| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"" |
| Date: |
24 Sep 2005 01:27:55 AM |
| Object: |
OT: News - Half of Europe's Citizens Know 2 Languages |
Meanwhile, the US (especially the right wingers) are trying to
make English the "official language" and obliterate Spanish
from use.
And people wonder why the US has big deficits, loses wars, and
can't manage hurricane relief. They think bilingual Americans
are a problem, not a solution.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050924/ap_on_re_eu/eu_languages
Bob Dog
Atheist #153 = 1^3 + 5^3 + 3^3
EAC's chief cook and brainwasher
-----
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work
within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."
- Claire Wolfe
"I disagree with the second part."
- Detective Somerset of "Se7en", paraphrased
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Half of Europe's Citizens Know 2 Languages
Fri Sep 23, 8:19 PM ET
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Half of European citizens speak a second
language, according to a European Union survey released Friday.
The poll, conducted in June across Europe, found that tiny
Luxembourg had the highest percentage of bilingual citizens,
with 99 percent of those questioned saying they could master a
conversation in a second language.
Hungary had the lowest number with 29 percent of its citizens
able to speak another language. Britain was second last with 30
percent.
The survey also found that almost eight out of 10 students -
ages 15-24 - can have a normal conversation in at least one
foreign language.
In the United States, by contrast, 9 percent of Americans speak
both their native language and another language fluently,
according to a U.S. Senate resolution designating 2005 the
"Year of Foreign Language Study."
In the European survey, English was identified by 34 percent of
respondents as their second language, followed by German which
was a second language for 12 percent, then French which was
spoken as a second language by 11 percent, according to the
survey.
Spanish and Russian are spoken as a second language by 5
percent of those surveyed. Russian has become more common due
to its widespread use in the 10 mostly eastern European
countries that joined the EU last year.
It is not, however, listed as one of the EU's 21 official
languages, and so receives no funding from EU education
programs.
The poll, which surveyed 29,328 people across the 25-nation EU,
Turkey, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania, was released to coincide
with European Day of Languages on Monday, which aims to promote
the study of languages. The survey had a margin of 3.1 percentage
points.
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| User: "Meteorite Debris" |
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| Title: Re: OT: News - Half of Europe's Citizens Know 2 Languages |
24 Sep 2005 10:01:25 PM |
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On 23 Sep 2005 23:27:55 -0700 the ET form known as
bg12345@apexmail.com<bg12345@apexmail.com> sent a radio signal across
the vast expanse of deep space -._.--._.--._.--._.--._.--._.
Meanwhile, the US (especially the right wingers) are trying to
make English the "official language" and obliterate Spanish
from use.
And people wonder why the US has big deficits, loses wars, and
can't manage hurricane relief. They think bilingual Americans
are a problem, not a solution.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050924/ap_on_re_eu/eu_languages
<snipped>
In most of the world multi-lingualism is the norm. It's only really
the Anglophone countries who are so "superior" to everyone else who
can not imagine being able wee and yes as anything but possibly
unpatriotic. There was a shock jock on a Sydney radio station who
called Indonesians judges monkeys because their court sessions are not
in English but only have translators.
Next month I start learning French. Don't know how I'll go.
--
Remove YOUR_SHOES before replying
apatriot #1, atheist #1417,
Chief EAC prophet
Jason Gastrich is praying for me on 8 January 2009
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~pk1956/
Apatriotism Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/apatriotism
Sunday: A day given over by Americans to wishing that they themselves
were dead and in Heaven, and that their neighbors were dead and in
Hell.
-Mencken
.
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| User: "Mike Painter" |
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| Title: Re: OT: News - Half of Europe's Citizens Know 2 Languages |
25 Sep 2005 12:12:14 AM |
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Meteorite Debris wrote:
On 23 Sep 2005 23:27:55 -0700 the ET form known as
bg12345@apexmail.com<bg12345@apexmail.com> sent a radio signal across
the vast expanse of deep space -._.--._.--._.--._.--._.--._.
Meanwhile, the US (especially the right wingers) are trying to
make English the "official language" and obliterate Spanish
from use.
