Why Hate France??

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Originally Posted by Kraxis

It is simply annoying to step into a place, try to ask for something in english... Silent stare... try german... silent stare... try various hand gestures... silent stare... try danish in an annoyed voice... silent stare.
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Yeah, yeah, English, German, Sign language, Danish - crap, we're just very politely, in silent astonishment, waiting for that foreigner to finally figure out that French is the language of France.

Also, if somebody doesn't speak English as a foreign language, what are the odds they speak any other? Why do all those foreigners persist in trying your sign language, Danish, Swahili, Thai, Gwastrbmnlytiti or whatever incomprehensible foreign gibberish on us? :help:

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Or better yet, when asking for directions (take your pick of language) you get a response in french. Now I can make out a few things in french, but directions? If I ask in english it is because I can't speak french. If you can't (or won't) speak english or make yourself clear, then just make it clear that you can't help

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But they are trying to make clear that they can't help you.
Obviously, they will have to do so in French - if they could do it in any mutually intelligable language, they would've helped you in the first place.:balloon2:

*Louis, having a coffee and reading his newspaper in the spring sun*
11:15
"Parlez-moi, excuse vous Anglais?'

Eventually figures out what they want: 'Sure, mate. First left, take the metro, two stops'. :sweatdrop:


*resumes reading*
11:17
"Oi, sup manz, i is from Ingerland an its fukin chav central innit an' i need to know whereabouts me an' me blads can get ourselves pissed?

Eventually figures out what they want: 'Sure, mate. First left, take the metro, two stops'. :sweatdrop:


*resumes reading*
11:18
"Obeecham te kato lud. Tseluni me? Vinaghee si fmislite mee!"

'Pourriez-vous parler plus lentement s'il vous plaît?'

"Obeecham-te-kato-lud. Tseluni-me?"

*Louis stares silently*

"Obeecham te kato lud. Tseluni me!!???"

*goes off to the park*

Can't understand English, even at a basic level? Where have they been the last 50 years.

My favourite story was one Frenchie who was doing the usual impression of a brain dead peasant when faced by the World's dominant language. He drops with pain in his chest. The nearest medic to him is English, and Frenchie sings like a bird in near fluent English when he needs something.

Yes, French used to be the language of the educated world (Lingua Franca). It's not any more, and if you're lucky it might not end up next to Latin as a dead language.

But if you want to be known as a land of unhelpful pr*cks, go on pretending that "je ne comprend pas.."

~:smoking:

i've spent a year working in france, and i just don't don't get the vast majority of things that have been said about the french.

I think it's more that we are essentially very similar as countries, but we exagerate the small differences...

And on the language front, i have never found the french to be unhellpful if you make the slightest effort. and by that i mean learning the phrase "excuse-moi, je ne parle francais, desole"

*shrug* vive la difference.

I have to say that my schoolboy French enabled me to get the right autoroute to Luxembourg from the first toll on the road from Basel.

My French was awful and her English was non-existant. But I flashed my ice-blue Anglo-Saxon eyes, smiled, said Bonjour, common tally vu, then shouted as loud as I could, "Where the bloody hell is Luxumbourg!"

A Gallic shrug quickly followed, so I gave in.

"Belgique, Belgique" I cried in desperation...."Ahh" she replied and handed moi a notre.

Faultless directions for another 300 miles.

Vivre la Madamme!!! :2thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by Soulforged

The same happens to me with english.

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You find english pretty?

I always had a kind of scale for my respect for languages in terms of how they sound:

French
Proper English
Russian
American English
Japanese
Dutch
German
Farsi or other Arabic
Chinese
Trailer Park English
Spanish
Ebonics
Thai
Vietnamese

On the other hand, I have a different repect for languages based on my perspective of their difficulty to learn:

Any asian language
Any Arabic language
Russian
English
German or dutch
French
Spanish


I'm not a fan of Spanish, but I consider learning it one of my life's goals. It is a necessity in SW U.S. I would also like to learn French and German for pleasure, since there is no utility in it for me just yet.

