The French interested/disinterested in the English language

Regions dont count...So wherever Vallé d'Aoste lies it doesnt count as a country (as well as southern Tirol)

Hans,

Vallé d'Aoste is bigger than the Vatican, it is in Italy


http://www.regione.vda.it/turismo/carte_f.asp

http://www.regione.vda.it/turismo/webcam_f.asp

As you forgot (who or someone else i don't remember) to add Italy as German speaker too in the Italian Tyrol.

I added Monaco because Monaco (+ Monte Carlo) is not french.


Of course it counts, if not, Belgium and Switzerland do not count too.

Belgium and Switzerland are countries...

Yes, but the places where german, french are spoken are not...

So they don't count.

Can we add Alsace? Many alsacians understand and speak quite well german.

so Germany und Austria

France und nothing else (if we consider Monaco is also italian speaking)

Its not a country is it ...

Don't forget the Channel Islands for French!

" The fact french "don't speak english" is not a french rule. In Spain for example the Rolling Stones are translated into "Las piedras rolantes" and i am not talking about italians. Maybe there is something with latin people. I don't know. "

True, if we compare France and the other latin countries, we clearly use much more english names, words and titles... One exemple the TV show "star academy" is called "operacion triunfo" in spain. American moveies ahave english titles in France and generally not in Spain.
I think we should follow the way of Italians and spanish people and we should translate in french names the english titles...

" There is a thing i really don't like, it's when some english native speakers come to you and speak to you in english without any question like "do you speak english?" They intend you to speak english, why don't they speak english like us. I think this is really unpolite. "

Nico I completly agree with you. Like almost all people here (in Paris) I can understand english and I can speak few sentences. But If a foreigner come to ask me a question in english without even have to politeness to ask me "do you speak english", I fell it as so deeply arrogant that I would refuse to answer in english, only in french...(We are a bit proud I agree) So I think that only the arrogant anglophone peoples would think that we don't speak english... If you are polite and you accept that it is are NOT in an anglophone country, the people would be happy to speak to you in English, Spanish or any other language and would introduce you into our beautiful culture.

Maybe German is quite dominant in central/northern Europe. But if we consider the mediterranean as a region (wich I think is true, for historical, linguistical and cultural reasons), then french is clearly dominant in this region. In france in the north, Algeria, Tunisia and morroco in the south, lebanon in the east. French is understood by most Italians, Catalans and Portuguese people.

I think Italian is much more Anglicised than French.

" It's true that many Germans don't speak a second language. But many French which learned English don't want to speak it when they meet in France a foreign. Why? They want in France to speak only French... That's nationalism. "

I sorry, it is not nationalism, it is just a reaction to the english-speaking people nationalism who act as in a conquested land. If you respect us we would speak english and would be happy to do so. (young people love everything related to english language, use anglicism everywhere, in every sentence. We even sometimes prononce french words "the english way", to seem "cooler". ex: "juste", a lot of youngs say "just" (djeust) instead.

Ex : cette bagnole, elle est hyper cool, je suis sur qu'elle speed a donf, c'est top clean, c'est de la positive attitude (cf Raffarin ou Lorie au choix)


" But many French which learned English don't want to speak it when they meet in France a foreign. "

first We meet "foreigners", not "foreigns".
Secondly, I don't see the reason why I should systematically speak in English to a foreigner. Foreigner are not all englis-speaking peoples !!
We generally speak other foreign languages than English (especially Spanish). At school French people we are obliged to learn at least 2 foreign languages, and even a third one as an option.
If I meet a spanish I would speak to her in Spanish, If I meet an Italian I would speak Italian. A lot of south European people who visit France can speak a bit of French.

Greg: "I think Italian is much more Anglicised than French."

Why do you say that Greg?

Bernard:
I don't know about most Italians, but my husband and his family can't understand a lick of French... unless they read it. I'm pretty sure this has to do with accent though. They are most apt to understand Spanish in which all syllables are pronounced, like in Italian and the "R" is familiar.

greg,

I think Italian and Spanish are the less anglized languages.