And people wonder why the US has big deficits, loses wars, and
can't manage hurricane relief. They think bilingual Americans
are a problem, not a solution.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050924/ap_on_re_eu/eu_languages
<snipped>
In most of the world multi-lingualism is the norm. It's only really
the Anglophone countries who are so "superior" to everyone else who
can not imagine being able wee and yes as anything but possibly
unpatriotic. There was a shock jock on a Sydney radio station who
called Indonesians judges monkeys because their court sessions are not
in English but only have translators.
Next month I start learning French. Don't know how I'll go.
What do you call some one who speaks two languages?
Bi-lingual.
What do you call some one who speaks three languages?
Tri-lingual.
What do you call some one who speaks more than three languages?
poly-lingual.
What do you call some one who speaks one languages?
American.
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| User: "duke" |
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| Title: Re: OT: News - Half of Europe's Citizens Know 2 Languages |
25 Sep 2005 08:12:48 AM |
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On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 05:12:14 GMT, "Mike Painter" <mddotpainter@sbcglobal.net>
wrote:
What do you call some one who speaks two languages?
Bi-lingual.
What do you call some one who speaks three languages?
Tri-lingual.
What do you call some one who speaks more than three languages?
poly-lingual.
What do you call some one who speaks one languages?
American.
Yep, they all want to speak mine.
duke
*****
"The Mass is the most perfect form of Prayer."
Pope Paul VI
*****
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: OT: News - Half of Europe's Citizens Know 2 Languages |
25 Sep 2005 03:50:06 AM |
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Meteorite Debris wrote:
On 23 Sep 2005 23:27:55 -0700 the ET form known as
bg12345@apexmail.com<bg12345@apexmail.com> sent a radio signal across
the vast expanse of deep space -._.--._.--._.--._.--._.--._.
Meanwhile, the US (especially the right wingers) are trying to
make English the "official language" and obliterate Spanish
from use.
And people wonder why the US has big deficits, loses wars, and
can't manage hurricane relief. They think bilingual Americans
are a problem, not a solution.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050924/ap_on_re_eu/eu_languages
<snipped>
In most of the world multi-lingualism is the norm. It's only really
the Anglophone countries who are so "superior" to everyone else who
can not imagine being able wee and yes as anything but possibly
unpatriotic. There was a shock jock on a Sydney radio station who
called Indonesians judges monkeys because their court sessions are not
in English but only have translators.
It's not just the English. The Quebecois and French people
are paranoid about "English imperialism", as if the English
world were trying to destroy French.
Ask people in Florida about Quebec "snowbirds" (northerners
who travel south in the winter). They expect service in
French, *in* Florida.
Next month I start learning French. Don't know how I'll go.
Good idea - learning any second language is - but howzabout
learning Spanish? 500 million Central and South American
people are a big market, especially as oil becomes scarcer
and the South American economy is rebounding.
Bob Dog
Atheist #153 = 1^3 + 5^3 + 3^3
EAC's chief cook and brainwasher
-----
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work
within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."
- Claire Wolfe
"I disagree with the second part."
- Detective Somerset of "Se7en", paraphrased
-----------------------------------------------------------------
.
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| User: "Meteorite Debris" |
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| Title: Re: OT: News - Half of Europe's Citizens Know 2 Languages |
25 Sep 2005 08:27:05 AM |
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On 25 Sep 2005 01:50:06 -0700 the ET form known as
bg12345@apexmail.com<bg12345@apexmail.com> sent a radio signal across
the vast expanse of deep space -._.--._.--._.--._.--._.--._.
Meteorite Debris wrote:
On 23 Sep 2005 23:27:55 -0700 the ET form known as
bg12345@apexmail.com<bg12345@apexmail.com> sent a radio signal across
the vast expanse of deep space -._.--._.--._.--._.--._.--._.
Meanwhile, the US (especially the right wingers) are trying to
make English the "official language" and obliterate Spanish
from use.
And people wonder why the US has big deficits, loses wars, and
can't manage hurricane relief. They think bilingual Americans
are a problem, not a solution.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050924/ap_on_re_eu/eu_languages
<snipped>
In most of the world multi-lingualism is the norm. It's only really
the Anglophone countries who are so "superior" to everyone else who
can not imagine being able wee and yes as anything but possibly
unpatriotic. There was a shock jock on a Sydney radio station who
called Indonesians judges monkeys because their court sessions are not
in English but only have translators.
It's not just the English. The Quebecois and French people
are paranoid about "English imperialism", as if the English
world were trying to destroy French.
