Path: ...!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Rhino Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv Subject: Re: [OT] Is English just badly pronounced French? Date: Sun, 31 Mar 2024 14:11:53 -0400 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 113 Message-ID: <20240331141153.00007c0d@example.com> References: <499671719.733556356.450927.anim8rfsk-cox.net@news.easynews.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Injection-Date: Sun, 31 Mar 2024 18:11:55 +0200 (CEST) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="6c286ffbd9d82b53b1a4cf346cd8e749"; logging-data="2035855"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1/SvZbl2ggx3O314bxLfY4PsmgrU52Dmss=" Cancel-Lock: sha1:Oc91dX+xG/KQoi8AdpVUd4eXEoQ= X-Antivirus-Status: Clean X-Newsreader: Claws Mail 4.2.0 (GTK 3.24.41; x86_64-w64-mingw32) X-Antivirus: Avast (VPS 240331-4, 3/31/2024), Outbound message Bytes: 5955 On Sun, 31 Mar 2024 20:16:46 +1300 Your Name wrote: > On 2024-03-31 06:06:45 +0000, anim8rfsk said: > > Rhino wrote: =20 > >>=20 > >> I apologize in advance to Americans who are inevitably aggrieved > >> by all things French just on principle but this video actually > >> makes a pretty good case for saying that English is > >> badly-pronounced French to a large extent. > >>=20 > >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DTUL29y0vJ8Q [18 minutes] > >>=20 > >> When he explains all the English words that are borrowed from > >> French with only slight spelling and pronunciation changes, you > >> may well be persuaded by his argument. =20 > >=20 > > Once again, Cecil Adams had the answer: > >=20 > > https://www.straightdope.com/21341920/what-s-the-international-language= -of-business-french-or-english=20 > >=20 > >=20 > > What=E2=80=99s the international language of business, French or Englis= h? > > By Cecil Adams Aug 3, 1989, 11:00pm MST > >=20 > > Dear Cecil: Our high school French teacher always insisted learning > > French was important because it was going to become the > > international language of business. Now I hear English is mandatory > > in international aviation, and the Chinese students in Beijing > > spoke English to the international media. Was our French teacher > > shucking us? Merde! Les Petites, South Boston =20 >=20 > French comes in at number 20 in the current list of most widely > spoken native languages. English comes in at number 3, just after > Mandarin and Spanish. >=20 > Mandarin Chinese =3D 941 million native speakers > Spanish =3D 486 million native speakers > English =3D 380 million native speakers > ... > French =3D 74 million native speakers >=20 The video I linked at the start of this thread claimed 1.5 billion English speakers, presumably including many who have it as a second, third or fourth language. I expect different organizations may citr different numbers. > =20 > =20 >=20 >=20 > For the astronauts, the two languages they have to know are English > and Russian, because of course all launches to the International > Space Station had to be done by Russia when the Americans dropped > stupidly discontinued the Space Shuttle without any sensible > replacement option. >=20 >=20 >=20 > > Cecil replies: > >=20 > > Now, now. He/she probably just didn=E2=80=99t know any better. French > > teachers lead such empty lives as it is that no one has the heart > > to tell them the awful truth, which is that French is a language on > > the way down, not up. Once the language of diplomacy, French was > > used in the royal courts of Germany, Russia, and Italy during the > > 19th century. Fifty years ago Somerset Maugham called it =E2=80=9Cthe > > common language of educated men=E2=80=9D (women too, one presumes). But > > it=E2=80=99s been in a state of decline since World War II, having long= ago > > been supplanted by =E2=80=94 you guessed it =E2=80=94 English. > >=20 > > English is the primary language of more than 400 million people and > > is the second language of hundreds of millions more. It=E2=80=99s essen= tial > > in science, technology, economics, and finance. It=E2=80=99s the offici= al > > language of airport control towers, might as well be the official > > language of computer software, and of course is vital to a perfect > > comprehension of MTV, Madonna, and other pillars of modern culture. > > French is the primary language of maybe 114 million, including such > > outposts of world commerce as Haiti, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso, > > and is essential chiefly to reading menus at Le Cirque. > >=20 > > The French have been desperately attempting to reverse this trend. > > In addition to hosting international conferences of =E2=80=9CFrancophon= e=E2=80=9D > > (French-speaking) nations, France as of 1986 was spending $750 > > million per year to support 20,000 French teachers in 155 > > countries. It also employs language police to guard against > > un-Gallic intrusions such as le compact-disc. But all in vain. > >=20 > > Not that French doesn=E2=80=99t have its uses. Au contraire. It remains= the > > language of international pretension par excellence, having a > > certain je ne sais quoi that appeals irresistibly to the nouveaux > > riches. Also, let=E2=80=99s face it, je t=E2=80=99aime sounds infinitel= y classier > > than =E2=80=9Cluv ya, babe.=E2=80=9D But French is more likely to come = in handy in > > the intimate hours after the business meeting than during. > >=20 > > Cecil Adams =20 >=20 >=20 --=20 Rhino