Speek you ze eengleesh?
Apparently English really is the international language. A girl, we'll call her Nathalie, gave a talk on her time at the Taize international encounter in Milan around New Years. Thirty thousand people, largely between the ages of seventeen and thirty, from France, Poland, America, the Phillipines, and everywhere in between, all meet in a given city to pray in the tradition of a community founded in the 1950s (pop. 100) in the small village of Taize (pop. 50) around Bordeaux. Apparently people all communicated in English. Now, Nathalie was excited about this...she always insists on speaking to Heidi and me in English and seems excited about learning it.
Unfortunately, the French have a reputation for being bad at English. Or so they say. In fact, Nathalie told us that for one Taize activity they seperated the group into "French" and "other" and proceded in English, getting someone to translate for the French. Heck, most everyone one I've met can get their point across more or less in English, which is more than you can say for Americans in any given foreign language, so I always tell them they're not so bad. Though next to all the German people I've met they're not so hot...
likewise the English that is the "international language" isn't the English (or American for that matter) we know and love. Nathalie said an American girl got up and said something to the sea of Taize-goers in "good English," so that immediately afterwards one of the Taize brothers had to get up and translate into "Taize English." (That's Tay-ZAY, by the way, I don't know how to type with accents on this program)
I'm not sure how I feel about English being the "international language." It seems useful to have one, but I don't see any need for English speaking culture to rule the globe...
but then, for any language to take off, it helps to have native speakers, so even with it's two million speakers I don't know that Esperanto is ever going to make it (though I have to say it's a nice idea...)
Other highlight of the evening- I got to introduce French people to one of America's (I think) truly useful inovations- microwave popcorn. Aumonerie-goers gathered around the microwave and excalimed things like "Ooh, it's unfolding!" "Look, it's inflating! What a neat idea!" and then "wow, something smells really good." and then, "Oh, good, I prefer salted popcorn anyway." (apparently over here sugared is an equally popular choice)
But guess what...
I have the internet in my room now!!!!
so if you email me, rest assured I am checking my email obsessively and will get back to you probably the same day.
Unfortunately, the French have a reputation for being bad at English. Or so they say. In fact, Nathalie told us that for one Taize activity they seperated the group into "French" and "other" and proceded in English, getting someone to translate for the French. Heck, most everyone one I've met can get their point across more or less in English, which is more than you can say for Americans in any given foreign language, so I always tell them they're not so bad. Though next to all the German people I've met they're not so hot...
likewise the English that is the "international language" isn't the English (or American for that matter) we know and love. Nathalie said an American girl got up and said something to the sea of Taize-goers in "good English," so that immediately afterwards one of the Taize brothers had to get up and translate into "Taize English." (That's Tay-ZAY, by the way, I don't know how to type with accents on this program)
I'm not sure how I feel about English being the "international language." It seems useful to have one, but I don't see any need for English speaking culture to rule the globe...
but then, for any language to take off, it helps to have native speakers, so even with it's two million speakers I don't know that Esperanto is ever going to make it (though I have to say it's a nice idea...)
Other highlight of the evening- I got to introduce French people to one of America's (I think) truly useful inovations- microwave popcorn. Aumonerie-goers gathered around the microwave and excalimed things like "Ooh, it's unfolding!" "Look, it's inflating! What a neat idea!" and then "wow, something smells really good." and then, "Oh, good, I prefer salted popcorn anyway." (apparently over here sugared is an equally popular choice)
But guess what...
I have the internet in my room now!!!!
so if you email me, rest assured I am checking my email obsessively and will get back to you probably the same day.
posted by Etrangère | 1:32 AM
2 Comments:
Interesting about all this--I've always felt very thankful to know the "international language" as well as I do (natively). When I think of how hard non-native speakers have to study to learn our extremely non-phonetic tongue, I am amazed that God allowed me to be born speaking it fluently. The only problem is that English speakers on average don't try so hard to learn other languages, whereas many African or European people learn various languages in their lifetimes.
Taize! I never knew how to pronounce it as I've always seen it written. Thanks!
I think the French are still trying to hang on to their status as native speakers of an international language (I think it's still obligatory in Russia). They don't learn a lot of foreign languages really well...as a francophile myself I kinda have to say with them...why speak anything else when you can speak French? ;)
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