Ask people in Florida about Quebec "snowbirds" (northerners
who travel south in the winter). They expect service in
French, *in* Florida.
Yes the French are also mono lingually proud. Chauvinistic in fact.
Next month I start learning French. Don't know how I'll go.
Good idea - learning any second language is - but howzabout
learning Spanish? 500 million Central and South American
people are a big market, especially as oil becomes scarcer
and the South American economy is rebounding.
I've had a go at Spanish and want to pick that up again next year
sometime. Spanish is a big market. It and Chinese would be be the
second and third most important languages.
--
Remove YOUR_SHOES before replying
apatriot #1, atheist #1417,
Chief EAC prophet
Jason Gastrich is praying for me on 8 January 2009
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~pk1956/
Apatriotism Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/apatriotism
Sunday: A day given over by Americans to wishing that they themselves
were dead and in Heaven, and that their neighbors were dead and in
Hell.
-Mencken
.
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| User: "Olrik" |
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| Title: Re: OT: News - Half of Europe's Citizens Know 2 Languages |
25 Sep 2005 12:29:08 AM |
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Meteorite Debris wrote:
On 23 Sep 2005 23:27:55 -0700 the ET form known as
bg12345@apexmail.com<bg12345@apexmail.com> sent a radio signal across
the vast expanse of deep space -._.--._.--._.--._.--._.--._.
Meanwhile, the US (especially the right wingers) are trying to
make English the "official language" and obliterate Spanish
from use.
And people wonder why the US has big deficits, loses wars, and
can't manage hurricane relief. They think bilingual Americans
are a problem, not a solution.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050924/ap_on_re_eu/eu_languages
<snipped>
In most of the world multi-lingualism is the norm. It's only really
the Anglophone countries who are so "superior" to everyone else who
can not imagine being able wee and yes as anything but possibly
unpatriotic. There was a shock jock on a Sydney radio station who
called Indonesians judges monkeys because their court sessions are not
in English but only have translators.
Next month I start learning French. Don't know how I'll go.
Good luck! Bonne chance!
--
Olrik
aa #1981
Qualified SMASH member
EAC Chief Food Inspector, Bacon Division
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| User: "duke" |
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| Title: Re: OT: News - Half of Europe's Citizens Know 2 Languages |
25 Sep 2005 08:11:51 AM |
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On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 12:31:25 +0930, Meteorite Debris
<epicurus1@YOUR_SHOESoptusnet.com.au> wrote:
In most of the world multi-lingualism is the norm. It's only really
the Anglophone countries who are so "superior" to everyone else who
can not imagine being able wee and yes as anything but possibly
unpatriotic. There was a shock jock on a Sydney radio station who
called Indonesians judges monkeys because their court sessions are not
in English but only have translators.
Next month I start learning French. Don't know how I'll go.
There you go - your first language is mine.
duke
*****
"The Mass is the most perfect form of Prayer."
Pope Paul VI
*****
.
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| User: "nobody" |
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| Title: Re: OT: News - Half of Europe's Citizens Know 2 Languages |
25 Sep 2005 10:39:37 AM |
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On 23 Sep 2005 23:27:55 -0700, wrote:
Meanwhile, the US (especially the right wingers) are trying to
make English the "official language" and obliterate Spanish
from use.
And people wonder why the US has big deficits, loses wars, and
can't manage hurricane relief. They think bilingual Americans
are a problem, not a solution.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050924/ap_on_re_eu/eu_languages
When the second language mentioned in that article is overwhelmingly
English, your first two paragraphs make no sense. Just because the
Finns feel they need to speak English doesn't mean the Americans
should feel they need to speak Finnish - just the opposite, the more
Finns speak English, the less Americans need to speak Finnish.
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| User: "duke" |
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| Title: Re: OT: News - Half of Europe's Citizens Know 2 Languages |
25 Sep 2005 08:10:25 AM |
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On 23 Sep 2005 23:27:55 -0700, wrote:
Meanwhile, the US (especially the right wingers) are trying to
make English the "official language" and obliterate Spanish
from use.
And people wonder why the US has big deficits, loses wars, and
can't manage hurricane relief. They think bilingual Americans
are a problem, not a solution.
Yet these people are speaking their own country's language, and the one they
elect to speak is mine.
You'll figure it out.
duke
*****
"The Mass is the most perfect form of Prayer."
Pope Paul VI
*****
.
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