icanhazstapler: French is a beautiful language. Quebecois is one of the most vile sounding languages ever uttered.

You know, that's what some Brits say about the American language. They say it's degenerated English.

Well, off course stupid people won't be as educated. That's because they are stupid. That's not discrimination.

French is a beautiful language, very complex and rich. it's been proved that the characteristics of the language you speak change the way you think. If you only speak English, you think in English. English's nature (no intention to offend anyone) is pragmatic and action-oriented. French is 10 times more complex than English in many areas, and it's a good way to open up the mind. On the other hand, English is much better than French for other uses (for example, tech-related). The possibility to easily create new words, verb nouns and noun verbs of English is great for science. So, speaking both fluently IS GREAT for education. This is not just about French and English, it applies to all languages. One great example of this cooperation of languages is in the work of Freud and Lacan. Freud wrote all of his work in German, and when Lacan continued his work years later, giving it a whole new meaning, he wrote that in French, but using original words in German HEAVILY, being many parts almost 50% German to give very precise meaning to some concepts. Many great English writers use Latin languages in parts of their writings, a great example is Edgar Allan Poe (Besides the fact that many of his stories take place in Europe, he uses French quotes, words and names).

Learning languages opens the mind, helps you understand the mindset of other people around the world, and should be encouraged in school.

The Duke of Carrot Flowers: icanhazstapler: French is a beautiful language. Quebecois is one of the most vile sounding languages ever uttered.

You know, that's what some Brits say about the American language. They say it's degenerated English.

American English is closer to the English of Shakespeare than probably anything spoken in the UK. Those r's at the ends of words are there for a REASON.

Quebecois has a very different feel from European French but it's not 'vile'. Listen to the vocals on Harmonium's second record the next time you're slightly high and you'll see what I mean.

True story.

The registrar and main counselor at the high school where I work regularly tells anyone who will listen that French is a "dead language". I shiate you not. Her exact words on a daily basis.

I keep a loaded shotgun in my car, and I paint the barrel with her color of lipstick.

almafuerte: So, speaking both fluently IS GREAT for education.

Not really, because not everyone will be able to attain that goal easily. Instead for large numbers of people it will simply cause them to be only average in their best subjects rather than allowing them to be truly good at the things they excel in.

Pilot Kosmosa: No, you speak, lets wait until the war's almost over, the enemy almost defeated, and then ride in with our red white and blue flags waving. While we scream USA, USA, USA, and brag about how superior your military is, even though you were fighting the last and worst of what the enemy had left.

Punk.

Wow. I thought no one would bite with that obvious stink bait.

The Duke of Carrot Flowers: icanhazstapler: French is a beautiful language. Quebecois is one of the most vile sounding languages ever uttered.

You know, that's what some Brits say about the American language. They say it's degenerated English.

if there's anyone who knows about being degenerate english, it's the degenerate english.

americans celebrate killing brits every year with beer, bbq and bombs, so i figure it's even.

ThematicDevice: almafuerte: So, speaking both fluently IS GREAT for education.

Not really, because not everyone will be able to attain that goal easily. Instead for large numbers of people it will simply cause them to be only average in their best subjects rather than allowing them to be truly good at the things they excel in.

Not really. IQ!=Skill

If you have a high IQ, you can be good at anything. You will be good at everything. If you just learn a skill, you can be average, maybe a bit above average at just one thing, and mediocre at everything else.

We have to encourage the best people to be even better, and not just level down so mediocres can pretend to be good at something.

Everyone I know who went through FI cannot speak French or English properly. They come across as slightly retarded at times, even though they are otherwise quite intelligent. But ask them to write an essay and you'd think it was written by an 8 year old.

boobsrgood: True story.

The registrar and main counselor at the high school where I work regularly tells anyone who will listen that French is a "dead language". I shiate you not. Her exact words on a daily basis.

I keep a loaded shotgun in my car, and I paint the barrel with her color of lipstick.

To say it's dead is ridiculous, but I have to say that French is very much on the decline. If you live west of the missisippi, you run into so many spanish speakers that it seems silly to bother taking french.

Spanish
Mandarin/Cantonese
Arabic
Russian

That's where the growth is.

AuCinaoaMie: Not gonna RTFA. Unless you live in the cesspool that is France, or one of the unfortunates who live in lazy language speaking parts of Canada there is no use for it. None.

French is pretty useful in various parts of the world. You'd be pretty surprised where it pops up. I made surprisingly good use of it in Israel, for example.

Yes its lazy, all those extra letters and most arent even pronounced, it just kinda trails off and sounds like a drunk who forgot how to finish saying his words.

French has lots of farktardedness to it, but English has no shortage of superfluous crap too. Its grammar is pretty illogical compared to some of the more grammatically saner languages.

If I were to pick a writing system for everyone to use, it'd be the Korean one. That shiat is truly awesome.

