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German Minister refuses to speak English | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion | ( Topic Closed) |  |
| Huliganov Octoglot Senior Member Poland huliganov.tvRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5356 days ago 91 posts - 304 votes  Speaks: English*, Polish, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Esperanto, Czech Studies: Romanian, Turkish, Mandarin, Japanese, Hungarian | Message 121 of 128 12 March 2011 at 12:22am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
I disagree. Germany is not a country in isolation, but part of the European Union. I don't know what James Kumarasamy was doing in Germany as he is someone I'd associate with being a veteran US correspondent for the BBC, but I assume Tristana Moore was unable to cover it, as can happen. When the BBC asks a question, especially with one of its heavy hitters like Kumarasamy, it's giving the politician addressed a chance to get his voice out into the world. I don't care if that press conference is in Germany or in New York or in Timbuktu, the fact remains that James was doing him a big favour, and he just spat in the guy's face - maybe he just wanted to belittle an Indian, I don't know, after all he is an ultra right winger who wants to dismantle the welfare state so I don't know what other odd ideas he has. What anybody with any notion of international public relations, such as you might expect from a Foreign Secretary, should do is grab such an opportunity, to have one's ideas not just reported in Germany but all around the globe where - I'm sorry - German is not spoken anywhere near as much as English as they were not even a country when English was being taken out there, and needed a common enemy in Napoleon to ever get their act together and turn from 500 tiny Grimms fairytale fiefdoms and principalities into a functional nation. He should have been delighted with the opportunity of getting his voice and ideas out on the BBC world service all over the planet that night. Or maybe he has the mindset that German affairs should be reported in Germany and not internationally? Well I'm sorry, but it isn't the 1930s any more, and we like to know what is going on in all countries, and expert journalists and reporters are usually welcomed by democratically-minded politicians who understand and value their role. Not Westerwelle. This was not big or clever facing up to an Englishman trying to practice cultural dominance, it was a man with massive complexes making a fool of himself and his office with a massive faux-pas in front of an international audience and embarrassing his party, who already before that were thinking of removing him from leadership and only haven't done so because they didn't want to be accused of homophobia. 4 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| akkadboy Triglot Senior Member France Joined 5409 days ago 264 posts - 497 votes Speaks: French*, English, Yiddish Studies: Latin, Ancient Egyptian, Welsh | Message 122 of 128 12 March 2011 at 1:45am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
Westerwelle is right-wing so you feel it's ok to assume he may be a racist ? You do seem to have strange ways of thinking...
Again, I can't see your point. What does it have to do with the subject ? The fact that Germany "needed" a common enemy at the time when England started to dominate the western world should prevent Westerwelle to use his mother tongue ? And your description of the German speaking area as "tiny Grimms fairytales fiefdoms" does sounds very pretentious.
Hmmm, I think I've read something about political discussion being forbidden on this forum. But you really seem to enjoy your little gossiping and again your message is only une attaque ad hominem and is not even remotely linked to the subject of this thread. Edited by akkadboy on 12 March 2011 at 1:53am 5 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| Matheus Senior Member Brazil Joined 5082 days ago 208 posts - 312 votes Speaks: Portuguese* Studies: English, French | Message 123 of 128 12 March 2011 at 2:07am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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I'm from Brazil, in another words, I'm not an European not even an Englishman.
If he really said what is said in the subtitle (sorry, my German is very bad to compare), he was very rude. I agree that he could answer in English (because the reporter asked him to), but remember, it was not his obligation to do that. Being the "Foreign Minister" he should have a good English level, because he is the Foreign Minister, and what is the most spoken language and has status of lingua franca? English. In my opinion, it was embarrassing. And also, they should've sent there a bilingual reporter. Well, just my opinion. Edited by Matheus on 12 March 2011 at 2:20am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| Huliganov Octoglot Senior Member Poland huliganov.tvRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5356 days ago 91 posts - 304 votes Speaks: English*, Polish, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Esperanto, Czech Studies: Romanian, Turkish, Mandarin, Japanese, Hungarian | Message 124 of 128 12 March 2011 at 3:03am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
Indeed. The German right wing or any other right wing for that matter being racist? Whatever was I thinking!