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Originally Posted by Haruchai

French rugby.

How a nation can play so wonderfully in one match that spectators are left slack-jawed in awe, and then the next play like schoolboys. Or, as in our recent match with you in Paris, change in the same match!

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Ah, now this could serve as the motto of entire France.

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Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat

Okay, our turn to start an omg-quick-hand-me-some-Kleenex-because-they-all-hate-us whine thread.

I mean, disregarding the fact that we nuke islands in the Pacific, blow up Greenpeace vessels in Australia, colonized South-East Asia, install sick puppet regimes in Africa, abondon America in war, try to break-up Canada, extort money from Europe and piss-off the English for a national sport, what have we ever done to deserve the world's wrath?

Let's hear it, lads.

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The French government blew up a Greenpeace vessel in New Zealand not Australia. Which was a terrorist action, and it was planned to kill more of the crew then it did... only a birthday party kept the crew up... I think the terrorists got promotions and medals on the return to France...

Along with testing nuclear weapons in an atoll... ie compressed coral... kind of porous... not a good place for long term storage of waste.

Colonized South-East Asia... thankfully not that much.

Installing sick puppet regimes in Africa... is there any option to do anything else there?

Trying to break up Canada... do the French Canadians speak modern French or some argot that died a century or two ago?

Pissing off the English for a national sport is an international game that the French don't even excel in.

As for Rugby... best team in the world one half, worst in the second. They are like elves in bloodbowl.

As for speaking French in France... fair enough it seems to be the logical place to speak it. Obviously a tourist will have an easier time traveling in Aus if they speak English, I have seen plenty of tourists who cannot speak English have Aussies help them out as much as possible to find their way.

I have trouble though figuring out why the French think they are so good... considering two tiny countries on their borders make such fine chocolate and are the preferred choice around the world, that Italian way of making coffee seems to be the prefered choice around the world, Dutch cheese seems to be the prefered choice around the world, Spanish and Italian olive oil seems to be the prefered choice around the world, English seems to be the seems to be the prefered choice around the world for business language, seems to be the prefered choice around the world for music, German engineering seems to be the prefered choice around the world.

I'm just curious to think what French things are the prefered choice around the world?

The only good thing France has ever done is blow up a greenpeace vessel in New Zealand ~D *hides from pape*

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Originally Posted by Divinus Arma

You find english pretty?

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Of course I do, particulary in songs, even raps songs where I understand little of what is said (though for many people the less they get of the song the more they like it).

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Originally Posted by rory

But if you want to be known as a land of unhelpful pr*cks, go on pretending that "je ne comprend pas.."

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This is not exclusive of the french is just common sense. If you go to a country where at least half of the people speak only one language then the odds of finding one that speaks yours is 1 on 1. You can't spect for every french to speak english, or viceversa.
Here for example, if you ever come, be careful of trying to buy something in centric areas and comercial centers, only knowing spanish, you've to learn the typical language of Argentina and specially of Buenos Aires, if not then get prepared to get blackmailed and other things, many traders like to do that to strangers.:2thumbsup:

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Are you American ? You must be as don't understand the English language do you , I suppose it is the 30 years of education that does it .

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Whoa, easy on the America-bashing there, Tribesy. J.A.G. is from Wales. And besides, you don't have a perfect understanding of English. :laugh4: :laugh4: :laugh4:

As for France, I think its a matter of arrogance and how it's easy to make fun of them for being 'cheese eating surrender monkeys'. Plus, recently they worked against the US and they have a history of trying to have it both ways and not fully backing their allies (cold war & Russia, middle east, Iraq & Iran).

Crazed Rabbit

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Originally Posted by Wigferth Ironwall

William was the worst king we ever had, he was a ruthless bastard, litterally.

Bad things this Frenchman did:

Abolished elected monarchy,

Abolished Witan,

Abolished Thanes,

Killed off, relatively, nice English aristocracy,

Instituted oppressive feudal system.

