Spanish and English. If I ever post something here in Spanish I also include an English version, just because it increases the number of list members who can understand it. But then I worry that I'm slighting the Spanish speakers by not including a Spanish translation when I post something in English. Oh well. Maybe I need to worry less about insulting other people's pride and more about being practical. Still, it does embarrass me when an English speaker tries to force English on others. The only thing special about English is that its speakers have a lot of financial and political power these days. As a language it sucks. No one can pronounce the English r, not even all native speakers. Its spelling is a joke that not even the French can fathom. And the insanity of what passes for its grammar is legendary. OK, I guess I've insulted most everyone now. Time to shut up.