*Sigh* No. I was just explaining that on an international stage - which is what a foreign minister operates on whether he is in his own country or not, and if he doesn't like it he can always do a different job - it helps if you use an international language. English was becoming an international language before Germany was even a nation. Fact.
No it doesn't. It is an accurate reflection of what is now Germany 200 years ago. There is nothing pretentious about that sentence whatsoever.
I'll thank you not to try to censor me. If I am censored I shall simply leave and not come back again. I am not gossiping, these things are a matter of public record. You're the one who is going ad hominem on me. Westerwelle is a public figure and fair game. You're the one who's out of order. You don't even seem to understand why my contribution was was perfectly linked to the subject of this thread. You don't seem remotely qualified to speak about netiquette or what is a valid argument about what. And finally if you are going to speak about logical fallacies, even in a fallacious way, kindly try not to mingle French and Latin in a single phrase as that offends against my linguistic aestheticism. Thanx. Edited by Huliganov on 12 March 2011 at 3:08am 5 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
 newyorkeric Diglot Moderator Singapore Joined 6380 days ago 1598 posts - 2174 votes Speaks: English*, Italian Studies: Mandarin, Malay Personal Language Map | Message 125 of 128 12 March 2011 at 6:58am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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Political discussion is not allowed so please stop the bickering here.
1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| Huliganov Octoglot Senior Member Poland huliganov.tvRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5356 days ago 91 posts - 304 votes Speaks: English*, Polish, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Esperanto, Czech Studies: Romanian, Turkish, Mandarin, Japanese, Hungarian | Message 126 of 128 12 March 2011 at 9:58am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
So the thesis that a politicians remarks on language might possibly be politically motivated is "bickering" and "disallowed" as "political discussion"? If that's the way you, as a moderator here, choose to treat the topic, then as far as I'm concerned I'm done. I'm not part of this anymore and I'm not renewing my subscription. We are talking about what a politician did, that's the thread, and when someone says that politics were part of what made him say it, even though he is noted for his unusual politics and is a public figure, then you leap in and censor these remarks? That's not good enough. Unless you can grow the hell up this is no place for me. I need freedom to discuss in a non constrained atmosphere, and if this place doesn't deliver that, then there are plenty of other places that do. I shall set up my own thing on linguation.com. Edited by Huliganov on 12 March 2011 at 10:03am 8 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| Meelämmchen Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 5084 days ago 214 posts - 249 votes Speaks: German*, English Studies: Modern Hebrew | Message 127 of 128 12 March 2011 at 10:23am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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Chancelor Schröder was once asked a question in the Czech Republic in English and refused to answer in English by saying that it is the Czech Republic and "one speaks Czech here." But in the end he answered in German anyway ;)
Do you still know Chris Bryant, former British foreign office minister. Last year he said that French is a useless language. 200 years ago French was big in Europe and the British quite isolated on their island and their American colony just broken off. So with Napoleon defeated they could make sure English becoming number one language. But as someone working in the foreign office he should not be so war-mongering. It's not Europe in the 19th century anymore. It was not clever 'trying to practice cultural dominance, it was a man with massive complexes making a fool of himself and his office with a massive faux-pas in front of a national audience and embarrassing his party, who already before that were thinking of removing him from leadership and only haven't done so because they didn't want to be accused of homophobia.' Finally, being a far leftist who knows what other ideas he has... 3 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| newyorkeric Diglot Moderator Singapore Joined 6380 days ago 1598 posts - 2174 votes Speaks: English*, Italian Studies: Mandarin, Malay Personal Language Map | Message 128 of 128 12 March 2011 at 4:11pm | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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This thread has been close to being closed several times. I think it's time to do so now. If anyone has any problems with this decision, please PM a moderator.
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