Other reasons to hate France:

French revolution,

Metric, which is all fidley,

Inspiring America to revolt.

Totally undemocratic.

Oppressive regime.

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Whereas before 1066 it was a land of milk and honey, like The Shire only with slightly taller people? Pah! Though he was ruthless, without a doubt.

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Originally Posted by TheSilverKnight

Actually, iirc, Sweden abolished slavery sometime in the 1300's...so that would've been the first modern European nation to abolish slavery.

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Well, uhm :sweatdrop:

We did abolish slavery at the homefront early, but when it comes to African slaves, special rules were applied. Slavery were fully abolished 1848, quite late due to the fact that the small colony S:t Bartélemy only had slave-trade as the main income. The colony was never espcially successful in that aspect though.

31-6. I need say no more. ~:mecry:

oooh. french rap is fantastic!

another in the plus column.

also, free running!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=YLO0EJ-V...e%20running%20

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Originally Posted by Divinus Arma

You find english pretty?

I always had a kind of scale for my respect for languages in terms of how they sound:

French
Proper English
Russian
American English
Japanese
Dutch
German
Farsi or other Arabic
Chinese
Trailer Park English
Spanish
Ebonics
Thai
Vietnamese

On the other hand, I have a different repect for languages based on my perspective of their difficulty to learn:

Any asian language
Any Arabic language
Russian
English
German or dutch
French
Spanish


I'm not a fan of Spanish, but I consider learning it one of my life's goals. It is a necessity in SW U.S. I would also like to learn French and German for pleasure, since there is no utility in it for me just yet.

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Most people I know agree that English is the easiest language to learn. Not all Asian languages are the same. Korean and Indian shouldn't be so difficult.

“In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their language.” – Mark Twain

“Boy, those French, they have a different word for everything.” – Steve Martin

“Mathematicians are like Frenchmen: whatever you say to them they translate into their own language, and forthwith it is something entirely different.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Germans with good food.” – Fran Lebowitz

“There would come a time when, if I had compared my life to a cake, the sojourns in Paris would have presented the chocolate filling. The intervening layers were plain sponge.”
– A. J. Liebling

“All Good Americans when they die, go to Paris.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes

“The French make two mistakes about me: They think I’m an intellectual because of my glasses. And they think I'm an artist because my films always lose money.” –Woody Allen

“It's all very well in practice, but it will never work in theory.” – French management saying

Someone help me with this paraphrase:

I love French food, women, and wine; but I hate the French. (modified for emotional impact).

I just look at them as feminized Germans. Although, the Germans have gotten pretty girly themselves. I can’t wait until they have to start paying for their own national defense.

End the American occupation! Liberate Germany!!!

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Originally Posted by Divinus Arma

You find english pretty?

I always had a kind of scale for my respect for languages in terms of how they sound:

French
Proper English
Russian
American English
Japanese
Dutch
German
Farsi or other Arabic
Chinese
Trailer Park English
Spanish
Ebonics
Thai
Vietnamese

On the other hand, I have a different repect for languages based on my perspective of their difficulty to learn:

Any asian language
Any Arabic language
Russian
English
German or dutch
French
Spanish


I'm not a fan of Spanish, but I consider learning it one of my life's goals. It is a necessity in SW U.S. I would also like to learn French and German for pleasure, since there is no utility in it for me just yet.

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I feel insulted! Danish is about the most difficult language there is to learn. Not only do we speak in a different manner everybody else (more or less), our grammar is so filled with excemptions from the rules that we have in all reality abandoned it (thus forcing people to learn it by hearing and reading it), our spoken language is nothing like the written, even if you follow Danish rules of pronouncation. And finally the rate of change in the language is extremely fast, forcing changes of spelling and meanings in the dictionaries, despite the best efforts of various societies to slow this down to a more manageable level.

