Because of the power and presence of English...

Guest   Sat Jul 05, 2008 4:12 pm GMT
<< Even if you remain a monolingual Anglophone as a professor in Hong Kong and live there for 20+ years, you are still a willing (as I'd think you are, this is my opinion) outsider and I wouldn't want to talk to you much as a student, >>

Just because one speaks English in Hong Kong and doesn't know Cantonese and/or Chinese Mandarin does not mean that person is monolingual. A number of people who are seen in this light may well know French or Portugese etc
españoltriste   Sat Jul 05, 2008 11:46 pm GMT
Me siento muy triste... ¿por qué Dios me ha maldicho de esta manera tan cruel? ¿Por qué me ha obligado a hablar este idioma tan repugnante que solo hablan los pobres que limpian los inodoros? ¡Ay de mí! ¿Por qué no me dejó nacer en Francia para que pudiera hablar el idioma más bello del mundo? Pero ya no tiene remedio, estoy condenado a hablar este idioma de mierda... no soy capaz de aprender francés porque de tanto hablar castellano mi cerebro se ha atrofiado. ¡Ay de mí!
JLK   Sun Jul 06, 2008 12:46 am GMT
<<Me siento muy triste... ¿por qué Dios me ha maldicho de esta manera tan cruel? ¿Por qué me ha obligado a hablar este idioma tan repugnante que solo hablan los pobres que limpian los inodoros? ¡Ay de mí! ¿Por qué no me dejó nacer en Francia para que pudiera hablar el idioma más bello del mundo? Pero ya no tiene remedio, estoy condenado a hablar este idioma de mierda... no soy capaz de aprender francés porque de tanto hablar castellano mi cerebro se ha atrofiado. ¡Ay de mí!>>

Well said. I think this represents the average Hispanic's feeling toward their language. There is a facade of cultural pride and arrogance but it's nothing more than an inferiority complex. By the way, you write Spanish quite elegantly.
Guest   Sun Jul 06, 2008 12:48 am GMT
See... Spanish is so easy that even a Frech frog can learn it perfectly to insult real Spanish speakers.

PD. I would insult you in French but unfortunatly for you, no one can learn that damn ugly language of yours.
Guest   Sun Jul 06, 2008 12:56 am GMT
Je suis d'accord. L'espagnol est beaucoup plus facil que le francais. Si tu ne veux pas te tourmenter, n'apprends pas le francais.
españoltriste   Sun Jul 06, 2008 5:08 am GMT
Este mundo, que lo aprieta a uno por todos lados, que va vaciando puños de nuestro polvo aquí y allá, deshaciéndonos en pedazos como si rociara la tierra con nuestra sangre. ¿Qué hemos hecho los hispanohablantes? ¿Por qué se nos ha podrido el alma hablando este idioma? ¿Por qué El me niega a mí como Su siervo? Roguemos al Señor que nos permita por lo menos pronunciar correctamente una sola palabra francesa. ¡Ay de nosotros!
Francarabia   Sun Jul 06, 2008 5:45 am GMT
<< The truth is Spanish is fading because of the very low birth rate in Spain. >>

Almost EVERY country in Europe has a very low birth rate. While France is higher it still isn't "high", plus it has many African, Arab-muslims who reproduce even more than other groups including Latinos. Why? Because their women have nothing else to do besides squeezing out kids and going to mosque.
Guest   Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:33 am GMT
<<Ok, Ok, the Eurobarometer shows that the Spanish speakers have doubled 3% to 6% because of the illegal hispanic immigration in countries such as France, UK, Germany, Italy, etc. Those 2nd speakers outside Spain are actually hispanic americans. >>

No colette, First of all is that only South Americans migrate to Europe (NOT Mexicans or central americans) and increasingly less because the economies of these countries are growing year after year. An example would be peru, country which grows to 8% annually and now is more capitalist that china ... the emigration of Peruvians is becoming smaller. Well, the South Americans who migrate to Europe 80% go to spain and 20% to the rest of europe so you can't say what you say. To Italy migrate Romanian Gypsies, Albanians, Slovenes and people of that area, To Germany migrate Turks, Poles ... To UK migrate Indians, Pakistanis, sub-Saharan africans from eastern.

Now let's talk about France .........

To France migrate Arabs, especially from northern africa like Algerians and Moroccans. They will convert France in the first Muslim country in western europe, but not only they!

To France also migrate sub-Saharan africans from western and central africa, all this makes France in the country with more blacks of western europe and will turn France into a kind of Congo in europe.

I live to 200 kilometers of France, when I go to France I feel that I'm in senegal.... France is growing in population but only thanks to blacks who have more children than trousers and Arabs who want to convert France in a country like Irak, Sharia law including....

In 30 or 40 years French people will be blacks and Muslims, that is the truth of the grandeur of La France

But no problem my dear friend, the same happen in all countries of western Europe... some people say that Spain is falling in population ... in reality this is not true. In spain happens the same thing that in France but at least here come white Europeans especially Romanians but also Bulgarians and Poles and white or mixed South American especially Colombians, Ecuadorians and Argentines. Now Spain has the highest birth rate since 18 years and will have 50 millions inhabitants in 2015 and between 60 and 65 millions in year 2050 (the same that La France thanks to the inmigration....)
Xie   Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:36 am GMT
I have nothing to do with Spanish.

