Why Did Jacques Chirac Storm Out of the EU Summit Over Language Use?

  • Thread starter Thread starter rachmaninoff2
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    storms
AI Thread Summary
French President Jacques Chirac expressed deep shock at a summit in Brussels when a fellow Frenchman spoke English, leading to a dramatic walkout. This incident sparked discussions about the childish behavior of world leaders and the disconnect between politicians and the public. Participants shared personal experiences of language barriers, particularly in France, where insistence on speaking French can frustrate non-speakers. The conversation expanded to include perceptions of language evolution, with claims that American English and Canadian French have diverged significantly from their European counterparts. Some contributors noted the challenges of communicating with dialects that have evolved over time, emphasizing the complexities of language and cultural identity. The thread highlighted frustrations with linguistic expectations in different regions, reflecting broader themes of nationalism and communication.
rachmaninoff2
Messages
13
Reaction score
0
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4842734.stm"
French President Jacques Chirac left Brussels saying that he had been "deeply shocked" by the language used at this summit.

That is because the language was English, and it was being spoken by a fellow Frenchman.

The president, a lover of dramatic gesture, walked out of one meeting, trailing his senior ministers behind him, when the head of Europe's business organisation, Ernest-Antoine Seilliere, had the temerity to abandon the language of Balzac for that of Bush and Blair.

I'm miffed.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
What a dweeb.
 
Sacre bleu! :rolleyes: :biggrin: :smile:
 
How is it that people can be world leaders and still act so childishly? Maybe that's why it's called the old boys' club; they haven't grown up enough to act like men. :rolleyes:
 
That is because the language was English, and it was being spoken by a fellow Frenchman.
Let me guess it was his translater.:smile:
 
Moonbear said:
How is it that people can be world leaders and still act so childishly? Maybe that's why it's called the old boys' club; they haven't grown up enough to act like men. :rolleyes:

Which begs the question of why doesn't the average joe feel a connection towards their representatives.
 
When I was at Charles de Gaulle airport a few months back, some officer insisted on speaking in French to me when I asked him for directions, even though I was yelling most of what I know at him: "Je ne parle pas Francias!" What a douchebag. I almost missed my flight.

I'm all for patriotism, but stuff like this is ridiculous.
 
devious_ said:
When I was at Charles de Gaulle airport a few months back, some officer insisted on speaking in French to me when I asked him for directions, even though I was yelling most of what I know at him: "Je ne parle pas Francias!" What a douchebag. I almost missed my flight.

I'm all for patriotism, but stuff like this is ridiculous.

Yah don't you just hate when people are sooooooooooo anal with stuff like that? Reminds me of TSA's rant about the idiots who act like... idiots when they are trying to get onto the campus he works at.

What's the saying... 'your only as big of a person as the things that set you off are'
 
Yeah, I just hate it when you go to France and they all insist on talking to you in French. :smile:
 
  • #10
Moonbear said:
Yeah, I just hate it when you go to France and they all insist on talking to you in French. :smile:

No kidding! That would be like expecting Americans to speak English! :rolleyes:
 
  • #11
Ivan Seeking said:
No kidding! That would be like expecting Americans to speak English! :rolleyes:

Lazy Americans!

This is all like California though where you're expected to know mexican in order to interact with the society here. And yes, it is called mexican becuase it's gotten far enough from spanish to be called a new language :biggrin:
 
  • #12
Ivan Seeking said:
Moonbear said:
Yeah, I just hate it when you go to France and they all insist on talking to you in French. :smile:
No kidding! That would be like expecting Americans to speak English! :rolleyes:
pengwuino said:
Lazy Americans!

