Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

Twas a joke. You lot can be a bit hard to follow to my non-native ears (as well as many native ears, so I've been told).

Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

I'm not strictly an inner city scouser, so my accent isn't as strong - but you might just find this of use to get by http://scousedictionary.blogspot.com/ :p:

Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

It's ok. I've got a copy of this:

http://shop.fact.co.uk/shopimages/pr...f-scouse-3.jpg

:D

Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

pure genius, doesn't that sort of prove the point :)

Given the size our our country are we alone in the sheer diversity of our accents within fairly close proximity? Close proximity being defined at less than 100 miles or if you wish kilometers (yes I know the latter is much shorter distance but it still holds true).

e.g. North of Wales isn't al that far from Liverpool
Birmingham
Nottingham
Newcastle (where I hail from though dont have the accent)
Devon
Cornwall
Edinburgh
Glasgow

etc.

All vastly different accents and in a country no more than 700 miles in length. Yet most above are in England no more than about 400 miles ish.

Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

Not really. I'm Dutch, and I can tell the difference between people from Amsterdam, Leiden, The Hague and Rotterdam. Four cities with distinctly different accents that lie on a straight line with Amsterdam and Rotterdam being furthest apart. A whopping 60 miles (100 km in real money) between Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

Thanks I always wondered... I'll PM if I have anything else I'm sure I have.

:D

Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

One rather worrying bit of information about this guy is that he classes Jeremy Clarkson and James Whale as people he admires...even the DM were a bit concerned when he said he liked Clarkson's views on the environment, ooo-eerrr :)

Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

If I were to move & live in a country that didn't use English as a first language I would make sure that I and my family who came with me learnt the language. I understand and can speak a little Spanish & French and a smattering of Turkish as well and these are countries I holiday in, just imagine how fluent I would be if I lived there.
Its not about people visiting for a couple of weeks and not learning English, its those that come over here to live use and abuse our country and refuse to learn to speak English.

---------- Post added at 06:10 ---------- Previous post was at 06:08 ----------

You know the saying, but just to make it a little clearer for you just in case. When you live in a country that uses another language it is respectful and polite to learn that language, the same goes for the customs of that country.

---------- Post added at 06:15 ---------- Previous post was at 06:10 ----------

Totally agree with that. Its a shame that some other people really dont give a dam what language is spoken here in the UK.

Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

Rizzy, I agree - when I lived in Berlin, I learned German (didn't get much of a chance to use it, as 99.99% of Westies spoke English fluently).

When I go on holiday I take a phrase book (I have German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Greek on my bookcase behind me, along with German, French, Spanish, and Portuguese dictionaries) - however, it's about customer service; if I couldn't get the appropriate phrase out, I would hope the person behind the counter would try and help, and not tell me to beggar off as I wasn't fluent.

Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

Nobody is saying that people coming to the UK for a holiday have to learn english but only those that are coming here to live and work and in that context it is not unreasonable to expect them to learn the language. I personally see it as a measure of respect for the country you plan to live in and if i were to move to another country i would not do so until i had taken a course here and continued it in whatever country it is a measure of respect that you show to that country for them allowing you to live there.

Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

Will that help the point made in the OP - queues in the Post Office?

Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

I have read various comments on this thread, concerning the lanuage we speak. When l went to school, we were taught two languages French and German.

Over the years, we had immagrants come to this country ie Indians, Pakistanis, and Asians, we worked together and got on with each other, every employment you worked in, you would be working together, and got on very well with each other, l worked for a cleaning company, and we had several migrants working with us, and we all got on very well, Then all of a sudden we get a lot more of different nationalities coming in, and everything has gone bonkers.

We now have to ' agree ' to accept various cultures, such as we do, but now, it is getting out of control, We have a postmaster, who has now been sacked, and evenm thrown out of his Lib Dem party for saying what everyone else is saying, if you come to England or the UK, you must try and learn the language, but things have taken a turn for the worse, and ceratin peaople have taken offence too it.

IF we go to there country, we should try to learn there language, to get on

Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

Arf, arf, arfur - you so funny!

"Indians, Pakistanis, and Asians".......:rofl:

btw (he says in his best Jeremy Paxman impression), you still haven't answered my earlier question, Minister - when you went abroad (not counting Florida), did you speak the local language in the shops and bars?

Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

Speaking personally, when I went to france, I spoke french where possible, Germany I spoke german, When I am in an italian restaurant which is italian staffed, I speak italian.

It's courtesy (I used the restaurant as I have yet to visit italy).

Re: Post office's foreign language 'ban'
 

Foreverwar, why do you keep picking faults in everything l say, I have over the years worked with various workers from different races, and have got on very well with them, but l am not prepared to let them walk all over me, l am entitled to my view, l do not not offend anyone, and l will work with anyone, no matter what colour they are.

The UK has a great system, ' freedom of speech', but we appear to be a society, that we are being dictated to by a certain section of society that has come to this country, that we welcome with open arms, they use our benefit system as though it is a bottomless pit, use our housing system, and our NHS service, as though is is open house. and yet we are told to either like it or move out of the UK, l love this country and for what it stands for, but we have to draw the line, at the stupidy of what is happening now.:)