As Discussed at Lunch

Some might say that this story doesn’t reflect very well on the British, that they don’t bother to learn other languages and that the woman in question was an idiot.

I think you’d agree with me however, that the French are the true culprits with their lack of hospitality and general rudeness!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8218069.stm

A quote from this article…

France’s bistros and cafes, which have been not just the backbone of French gastronomy but the cornerstone of French life, are going out of business at the rate of 2,000 a year. What’s replacing them? McDonald’s. France is — are you sitting down for this? — McDonald’s second-largest market after the United States and McDonald’s is France’s largest private-sector employer.

http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_12879263

This was on the BBC news website, so you know it’s 100% true.

A few choice quotes…

“French tourists are the worst in the world, coming across as penny-pinching, rude and terrible at languages”

“…the French were the least ready to try a new language, unlike US tourists who were most likely to swallow their pride and order a pizza, baguette or a paella in the local lingo.”

“Britons came second for their overall behaviour, politeness, quietness and even elegance”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8143780.stm

“France might be just across the English Channel from Britain, but Emma Jane Kirby says both nations are still prone to the pitfalls of linguistic misunderstandings.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/8096988.stm

In today’s news: “The French declare was on the British with an unprovoked attack on one of her majesty’s nuclear submarines. Admiral Nelson and Winston Churchill are coming out of retirement to show the cheese eating surrender monkeys who’s boss!”

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/02/16/british.french.submarine.incident/index.html

That the French resent the global supremacy of the English language is nothing new, but as Hugh Schofield finds out, a newly evolved business-speak version is taking over.

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