Should UK have a "common" language?

Makes perfect sense to me to learn the language of the country you live in…if some people can’t (or choose not to), that’s their concern. As David Martin pointed out, life must be quite shallow and restrictive if you can’t talk to the majority of people around you.

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I think we can see from the UK’s example how it can cause a problem. The perception there is that immigrants (EU or otherwise) get more attention and help than the natives, and resentment builds up and eventually boils over. Hence Brexit.

Well, you may dismiss it but France has been having an ongoing internal dialogue for a long time about what being French means, and up to now, the consensus amongst the French has been that everybody should use the language of Molière. I don’t think you fully appreciate that this is a considered policy based on the Will of the People - nothing to do with budget or laziness or couldn’t-care-less. The French as a nation are interested in their national identity and they have strong feelings about kind of a country they want to live in. Here’s a report based on a big survey carried out in 2009 Identité nationale : c'est quoi être Français ? - ladepeche.fr. This kind of survery tends to be repeated on a fairly regular basis. I know, it’s an odd concept for the government to genuinely take the Will of the People into account in its policies, isn’t it…

Quote from above article: “62 % des Français se prononcent ainsi en faveur de « l’instauration d’un contrat d’intégration demandant aux immigrants d’améliorer leur pratique du français et leur connaissance des valeurs de la République”.

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I have to disagree with you. I think it’s either arrogance or ignorance of the facts that allows people to move to another country without knowing the basics of the language. You say it’s nothing to do with me but I have been asked several times to help virtual strangers with problems that should never have arisen. My closest neighbours have been happy to pay a translation / interpretation service to help them but I wonder how much money they are throwing away as this professional help booked their two year old car for a CT so could have made a few other errors as well.

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Well…I give in. My final word is to say I do fully appreciate the attitude of the French… and I don’t recall that I have ever suggested that it is to do with laziness or couldn’t care less mentality. …or that I am in some way against the idea that immigrants should learn the language. 15 years in France is quite a long time… possibly longer than some of the people posting here… and therefore I feel qualified to comment. Apologies if my view of the world doesn’t quite fit. Good luck.

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It’s the beauty of the human condition that we are all different… :relaxed::relaxed:

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It’s true we are all different…it isn’t necessarily beautiful :thinking:

I try to see the beauty in as much as possible… :relaxed::upside_down_face:

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@Paul Rupa We all have a different way of looking at life Paul and it is a good thing- luckily we are not clones-please don’t give in.-because David disagrees with you .Changing country is taking a step into the unknown and we don’t quite know what is on the other side of the road.

Ha ha ha…Thank you Carol. You are right…it’s a good thing we are not all clones. To clarify…I didn’t “give in” because David or anyone else disagreed with me… if thats what they think then great. It’s not really a life or death subject is it? Trouble is… these days, everyone’s an expert. We all think we know what is best… but of course it’s only opinions. And besides, I’m having a nice dinner with friends tonight - which is about 1000% more important… got to set the table, get the cheese out of the fridge, bottle breathing…once again …thank you (and get practicing your French… or else!!!).

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I am called out every so often to translate for the Gendarmes. Also for various lawyers and doctors. I also do a bit of work with allophone (non French-speaking) refugees. I see it as Good Works.

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Bon appetit Paul ,passez une tres bonne soiree.Pour les anglophones enjoy your meal and have a lovely evening

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The local Gendarmerie asked our Mayor who could help with non-French speaking Brits… and somehow my name got bandied about… that was 15 years ago… and I’m still at it. It is actually quite interesting at times… no ghastly murders though (thank heavens)…:relaxed::relaxed:

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It’s not really a case of me disagreeing with you Paul, it’s about me sticking to what I believe. That is that nobody who chooses to move to a foreign country should expect that country’s tax payers to take responsibility for their inability to communicate.

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I get all sorts of people speaking all sorts of languages, some of which I actually speak too :wink:

Phew… at least mine normally speak English… well, sort of… :wink:

I spoke with the English-speaking conseilleuse at my bank this afternoon. She told me that her boss had suggested that she advise her English clients who speak no French that they should become more self-sufficient, because too much of her time is taken in answering emails (“forty a day”) from the English saying “I’ve had this letter and I don’t understand a word, can you help?”

She also told me she felt exhausted at the end of the working day, and is concerned about her health.

My personal experience (although we’ve only been here two-and-a-half years) is that the French people we deal with are very generous in their support for those of us coming to terms with the new language, from a low base-line of facility, and never lose patience or show ennuie. A little humility, some willingness, and a sense of humour go a long way.

My wife and I have 155 years of life experience between us, so (as has been pointed out) our opportunities to mix and make new friends is a little limited. But we will certainly make the most of every opportunity to show that we like the French, and are grateful to be here.

There are low points, inevitably, but life’s like that: it’s the way we learn, and learning is always a joy. It always gives me much pleasure to congratulate people who try out their English on me, and to chuckle over our fruit-salad conversations. A local French acquaintance whom I frequently meet in the street mentioned John Wayne recently (we share an interest in antique cinema), and we demonstrated to each other and passers-by how he walked, bow-legged and saddle-sore, into the sunset. Vive la mimique!

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First of all its not Eire it’s Ireland and secondly all Gaelic speakers also speak English!

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My apologies, though I did work with a southern Irish girl a few years ago who was quite clear that some of the older generation in her village spoke very little or no English.

I think when it comes to native speakers of the non-English countries in the UK, the question is not so much whether they speak English, but whether or not English is their first language. Certainly for a great many Welsh, is isn’t. And I see no reason why, in their own country, they should be obliged to speak English if they’re more comfortable speaking their own native language. If they move to England then it’s different, of course :wink:

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A reasonable point about (eg) Welsh speakers who move within the UK but whether they would fall under Dame Casey’s scheme I’m not clear.

On a (loosely) related note my comprehension of spoken French is not great - I try to improve my ability to speak the language and side with those who can’t see why you would move to or have a residence in a country without at least trying to learn the lingo. However I wonder whether some of my problem is the Breton accent - for those with a better ear for French than I do is it as strong to native or very fluent speakers as a Welsh, Irish or Scots accent is in the UK?

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