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Bilingual in Europe versus USA



 
 
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  #21  
Old August 23rd, 2006, 05:58 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada
Hatunen
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Default Bilingual in Europe versus USA

On Wed, 23 Aug 2006 16:45:09 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
wrote:

Martin Bienwald wrote:

I think that would be the case in most places with more than one official
or "default" language. I guess in Brussels "bilingual" would mostly refer
to Dutch/French, for example. I'd expect that it refers to English/French
in at least some parts of Canada.

Louisiana too, I would expect.


French is not a language used in Louisiana. They use a patois
called "Cajun" which probably wouldn't be classified as French
any longer (although much of it betrays its obvious French
roots). Cajun has strayed even further from the French of
Montclam's day than has Quebecoise. Still, I suppose it's
arguable whether Cajun is a dialect of French or a distinct
language.

************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *
  #22  
Old August 23rd, 2006, 06:02 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada
Hatunen
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Default Bilingual in Europe versus USA

On Wed, 23 Aug 2006 17:02:13 +0200, Mxsmanic
wrote:

spamfree writes:

This is somewhat of a USA rant, but Europeans will understand. In
the USA, if a sign/ad includes the word bilingual, it always refers to
an ability to speak English & Spanish (and not European Spanish, but
Mexican / Central American Spanish). But in Europe, bilingual would
simply refer to an ability to speak two languages; German & Italian,
Dutch & French, etc.


Many Americans don't realize that there are other non-English
languages besides Spanish.


I'm sure you have poll results to prove that rmarkable statemnt.
In fact many Amricans are quite aware of other languages, not
least because their parents or granparent spoke them.

This USA policy completely annoys some of us because if we ask that
question, "Which two languages?", we are immediately termed racists,
but in reality we are merely literalists.


Anyone who says anything politically correct in the U.S. is labeled as
a racist these days.

In any major city's Chinatown,
bilingual would more honestly refer to English & Chinese, and there are
neighborhoods in New York and Chicago where bilingual could easily
refer to English & Polish or English & Russian.


They aren't important. Only Spanish is important. It's all a matter
of lobbying, spin, etc.


What rubbish. Spanish is important in many areas. Tucson, for
isntance, is 40% Hispanic so Spanich is very important here, but
to say "only Spanish is important" as a general statement about
the USA is ignorant, but hardly unexpected of you.

************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *
  #23  
Old August 23rd, 2006, 06:03 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada
EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)
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Default Bilingual in Europe versus USA



Martin Bienwald wrote:

Iceman wrote:

Martin Bienwald wrote:



I think that would be the case in most places with more than one official
or "default" language. I guess in Brussels "bilingual" would mostly refer
to Dutch/French, for example.


Brussels has an annoying way of doing it where the sign for a street is
in one language or the other, not both. So you are looking for "Rue de
Ghent" and when you get to it the sign says "Klixpacqtynstraat."



Oops? Street signs in Brussels are (almost) completely bilingual.


When you can find them! When one is accustomed to findig
street signs on posts at intersections, it's easy to
overlook a small plate tacked up on the wall of a building,
more or less parallel to the street one is crossing.


They have a funny way of making bilingual signs, however; they often
write the language-independent part of the name a bit bigger and use
it for both languages (for example: "rue JENATZY straat").

... Martin


  #24  
Old August 23rd, 2006, 06:24 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada
Dave Smith
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Posts: 655
Default Bilingual in Europe versus USA

spamfree wrote:

This is somewhat of a USA rant, but Europeans will understand. In
the USA, if a sign/ad includes the word bilingual, it always refers to
an ability to speak English & Spanish (and not European Spanish, but
Mexican / Central American Spanish). But in Europe, bilingual would
simply refer to an ability to speak two languages; German & Italian,
Dutch & French, etc. A European employment ad requiring bilingual
employees would always attract the query "Which two languages?"
This USA policy completely annoys some of us because if we ask that
question, "Which two languages?", we are immediately termed racists,
but in reality we are merely literalists. In any major city's Chinatown,
bilingual would more honestly refer to English & Chinese, and there are
neighborhoods in New York and Chicago where bilingual could easily
refer to English & Polish or English & Russian.


In Canada, if a job posting calls for applicants to be bilingual, it means
French and English.



  #25  
Old August 23rd, 2006, 06:56 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada
Joseph Coulter[_1_]
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Posts: 202
Default Bilingual in Europe versus USA

Giovanni Drogo wrote in
oengr.vans.vg:

Swizerland it might mean any two of the four official languages.


And as any good Swiss could tell you that would be a learning imparied
person.

--
Joseph Coulter
Cruises and Vacations
http://www.josephcoulter.com/

  #26  
Old August 23rd, 2006, 07:04 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada
Hatunen
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Posts: 4,483
Default Bilingual in Europe versus USA

On Wed, 23 Aug 2006 13:24:53 -0400, Dave Smith
wrote:

spamfree wrote:

This is somewhat of a USA rant, but Europeans will understand. In
the USA, if a sign/ad includes the word bilingual, it always refers to
an ability to speak English & Spanish (and not European Spanish, but
Mexican / Central American Spanish). But in Europe, bilingual would
simply refer to an ability to speak two languages; German & Italian,
Dutch & French, etc. A European employment ad requiring bilingual
employees would always attract the query "Which two languages?"
This USA policy completely annoys some of us because if we ask that
question, "Which two languages?", we are immediately termed racists,
but in reality we are merely literalists. In any major city's Chinatown,
bilingual would more honestly refer to English & Chinese, and there are
neighborhoods in New York and Chicago where bilingual could easily
refer to English & Polish or English & Russian.


In Canada, if a job posting calls for applicants to be bilingual, it means
French and English.


You mean Quebecoise and English.

************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *
  #27  
Old August 23rd, 2006, 07:38 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada
B Vaughan
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Posts: 1,871
Default Bilingual in Europe versus USA

On Wed, 23 Aug 2006 18:03:57 +0200, Giovanni Drogo
wrote:

Outside of such context bilingual may mean "any two parental tongues"
(for instance my god-daughter is bilingual in German by father and
Italian by mother ... she used to speak also some Swedish when she lived
there, but maybe she forgot growing up), or generally "any two
languages".


An American friend has a 2-year-old grandson whose father is Spanish.
They're trying to raise this little boy to be bilingual. He generally
speaks English to his mother and Spanish to his father. My friend once
heard him ask his mother for "agua" and then correct it to "water".

--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
  #28  
Old August 23rd, 2006, 07:38 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada
B Vaughan
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Posts: 1,871
Default Bilingual in Europe versus USA

On Wed, 23 Aug 2006 09:48:06 -0700, Hatunen wrote:

He's not whining about bilingualism, he's whining about signs
that literally say "Bilingual". They seem to confuse him.


No, he's complaining that bilingual in the US always means
English/Spanish while in Europe the two languages have to be
specified. In fact, neither statement is true, as many others have
pointed out.
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
 




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