Nothing Sweeter Than Redneck Tears: The Duke of Carrot Flowers: icanhazstapler: French is a beautiful language. Quebecois is one of the most vile sounding languages ever uttered.

You know, that's what some Brits say about the American language. They say it's degenerated English.

if there's anyone who knows about being degenerate english, it's the degenerate english.

americans celebrate killing brits every year with beer, bbq and bombs, so i figure it's even.

*************

Yet we dont celebrate every year by invading and burning down your Whitehouse....must be the elitest in us, eh?

Also, the article is pretty bang on. That was basically my experience growing up through schools with both french immersion and purely english streams. The french immersion classes always had a noticeably larger share of the best students.

nuclear_asshat: To say it's dead is ridiculous,

And yet I sit in meetings and tolerate this withered hag professing just that. Ommmm. Ommmm.

TheBlackFlag: Nothing Sweeter Than Redneck Tears: The Duke of Carrot Flowers: icanhazstapler: French is a beautiful language. Quebecois is one of the most vile sounding languages ever uttered.

You know, that's what some Brits say about the American language. They say it's degenerated English.

if there's anyone who knows about being degenerate english, it's the degenerate english.

americans celebrate killing brits every year with beer, bbq and bombs, so i figure it's even.

*************

Yet we dont celebrate every year by invading and burning down your Whitehouse....must be the elitest in us, eh?

ich vestehen sie nicht.

C'est la vie.

The Duke of Carrot Flowers: icanhazstapler: French is a beautiful language. Quebecois is one of the most vile sounding languages ever uttered.

You know, that's what some Brits say about the American language. They say it's degenerated English.

Exactly.

I'd pick North American English... and North American French too.

France-French sounds to my ears kind of like how someone unbearably posh from England sounds to an American. Straight-up Little Lord Fauntleroy.

I wonder how there can be co-existing "Those French are cheese-eating surrender monkeys!" and "Those Quebecers don't talk properly... not like the French!" lines, often coming from the same people... don't they realize they are:
1. Siding with the French on the same continental smugness that rejects American/Canadian English
2. It's a type of smugness really directed at all North Americans, i.e. Americans are not exempted from it, either
3. Silly

bobbette: I wonder how there can be co-existing "Those French are cheese-eating surrender monkeys!" and "Those Quebecers don't talk properly... not like the French!" lines

No need for logic when you just want to bash the Other.

almafuerte: ThematicDevice: almafuerte: So, speaking both fluently IS GREAT for education.

Not really, because not everyone will be able to attain that goal easily. Instead for large numbers of people it will simply cause them to be only average in their best subjects rather than allowing them to be truly good at the things they excel in.

Not really. IQ!=Skill

If you have a high IQ, you can be good at anything. You will be good at everything. If you just learn a skill, you can be average, maybe a bit above average at just one thing, and mediocre at everything else.

We have to encourage the best people to be even better, and not just level down so mediocres can pretend to be good at something.

No we need the best people to be great at a somewhat narrow range of interests.

Further you seem to think that if your smart, you must be good at languages. But not everyone's particular talent lends them to being linguists. If their particular skills and interests trend that way, great. But if instead they have an interest in biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, mathematics, or a wide range of other fields, knowing french or not knowing french will have next to no impact on their lives.

However, being taught in their primary subject in a language they have a loose grasp on will significantly and adversely affect their ability to make their own mark.

Mister Peejay

You were thinking of "nouveau", which means "new", or perhaps its form when used describing a plural noun, "nouveaux".

Niveau, or, as in this (plural) case, niveaux, means 'level' / 'levels'.

That said, the headline was clearly written by someone whose french is mediocre at best. I came in here to point that out, but others have clearly already done so.

Si j'avais pris la peine de lire l'article en question, j'aurais peut-être même suggéré une traduction plus correcte, mais bof...

Pretentious snobs. Your language lost - get over it and move on.

The Duke of Carrot Flowers: icanhazstapler: French is a beautiful language. Quebecois is one of the most vile sounding languages ever uttered.

You know, that's what some Brits say about the American language. They say it's degenerated English.

That may be true, but Brits have done far more damage to the English language than Americans could have ever done.

/ask a linguist

Wait a minute, I thought conservatives wanted to encourage excellence not stifle it. Who cares if it leads to a group of kids that do well, isn't that the idea? WTF people. This is yet another example that conservatives and right wing goons really have no idea what the heck they're doing.

Ah, but do the Fark filters work in French, let's see;

Premier
Nichons
Souceur de bitte
Cul
Chatte

RevMark: Pretentious snobs. Your language lost - get over it and move on.

I'll remind you of that comment in 200 years when English has been replaced with Chinese.

icanhazstapler: That may be true, but Brits have done far more damage to the English language than Americans could have ever done.

