We got idiots going all up in arms about the French language here and being openly rude to non francophone in the streets (thankfully a small minority, but still the shame of the province).

Not long ago, there was an idiot texting during an English movie and when I told her to turn her cell phone off, she turned to me with an indignant look on her face and told me to speak in French (which I can, but you gotta appreciate the irony of someone requesting that while watching an English movie).

And the stupidity they instituted into law to preserve the French language is beyond words (things like requesting company names to be in French during the registration process)....

Really, the real solution to preserve the French language here would be to have more babies, but failing that, people seem under the impression that we should let in tons of immigrants who don't speak French and somewhat expect all those people to seamlessly integrate (often without proper support because politicians can't put their money where their mouths are) and all learn French despite the fact that we located in English-dominant North America.

A very fitting illustration of the word 'denial'.

Oh, well, the point of being not "that much" of an asshole between what you see and possibly do, I feel tempted to ask you to qualify, but, yeah, just do it, really. Unless you feel more triumphant being an ass, actually?

What I meanwhile find quite weird and counter productive - we are no longer in senator McCarthy era - is that public endevours that might also, but not only, benefit the poor draw massive criticism as being "xxx" - what name you.

Take Phoenix light rail as an example. I always admired the persons who would take the (not so good) cross-town bus, and still walk up to their workplace. The light rail was most heavily criticized at the time, and I think mostly because it would make life better for those who could not afford a car. You can, yet shall you empathize with the poor?

Et qu'est-ce que tu as contre la langue française? Un con, c'est un con aussi bien en français qu'en anglais - ou n'importe quelle langue, par ailleurs. Et les espirits généreux cherchent un rapport au lieu d'exclure, je pense.

Und wäre es besser auf Deutsch, tatsächlich?

I for one really came to like Simon Amman (Swiss Olympic and WC ski-jumper) even better when he was was ok to be interviewed in French for RTS after Olympic K-95 elimination event, even if his French was not quite perfect. It was rather fluent, though, him saying "J'espère que toute la Suisse sera dérrière moi" - I am hoping the whole Switzerland will support me. I am quite sure it did, and would have, amongst all the four languages groups, even if Simon had not made the effort, but it was still nice. Or in case of Dario Cologna, I would not be surprised if he were more fluent in German than Italian, but in Italian he did deliver an interview naturally.

And is it not charming that Swiss television could interview French Canadians - as well as the French of course, besides Austrians, Germans and even Norwegians during Olympics?

I am a bit hypocritical as I have personally lost Swedish over years abroad, but I am always rather proud when Finns are fluent in Swedish - and I think certain high positions require it, such as being the President of our republic.

The above said, I am of course but a "Masseneinwanderin" and a bloody poor Swedish speaker - but I find a multilingual state a glorious one, and a real richness. Asses one can meanwhile find anywhere.

TBH, I think Canada is probably quite different in that regard. In the US, the English language has such a head start that it's unlikely that any other language will ever be of much use here.

If only the babelfish was already invented....

Si je m'indigne par rapport aux québécois francophones qui sont intolérants face aux autres langues, ce n'est pas par mépris de la langue française, mais plutôt le contraire: que de tels individus ternissent l'image de notre culture commune.

Ça me dérange pas mal moins que des individus appartenant à d'autres cultures démontrent une telle intolérance, car je les considère moins comme étant ma responsabilité.

Je trouve que le souverainisme québécois va trop loin.

Le OP parlais de l'intolérance de beaucoup d'américains face aux autres langues et j'ai simplement rajouté qu'une telle intolérance peut être observée ailleurs, entre autre ici.

I think that overall, the greatest linguistic intolerance can usually be found among those who speak only one language.

The US simply has a higher than average concentration of such individuals because as you say, English is so dominant in your country.

I think it is not as much "Americans" as it is human nature at work, more specifically our tendency to distrust things that are unfamiliar.

Sorry, but I have to agree what Coca Cola did was f*cked up.. you don't sing that song in any language other than English.

why not? :)

ditto

Same

Indeed, anything to speed our inevitable self-destruction. :P

Are you sure, though? There are something like 80 million spanish speakers (as their first or second language) in the US, with most automated telephone services offering an option to speak in spanish, with most foods being labelled in spanish as well as english, with most official documents being available in either english or spanish.

Most interestingly, the US doesn't have an official or national language. So at least in terms of country or patriotism, "English only" doesn't exist.


(or am I just repeating stuff people have already mentioned in this thread before?)

As a citizen of England, the country which English came from, I'd like to know why as well :P I'd also like to know why you're singing a song praising a country which is not England in OUR language: get your own! You don't sing songs praising any country but England in English.

I'm being facetious here, if it wasn't clear: you're welcome to sing whatever you want in whatever language you wish*. I'm just making the point that the "argument" that I made is just as (in)valid as the original one - the original is - as best as I can understand it - we speak English here, so only English should be used to sing a song praising our country; mine was: English comes from here, so English should only be used to sing a song praising our country. Both are nonsense in my (and most peoples') opinions.

*Obviously assuming the content of the song is appropriate to be sung in any language.

I like to sing "My Country Tis of Thee" in Klingon, but them I've always been a little strange.