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Originally Posted by Divinus Arma

I don't hate France. But some things that irk me:

(1) If you do not speak French in France, you are virtually despised and ignored. (By comparison, if you come to the U.S. and speak french, we will try and help you. But also, Spanish is disgusting to me since it is destroying our English heritage.)

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Not actually true, not in most of the places you go as a tourist anyway.

'Parlez-moi, excuse vous Anglais?'

I apologise on behalf of my country, that is about the only French i do know,

'Excuse-moi, parlez vous Anglais?'

See. I can just about manage that, asks for crepes; and the bill.

I tried to learn French and failed, I get most of the words but I can't string them together. :(.

Actually, national prejudice aside, I quite like France and French people; the rural ones anyway. Which reminds me, I'm going to Paris in a few weeks.

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Originally posted by Louis VI the Fat
Yeah, yeah, English, German, Sign language, Danish - crap, we're just very politely, in silent astonishment, waiting for that foreigner to finally figure out that French is the language of France.

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Wait a moment, France doesnt speak German yet? They've been invaded, surrendered and occupied by them twice just in the last century. Hopefully they have learned to say "I surrender" in german at least. The sinking of the greenpeace vessel was certainly one of the greatest acts of the French in their history. Now if they'd only do it more regularly it make the world a much friendlier place, but that'd make them unfrench like.:laugh4:ridiculos

Louis, my point was not that French people don't speak English. I know that a lot do, sadly they don't tend to work the jobs where you meet a lot of new people apparently.
Or perhaps they do. But my point was that obviously it is possible to find a middleway even if we can't communicate in our first languages, or even in any spoken language.

I don't know French as a language, but enough of it to be able to communicate what it is I need (not always in French, but you get the point).
If people have an interest in serving a customer they will make an effort in trying to understand what it is they want. Because you perhaps don't understand the language is no excuse for being rude.

Do you really expect me to learn French to go to France? In that case, should I also begin to demand people speak Danish to me in Denmark, or else I will just not respond to their questions? Silliness.

I'm sorry to report that while I haven't experienced this in my skivacations (English normally go perfectly fine), it tend to be a serious problem in areas where tourism might not be the principal income.

Provence, Adeche and those areas failed in this quite horribly, even as late as a few years ago.
In Alsace people were at least grudgingly willing to speak German.

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Originally Posted by Kraxis

Louis, my point was not that French people don't speak English. I know that a lot do, sadly they don't tend to work the jobs where you meet a lot of new people apparently.

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Aye, most people with a good command of English are of higher education - they don't have 10 euro an hour jobs serving tourists.

Oh well, for friendly, courteous behaviour, you need to be outside the Paris city centre. Hey, I went to New York once - I didn't exactly recieve any warm welcome. The only people I had any meaningful interaction with, were those I met in a relaxed, private surrounding.
The rest of the US was an entirely different matter. Great people everywhere.

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Originally Posted by Papewaio

The French government blew up a Greenpeace vessel in New Zealand not Australia. Which was a terrorist action, and it was planned to kill more of the crew then it did... only a birthday party kept the crew up... I think the terrorists got promotions and medals on the return to France...

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But Papewaio, terrorists is what you call the small army, never the big one. :book:

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Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat

But Papewaio, terrorists is what you call the small army, never the big one. :book:

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Certainly. The one that is smaller in moral and morality is the French one. :book:

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Originally Posted by Papewaio

Certainly. The one that is smaller in moral and morality is the French one. :book:

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Gah. Armies are measured by the size of their guns.:book:

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Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat

Gah. Armies are measured by the size of their guns.:book:

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Not if they are lying in the dirt or the bottom of a harbour...

Another reason in the "Why hate France"... because they murder anyone in the colonies who tries for independance.

