Belgium languages

Cindia   Mon Nov 12, 2007 4:56 am GMT
I don't see anyone outrightly bashing the French in this thread.
Guest   Mon Nov 12, 2007 8:22 am GMT
this thread should be locked immediately
greg   Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:03 am GMT
JLK : « I'm glad you laugh a lot greg. You shouldn't take yourself too seriously as no one else does... ».

Personne excepté toi ! Tu n'as pas l'air d'un spécialiste de l'autodérision. Ni de la dérision tout court, d'ailleurs. Mais tu excelles pour déclencher l'hilarité — bien malgré toi.




JLK : « If I cared about my spelling and grammatical blunders on this forum that would imply that I valued your opinion which I don't. »

Tsss tsss... Je vois d'ici les filets de bave qui pendouillent à la commissure de tes lèvres. Tes opinions ne sont même plus de pauvres sophismes risibles mais des expressions de rage débridée. Il te coûte tellement de reconnaître ce qui saute aux yeux de tous que tu préfères l'éluder pour te consacrer à ce que tu sais faire de mieux : répandre ton fiel et couper court à toute objection, même sensée.




JLK : « Best Regards ».

Pourquoi te forces-tu à débagouler des paroles qui, à l'évidence, ne reflètent pas ta pensée ?




JLK : « I only judge the content of one's writing not the grammatical errors. »

Ah oui ? Si tu privilégies autant le fond par rapport à la forme, alors pourquoi piquer une crise d'hystérie quand d'autres s'expriment dans des langues auxquelles tu ne comprends goutte ? L'amoureux de ce qui est essentiel, l'amateur de substantifique moelle, le passionné des idées, le thuriféraire de la pensée critique, l'adorateur scrupuleux du débat contradictoire, l'humble disciple du dialogue constructif, la grande vestale de l'échange argumenté, bref, tous ces personnages admirables qui sommeillent (ou ronflent ?) en toi se seraient levés comme un seul homme pour saisir à bras le corps ce défi linguistique à la mesure du titan de la pensée objective que tous nous reconnaissons en toi...




JLK : « Listen to me my mentally challenged francophone friend, I have no patience for such *childless*. »

Quel lapsus révélateur...




JLK : « If I were in France or Quebec I would write these posts in french, but I'm not. »

Tu n'as pas l'air de te rendre compte que tu n'es ni à Cleveland ni à Coventry non plus, mon ami... Mais je te mets au défi de produire une phrase dans la langue de Molière.




JLK : « I can only assume that your knowledge of english is poor and you are embarrassed. »

Oui, en effet, je serais très embarassé de te donner des cours d'anglais en public. Mais c'est toujours burlesque de se voir étiqueté par une personne qui n'est pas même monolingue... Et pour revenir au sujet qui nous intéresse au premier chef, il demeure toujours un je-ne-sais-quoi de surréaliste à écouter la glose filandreuse d'un presque-monolingue sur les avatars d'un pays au moins quadrilingue.
Link   Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:05 am GMT
The question is the following:
should Europe be organized corresponding to regions which are defined by the language spoken by their population, by culture and by econimical and geographical conditions? This is the model of "Europe of the regions".
Or shall Europe keep eternally being devided into countries that got their shape and extension by history (wars, hazard, diplomacy, balance of power etc.)? Shall the existing political borders between the countries be accentuated or whiped out?
The case of Belgium is exemplary for these questions. I personally think the sooner linguistic regions are clearly defined. organized and respected, the better integration of new comers will work, since they will have to try to adopt the regional language if they want to participate to the regional society. A linguistic border is something very precious and much better than a purely political border.
Guest   Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:10 am GMT
And what about regions which are bilinguial like the city of Brussels? Which country should it belong to?
Guest   Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:56 am GMT
Mon cher Greg, si tu désires que les locuteurs de ce forum, meme les francophones, puissent comprendre ton français, tu devrais le simplifier un petit peu; en fin de comptes des exercises de style sont un peu baroques et ennuyeux. Ne te fache pas, merci
Guest   Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:58 am GMT
tes exercises :-)
Link   Mon Nov 12, 2007 11:25 am GMT
<<<
And what about regions which are bilinguial like the city of Brussels? Which country should it belong to?
>>>