Yes, some of you got the point. It doesn't really matter if I don't know something, as long as I'm still the same as many others in the same country. Proficiency is easy to define by exam standards but could be impractical to speak of when pursuing unlimited "academic" proficiency.

Even though my English is far from perfect, I could manage a job as an English teacher rather easily in my country just because I'm a highly educated localer. As a student, I know now perfectly that the meaning of qualifications beats real proficiency even when I want to set for an language exam (like to become a teacher).

Some guys did say I was discouraging others by describing how futile it would be to pursue higher than enough proficiency (like learning loads of idioms you won't even use, say English, as the most popular foreign language in general, in your country). Indeed, there are only two types of people that future graduates like me will be competing with. 1) Local graduates. But in the department of English, I'm already at least an average one who can finish exams easily, while many keep on struggling. 2) Native speakers, like Americans who will become ESL teachers. But first, these 2 types are in different markets, and actually they can work together peacefully in the same department.

And despite the "power and presence" of English, no one can have that many powerful, omnipresent identities. An English professor who is a native speaker may have a career more easily, but ... I don't really think s/he could be any more important than that, in the same, foreign university.

That said, of course, I never neglect how an average Joe would whine about "it isn't possible to the next language if my English still sucks". Again, the advantage of being an Anglophone is relative, not absolute. (And from this story, I'd say the British had been clever in introducing their language in where I've been living, unlike the Portuguese [who spoke a Romance language] who never quite encouraged learning their language)
Spanish Spammer   Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:03 am GMT
Spanish, blablablah, Espana, blablablahblablablah, Spain, blablablah!
Guest   Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:22 am GMT
Now let's talk about Spain .........

To Spain majority of the spaniards have arab blod, coming from northern africa like Algerians and Moroccans. They will convert to Muslim country in western europe because la sangre llama!

To Spain also migrate sub-Saharan africans from western and central africa, all this makes Spain in the country with more blacks of western europe and will turn Spain into something like Francophone Africa.

I live to 200 kilometers of France, when I go to Spain I feel that I'm in senegal.... France is growing in population but only thanks to blacks who have more children than trousers and descendants of moriscos who recently converted to muslim like Prime Minister Zapatero who want to convert Spain in a country like Iraq, Sharia law including....

Because of its close ties with India, many Indians migrated to Spain and could pass on as either a dark spaniard with swarthy skin or a gypsy. So these migrants from India would be one of the responsible for getting the attention of the Spaniards from Roman Catholicism to Hindu. Yes many hindu indians who pass on as dark spaniards are active in propagating the hindu religion. It won't be long now that many of those who chant "Ave Maria" will instead chant

असतो मा सद्गमय
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय
मृत्योर् मा अमृतं गमय
ॐ शांति शांति शांति

Which transliterates to:

Asato Ma Sat Gamaya
Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.

This means:

Lead Us From the Unreal To Real,
Lead Us From Darkness To Light,
Lead Us From Death To Immortality,

In 30 or 40 years Spain people will be blacks, Muslims, and hindus that is the truth of Spain full of vanity and fanaticism.

It's not true that Spain has the highest birth rate. Instea it will hhave 50 millions inhabitants in 2015 and between 60 and 65 millions in year 2050 from Francophone Africa, Arabs from Maghreb, Hindu Indians who can pass on as dark spaniards plus non-mestizos like pure blacks from hispanic america. These factors will change the demography of Spain and transform it from being "European/White/Caucasian?" to something like a melange of Afro-Arab-Hindu.

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
French Spammer   Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:22 am GMT
French, blablablah, Frence, blablablahblablablah, France, blablablah!
Guest   Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:27 am GMT
much fun how you inventing things but a person with intelligence just think that you're more stupid than anyone else..

again repeating post, why do you have so little brain?
Guest   Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:30 am GMT
500000 अरब में रहने वाले स्पेन , पेरिस में रहने वाले ही अधिक 1000000 !!!!!!!!!!
hispanoriscos   Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:31 am GMT
<< Almost EVERY country in Europe has a very low birth rate. While France is higher it still isn't "high", plus it has many African, Arab-muslims who reproduce even more than other groups including Latinos. Why? Because their women have nothing else to do besides squeezing out kids and going to mosque. >>

Even if Spain has a high birth rate, you cannot deny that almost all of the Castellanos and andalusians have arab blood running in their veins therefore in the right time when it's ripe, you'll wake up and get surprised that Castilla and Andalusia is already islamic because LA SANGRE MORISCA LLAMA!

And there are lot's of Hindu Indian looking Spaniards. They are migrants from India whose mission is to lead away the Castillans and Andalusians from Roman Catholic faith to Hinduism.

BTW, the hispanic black migrants o Castilla an Anbdalusia from hispanic america now no longer practice Roman Catholicism but they reverted back to tribal religion the religion of their ancestor and they are now practicing it in Spain.

What a pity Castilla and Andalusia is fast becoming Hindu, Islamic with admixture of voodoism and tribal beliefs of afro-hispanics.