That's all in the past. Currently, there is no-one in our colonies trying for independence anymore. :balloon2:

Not after the murders in the eighties... people get a little bit afraid of raising their hands to say they want to be independent if they are going to be snipered by gendarmes

That's what I meant. Currently, there is no-one in our colonies trying for independence anymore. :balloon2:

Well you blew up the Rainbow Warrior and gave medals and big payments to the men that commited that act of terrorism.
You had to be forced by NZ to stop letting off those Nukes in the Muroroa atol.
You never seem to be able to come up with any sunbstantial backing for you're claim that you're by far the best European country there is.

Wow, Bopa and I finally have a topic we agree on! :bow:

Pah!
Don't get too used to it.
Anyway I never did like the Fench!

You don't get Empires and keep them by being Mr. Nice Guy.

Anyway France doesn't have colonies, they are regarded as part of metropolitan France. So murder would be accceptable. :no:

More reasons to dislike France!

Their flag sucks.

I know the colour scheme is terrible :gah:

Hang on :inquisitive:

:france: :unitedstates: :australia: :unitedkingdom: :newzealand:

Hmm the colour scheme is all the same... so Kaiser you don't like stripes then?

The three right of the Stars and Strippers are all great!:laugh4:

To tell the truth, I hate all those flags. I suppose I can tolerate looking at the Union Jack, but the rest just hurt my eyes.

The personal standard of the Monarchy is much better.

Thats just because the Aussie and Kiwi one is going to be flying higher then any of the ones that form the UK at the Commonwealth games. :laugh4:

In your dreams pal. :no: :laugh4:

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Originally Posted by Kraxis

I feel insulted! Danish is about the most difficult language there is to learn. Not only do we speak in a different manner everybody else (more or less), our grammar is so filled with excemptions from the rules that we have in all reality abandoned it (thus forcing people to learn it by hearing and reading it), our spoken language is nothing like the written, even if you follow Danish rules of pronouncation. And finally the rate of change in the language is extremely fast, forcing changes of spelling and meanings in the dictionaries, despite the best efforts of various societies to slow this down to a more manageable level.

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That is typical! We, the Germans, do everything we can to make our language more complex and those neighbors in the north do not show any respect for our efforts.:no:
We have different societies who try to complicate and unstandardize our language. And with some patriotic pride I can say that they are very effective!

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Originally Posted by Franconicus

That is typical! We, the Germans, do everything we can to make our language more complex and those neighbors in the north do not show any respect for our efforts.:no:
We have different societies who try to complicate and unstandardize our language. And with some patriotic pride I can say that they are very effective!

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Ha! Denmark is small, yet we have huge regional differences in the language. I can hardly understand what a true Bornholmer says, or a fisherman from Hirtshals (in northern Jutland), in fact said fisherman has been proven to be able to talk to natives in one of the English fishingports (not speaking English of course). And southern Jutland is quite far out too...

Danish = downright impossible.

Dazzler!:oops:

Here in the south every village had its own language. WW2 mixed them a bit.

However, we have something unique: We had a reform of spelling, where smart professors thought how they could rearrange the way we write. Most people, however, refused to follow their advice. So we had at least three reforms of the reforms, some rules are completly user-defined. Pupils do get new books every year, most of our famous German poets and philosophers declared they will go on usin the old rules ... .

How can a small country like Denmark try to compete with our chaos? Best thing you can do is join us. Then we will send you a lot of money and administration. We ahve a lot of experience with that. By the way, is there a wall at the frontier?:laugh4:

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Originally Posted by Kraxis

Ha! Denmark is small, yet we have huge regional differences in the language. I can hardly understand what a true Bornholmer says, or a fisherman from Hirtshals (in northern Jutland), in fact said fisherman has been proven to be able to talk to natives in one of the English fishingports (not speaking English of course). And southern Jutland is quite far out too...

Danish = downright impossible.

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A Norwegian in Newcastle can speak to the locals in Norwegian and get on better than a Southern Englishman. Can you remember which Port? I'm a English Scholar.

No sadly I can't, I only heard it once when I was a child on the radio (state-radio) where they had a program on the regional dialects. I haven't tried to dig up any info on it since. But it could be York or Newcastle... for some reason both of them ring a bell.