I didn’t mean Barrie. 
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Talking about politeness - in the book I am reading ‘Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiqutette France’ - there is some interesting comment about not disturbing one’s fellow citizen. It’s along the lines of only speaking loudly enough for the person one is conversing with to hear. It is aparently frowned upon to be too loud in public places and restaurants. Is this really the case? I find the lack of consideration for others on UK trains very annoying. I was brought up to be considerate but the message seems to have been lost on many , though not all younger people here in the UK.
Oops…
I must say you are always the one here who thinks they are better, always pro France and EU and always online. Perhaps you should get out more.
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Really? - I am not sure that is a comment you will be proud of later - but I will let @vero reply if she sees fit.
@vero is a big girl. If she can give it, she can take it and is one lady that knows how to look after herself!
Barrie - your comment breaches our T&C - please remove or edit it.
Thanks.
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Morocco is the only place I’ve been able to work in French. I assumed the reason for this was simply that, although most educated people there are indeed fluent, it is their second language too - so like us Brits in France they tend to speak more slowly and formally than native speakers anywhere.
There are different ways to say what you really think, I try and use humour which doesn’t always work but it’s better than being rude. 
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I’m French, Barrie, I was born French and I am a fonctionnaire d’Etat de catégorie A with a full-time job (which means I am out a lot)!
“and always online.”
Not during working hours.
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That is right, it is an expression used by my mother’s generation (people in their 70s) but also by contemporaries - for most people saying someone ‘parle fort’ is real criticism, although it seems quite innocuous.
It means not only loud but also rude, thoughtless, ill-bred, vulgar etc, really quite damning; and if you are not French you wouldn’t suspect it had all that sub-text, you would just think oh, that person has a loud voice.
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Perhaps her name should have given you a clue?
Not just French. Uncouth, an old word but a good one!
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I think in English describing sombody as “loud” used to imply disapproval. It seems to have become aspirational.
A French friend keeps quoting as one of her mum’s watchwords when she was growing up “Ne te fais pas remarquer” but seems like everyone in the UK wants attention these days.
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People in uk seem to pick up worst trait of Americans ie over-familiar on first meeting with and very loud to the point of rudeness,try going into a Wetherspoons’ on Saturday -would need ear plugs.,not like my local bar tobac.
On the subject of rudeness ,there are beginning to be too many personal remarks to fellow members,as Terry Thomas would have said “jolly bad show”
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This ‘parle fort/ne pas se faire remarqué’ discussion is very helpful and I’m glad to be reminded of it at this point in my formation here in France.
I did read about it in the ‘French Culture and Manners’ section of a book on buying property in France. But failed to take it on board.
I think I come into the loud-speaker category. As a former lecturer in the days of lecture halls with chalkboards but without microphones, it was a professional necessity to be able to ‘throw’ one’s voice; in fact ít was a ‘taught skill’ at training colleges. But it tended to be carried over into daily life, with other ‘teacherly’ tendencies too! 
But we weren’t taught how to manage the voice to avoid strain and laryngeal damage. After many years I had to have remedial treatment from a Speech and Language Therapist (postural exercises and breath awareness) to treat hoarseness and a persistent throat-clearing tic. It had quite far-reaching effects too, outside the classroom.
I think the process of learning to speak French could be potentially damaging (physically and psychosocially) if this risk is not acknowledged, so this thread has been timely and helpful to me. Thanks to all involved.
Yes, it’s definitely the case. What else does your Culture Shock! book say?
The same can be said for Yorkshire Men who call Yorkshire God’s own County and who see themselves as a superior race.
I have two Yorkshire half brothers who both display this unfortunate trait.
If Yorkshire is so good why are there so many Yorkshire folk in France ?
Because we don’t let them move to Lancashire
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