It should belong to a separate bilingual region Brussels, the head should be exclusively the Bourgmestre de la Ville de Bruxelles = burgemeester van Brussel. There must be a clear status also for regions where more than one single language is spoken, like Luxembourg for example. Settlement of French-monolingual people in Flamish regions around Brussels should stop or lead to assimilation French -> Flamish.
Koreasparkling   Mon Nov 12, 2007 1:00 pm GMT
Is Walloon language a dialect of French? or is it similar but a different language?
If Walloon is French, why is it called Walloon instead of French?

Is Flemish language a dialect of Dutch? or is it similar but a different language?
If Flemish is Dutch, why is it called Flemish instead of Dutch?
Urucabaca   Mon Nov 12, 2007 1:20 pm GMT
Walloon people like calling Belgian Dutch - Flemish: although the language is the same as the one used in Netherlands (a newspaper from Brussels is almost identical to that of Utrecht). Linguistically, the term Flemish is used only for regional dialects of Belgian Northwest, which are difficult to understand for both Dutch people and Flemish people from Central and Northeastern Flanders.

Few Flemish speak Flemish these days, few Wallonian speak Waloon these days. Belgian Dutch and Belgian French are more common. ;)

Wallon people like calling Belgian Dutch - Flemish because they want inferiorize the Flemish people, according to them - ''Flemish should be a peasant's language while French is classy'' LOL

Walloon people should accept the term DUTCH just like Flemish people accepted the term FRENCH. I guess Flemish should also say: in Brussels they speak Walloon, it's a peasant's language ;) To keep the reciprocity.
JLK   Mon Nov 12, 2007 1:21 pm GMT
Greg: Most people don't even know know or care who Moliere is...LOL

Everyone knows who Shakespeare is though, yet you can not produce one line in the language.

I get the feeling that 'greg' isn't actually a person, but some sort of program or script put together by a francophone. How else can one explain the lack of intelligence and reasoning in his posts?

Then again, the french aren't renowned for their intelligence, perhaps it's the wine at a young age....

Take a look at this: http://english.people.com.cn/200603/28/eng20060328_253995.html.

According to this article, the average french person has an IQ of 94. Ouch...
Guest   Mon Nov 12, 2007 1:27 pm GMT
<<I get the feeling that 'greg' isn't actually a person, but some sort of program or script put together by a francophone. How else can one explain the lack of intelligence and reasoning in his posts? >>

Not a French, because such a program would be very complex! Maybe from francophone Africa?
Guest   Mon Nov 12, 2007 1:30 pm GMT
Everyone knows who Shakespeare is because:

1. English is the most important language and in consequence English writers are better known.

2. English has not many universal writers. Shakespeare almost the only one, and the English community has exploited him ad nauseam.

By the way, every cultivated person knows well who Moliére was. Who cares if ignorants also know who Shakespeare was. They only have a subtle idea about him, and of course they hardly read his works.
JLK   Mon Nov 12, 2007 1:49 pm GMT
"2. English has not many universal writers. Shakespeare almost the only one, and the English community has exploited him ad nauseam."

You know, but the style of the post one must forgive me for thinking greg is the writer? Is that you mate? To proud to admit you write in language other than the one of Moliere?

By the way, your point is 100% false. English literature is the most significant and widespread on the planet. I have been in both American and British school and never did we have to read a work by a French author such as Moliere. But I bet the kids in France have to read Shakespeare words of gold...
Guest   Mon Nov 12, 2007 1:56 pm GMT
Yes, the English literature is the most spread one, you corroborate my point 1. Since English is the most spread language, also their literature is and many people know Shakespeare, but I may say that the ratio people who know Moliére/ people who don't speak French is bigger, that is , the French culture transceds the current spread of the English language. If English was less spoken , Shakespeare would not be as widely known and much less than Moliére. Also, as I said, this knowledge of Shakespeare is many times rather superficial. There are more people who have a real interest in the French literature . In the case of Shakespeare, most of them only know him because they were told about this English writer in school.