Re: Sort out my Italian/French dilemna..


Seaclock wrote:
> Pierre Jelenc wrote:
> > Google Beta User <madrox99@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> >
> >>- I have observed two extremes when talking to French people, both
in
> >>person and online. When I try to speak to French people in French,
it
> >>is almost like they resist it, and they are trying to speak in
English
> >>even though THEY are struggling, possibly as much as if not more
than I
> >>am speaking. On the other hand, they will correct every little
thing I
> >>say in such animated fashion
> >
> >
> > I don't know why, but incorrect French sounds very irritating to
many
> > native French speakers, me included --even though I haven't lived
in a
> > French-speaking environment for the past 35 years. (It does not
matter
> > whether the problem is grammar or pronunciation, it's all
fingernails on
> > the blackboard...)
> >
> > Pierre
>
> Several months ago I heard a story about Franco-Ontarians on the CBC
and
> one of the speakers said that whenever someone whose native language
is
> English tries to speak French to him he asks them to switch to
English
> because he can't stand listening to French spoken with an English
> accent. Apparently it didn't occur to him, or he just didn't care,
that
> English speakers might find it grating to listen to someone speak
> English with a French accent. There was something about his tone
that
> suggested a certain defensive arrogance born from being a member of a

> linguistic minority in Ontario. I can't imagine any English-speaker
in
> Canada ever expressing a similar irritation towards a non-native
speaker
> without being branded a bigot though on the whole I think the
prevalence
> of English as a second language means that most English speakers are
> fairly used to hearing it spoken with any number of foreign accents
(as
> opposed to regional English accents). I read on this group (I think)

> once that Russians also find the incorrect use of their language very

> irritating though I can't personally verify that. I have no idea why

> some people are thrilled to hear someone try to speak their language
and
> others aren't.

There are open minded people and others, why do you care ?

.

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