My point was that most of the time, the people who complain about Canadian French are getting their opinions from French (from France) assholes who hold essentially the same type of opinion as snotty Brits when they talk about American English. Their opinions have the same value : none.

Unless you want to work for the federal government or live and work in Quebec there is no reason to learn French in Canada. English is now the de facto standard international language of business, at least until it is replaced by Mandarin.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/12/99-grammar/

For all Farkers, really, but it seemed appropriate.

I DNRTFA nor do I speak French but I'm guessing it says something about how I'm an idiot for not being bilingual. That being said where I live it's much more useful for me to speak Spanish, I can't read or write the language but I can get by in conversation. I took 2 years of it in highschool and didn't learn shiat, I have a ton of Hispanic friends/dealers though so I've learned that way. Also I know all the dirty/slang words and can kind of hold a conversation in Polish(thanks grandma!). I wish I spoke more languages but I don't have a lot of use for them at the moment.

almafuerte: So, speaking both fluently IS GREAT for education. This is not just about French and English, it applies to all languages. ... Learning languages opens the mind, helps you understand the mindset of other people around the world, and should be encouraged in school.

A big fat THIS.

If I lived in the States, it would be Spanish. If I lived in BC, it might be Mandarin. If I lived in Alberta, it would be cow. But I live in Eastern Canada, so French makes the most sense.

whereisian: almafuerte: So, speaking both fluently IS GREAT for education. This is not just about French and English, it applies to all languages. ... Learning languages opens the mind, helps you understand the mindset of other people around the world, and should be encouraged in school.

A big fat THIS.

If I lived in the States, it would be Spanish. If I lived in BC, it might be Mandarin. If I lived in Alberta, it would be cow. But I live in Eastern Canada, so French makes the most sense.

woot aboot noova scootia

PC LOAD LETTER: I don't speak surrender

You do know that even though while laying down for the Germans was a full time job back in the 40's, the French were some seriously bad motherfarkers at one time...

jjorsett: What is it about French that turns people into chauvinistic buttwipes? For some reason it's the middle finger of languages.

Ding! Winnar...

What's your point? That all frenchies are queer? Congrats, point proven.

Pinky Floyd: PC LOAD LETTER: I don't speak surrender

You do know that even though while laying down for the Germans was a full time job back in the 40's, the French were some seriously bad motherfarkers at one time...

the french couldnt do jack to the germans in WWII, germany had a nearly inpenetrable wall along their entire western border which they could attack from at will.

a half million americans died trying to breach this wall with every method available, long after the germans had retreated behind it.

UfarkHead: What's your point? That all frenchies are queer? Congrats, point proven.

isnt sort of queer to use the term 'frenchy'?

I grew up loving bilingualism until I actually had to listen to these coonts whine about it. Holy Jesus fark is there anything we can do to make you understand that we love our own country with all it's parts?

French Canadians are the official epitome of their own worst enemy. They've just never figured that out.

bawsoot: olddinosaur: Yo home boy, whut it do be? You don' be jive mah ass else I be go up de side yo head!

Bad Hare Day (new window)

Nothing Sweeter Than Redneck Tears: the french couldnt do jack to the germans in WWII, germany had a nearly inpenetrable wall along their entire western border which they could attack from at will.

Not so much (new window)

but for reasons like this, there exist countries such as Belgium that was created for France, Britain and Germany to sort out their differences.

Ace Frehley's Ghost: Europe, you'd get more mileage out of Spanish than French.

You know how I know you're retarded?

jonnypeh: Nothing Sweeter Than Redneck Tears: the french couldnt do jack to the germans in WWII, germany had a nearly inpenetrable wall along their entire western border which they could attack from at will.

Not so much (new window)

but for reasons like this, there exist countries such as Belgium that was created for France, Britain and Germany to sort out their differences.

no comparison.

germany's sigfried line was much longer and burlier than the manginot, which only went as far as belgium....it was the largest construction project ever undertaken by germany. hitler stole trucks, pilfered material, and drafted workers to make it.

I live in British Columbia... took 6 years of French in school (some mandatory), then some courses in college, and did a summer of French Immersion in Quebec. It did come in handy during a trip to Europe and while travelling in West Africa.

But here's the kicker...after all that effort guess how many times I've ever used French here in BC? Zero. Never. Rien. Oh wait, I guess I should count reading the signs at YVR or watching the Canadiens on Radio-Canada.

All that effort would have been better spent learning Chinese.

I guess it was my contribution to national unity. Meh. I think all these thousands of kids in French Immersion here in the west are going to be very bitter when they find out they learned the wrong language.

Nothing Sweeter Than Redneck Tears: no comparison.

good enough for them to go invade 3 other countries instead ;o)

If the french army was fully fielded with french women we would all understand that sentence...we would be forced to.

/wife is french.

At the current rate, all of Europe will be speaking Arabic in aprox. 20 yrs.