A post like this in the early hours of the morning, was alcohol a factor? Your title was enough to ensure that you would not get any sympathy from me, you make it sound as though tens of millions of people act in exactly the same way. My nearest British neighbours speak no French and I’ve been amazed by the number of local people who are happy to speak English to them. People that I had never considered would have more than a word or two of English.
Do you think an elderly French couple in the sticks in the UK would find many people capable of, or making an effort to, speak French to them ?
Re war:
in WWI France lost over 4% of its population, at a conservative estimate, Britain about 2%
In WWII France lost 1.4% of its population and Britain about 0.9%
Maybe be a bit more tactful.
Well I agree with the OP, we live in a small hamlet of five houses and all our neighbours are French, not once have any of them said ‘good morning’ or ‘how are you today?’, all we get is ‘bonjour’ and a wave and the odd kiss or two, miserable sods.
Jumping on the bandwagon here - why oh why oh why do the French embrace just a single measuring system, why just metric?
It is so much simpler to use a hybrid of metric & imperial depending on what purpose - it is sooo easy to remember how many inches there are in a groat and how many shillings in a sheckle. I just love the diversity of different measurements in UK it is so much simpler than just metres.
For some reason the French do however understand and embrace my national traditions - I see this when in France I drive on the LEFT - the joy I see in the French people faces and the loud shouts of encouragement and enthusiastic waving could almost suggest the French are jealous of not normally driving on the left - they do however get to experience the joy of driving on the left as they drive past me as I am occupying their normal lane.
It is such a joy to be embracing French life whilst also educating my neighbours.
My step grandfather in the Luftwaffe got shot down behind Russian lines in 1943 - meanwhile my French grandfather the para was a Japanese POW and my Scottish grandfather was in SOE. Only the latter two survived.
What a shambles.
There was a post on FB this morning from the daughter of an old friend announcing the birth of her baby boy. The mother is very, very early twenties but she gave the baby’s weight in pounds and ounces. She should not know about pounds and ounces except from her history lessons.
I have a distant memory of the Imperial system of weights being hand in glove with Avoir Du Poids. The latter used to be stencilled on the side of carts and lorries e.g Laden Weight 4 tons 6 cwt Avoir Du Poids.
Am I dreaming this apparant frenchification of the Anglo-Saxon?