This is all like California though where you're expected to know mexican in order to interact with the society here. And yes, it is called mexican becuase it's gotten far enough from spanish to be called a new language
Of cource they don't speak English they speak American(Americanese for those people who we can't understand).I think American and english are becoming more and more sepereted.For example have you ever herd a Briton say "Y'all"(it's a part of American offical dialic)?I even went to sites that had the option of changing the languge to American(somtimes they incorrectly say American English but this inccorect) and UK english.
I think American should be coniserd it's on languge.:approve:
 
Last edited:
  • #13
scott1 said:
Of cource don't speak English they speak American(Americanese for those people who we can't understand).I think American and english are becoming more and more sepereted.For example have you ever herd a Briton say "Y'all"(it's a part of American offical dialic)?I even went to sites that had the option of changing the languge to American(somtimes they incorrectly say American English but this inccorect) and UK english.
I think American should be coniserd it's on languge.:approve:

It really should, yo!

Australians need their own language! What is all this crap. "oi" "ay mate" "*insert ever other word an australian citizen says*"
 
  • #14
"crikey" "g'day mate" "'ow bout you toss anutha shrimp on tha barbie"
 
  • #15
Il a eu raison. Quelle horreur!
 
  • #16
rachmaninoff2 said:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4842734.stm"

I'm miffed.
what a l'idiot stupide de whiny
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #17
scott1 said:
Of cource don't speak English they speak American(Americanese for those people who we can't understand).I think American and english are becoming more and more sepereted.For example have you ever herd a Briton say "Y'all"(it's a part of American offical dialic)?I even went to sites that had the option of changing the languge to American(somtimes they incorrectly say American English but this inccorect) and UK english.
I think American should be coniserd it's on languge.:approve:

On that note, I believe French-speaking Quebecers consider their language to be completely different from French (though I believe the difference is larger than the one between American and British English). In fact, the working class consider proper/Parisian French to be an "accent of a chicken's rectum" or something like that.
 
  • #18
Pengwuino said:
Lazy Americans!

This is all like California though where you're expected to know mexican in order to interact with the society here. And yes, it is called mexican becuase it's gotten far enough from spanish to be called a new language :biggrin:


Its sad that this is true. I used to work in a phone center in San Fernando, and it was like a godsend when every once in a while we'd get someone who spoke proper castellano, rather than the perversion that is spoken on the streets. So much more pleasant on the ears. It was like the difference between listening to a cambridge professor of english speak english and listening to a bum in new york city speak english.
 
  • #19
franznietzsche said:
Its sad that this is true. I used to work in a phone center in San Fernando, and it was like a godsend when every once in a while we'd get someone who spoke proper castellano, rather than the perversion that is spoken on the streets. So much more pleasant on the ears. It was like the difference between listening to a cambridge professor of english speak english and listening to a bum in new york city speak english.
My mom forced my sister to take two years of Spanish since they live in Texas and she thought it would be useful. My sister says it doesn't help her in communicating with Spanish-speaking people in Houston. She can't understand them at all. The language has probably been twice bastardized - once in Mexico and again after it came across the U.S. border.
 
  • #20
Jelfish said:
On that note, I believe French-speaking Quebecers consider their language to be completely different from French (though I believe the difference is larger than the one between American and British English). In fact, the working class consider proper/Parisian French to be an "accent of a chicken's rectum" or something like that.
Canadian French, from what I can gather, represents an historically older French than Parisian French: it's what most French speakers sounded like when they came over during the early colonization years. Once they left France the accent and grammar of Paris took over and became the one people looked to as a "standard" French, I'm guessing simply because that city became so influential over all others in France.

There's a story, I don't know if it's true, that there's a community in the Appalachian mountains where they still speak a dialect of English that is not much changed from when the first settlers of that community came over in the 1500's. If that story's true, Standard British English, or what you'd hear the average British newscaster speaking, would sound as different to them as present day Parisian French does to a French Canadian.

My grandmother was French Canadian, but I never learned any French from her. I learned some Parisian French in high school and college. Last time I tried to talk to my Grandmother in French I could hardly catch a word of what she said, while she could understand me perfectly. Her vowels were completely different! For "huit", the number 8, I learned to say something like "wheat". She pronounced it "whit". For "chat", meaning "cat" I learned "shaht". She pronounced it "shot".
 

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top