Chinese (and other) pilots unable to speak English pose danger for air travel (CNN)

Mxsmanic wrote:

JohnT writes:
[]
I haven't fully mastered my own language and, certainly, you haven't
either.

Actually, I do very well.

Yes, but talking Bollock isn't that hard.

--
(*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
http://www.davidhorne.net - real address on website
"Abominable, loyal, blind, apparently subservient."
Pres. Carter on Pres. Blair- May, 2007

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:12:59 -0700, NotABushSupporter wrote:

DaveM wrote:

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 17:20:31 -0700, NotABushSupporter wrote:


Of course, there is always the confusion with "dessert" and "desert"


Now you're talking my language! My personal favourite is "complement" and
"compliment"

But, we pronounce "compliment" the way it would be expected to be
pronounced. "Dessert" and "desert" are pronounced the reverse of what
would be expected.

Are they? I'd never given it any thought.

DaveM

NotABushSupporter writes:

Apparently, you speak much better than you write.

It depends on many factors.

David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*) writes:

It faded in that respect long ago actually. Even close to France, in the
EU, most diplomats from dfferent countries will converse in English.

And many also know French--which is good, because French is still used a lot
in writing.

Not true. For centuries French was an international language of diplomacy and
negotiation, and this trend persists, although it is fading in favor of
English.

Indeed this is my point. French was without a, if not the crucial
international language for many centuries. That said, its relevance
today is waning. French remains relevant only out of historical
influence, there are few remaining socio-economic factors still
driving it, and as such, its downward slide to 'local dialect' is all
but inevitable... Much to the dismay of many a French nationalist.

French is also one of the most popular second languages to be taught
in schools (after English). For this reason, the geographic
distribution of French speakers is very homogenous on the planet,
making it a good language for international use.

True, but again, simple efficiency dictates that an international
'common' language is best served if there is only one, and as uniform
as the geographic distribution of french speakers may be, English
still remains far more common and 'useful', despite whatever flaws you
may find in its capacity for expression.

I'm not saying that English is a 'better' language than French, I am
merely saying that the tides of global society have shifted since
French enjoyed its standing as the 'global common tongue'. Without
substantial industrial or economic influence to shift them back, the
'global' relevance of French will continue to decline back down to the
level of any other First World European Language (I.E, similar in
global value to German or Italian).

China is unlikely to attempt to impose its language upon anyone else, for
reasons I have already partially explained.

I read your reasons and I have heard them echoed in my local circle.
China is in a fascinating position however in global socio-economic
context. Yes there are some potential obstacles for Chinese to
overcome, but that said, the same socio-economic factors that have
undermined the value of French are swinging tremendously in favor of
Chinese... Whether or not the language and society will be able to
overcome its flaws and take advantage of these trends remains to be
seen... Especially as the crest of the English wave breaks, and the
U.S, grows less and less relevant in the global economy.

Mxsmanic wrote:

[I had followed up to the assertion that:
" For centuries French was an international language of diplomacy and
negotiation, and this trend persists, although it is fading in favor of
English."]

David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*) writes:

It faded in that respect long ago actually. Even close to France, in the
EU, most diplomats from dfferent countries will converse in English.

And many also know French--which is good, because French is still used a lot
in writing.

Many EU diplomats know German too- probably far more than French now
since the new accession states entered in the last few years. French is
only useful in world terms in the sense that learning languages is a
_good_ thing, and there's a great deal of French language culture etc.
However, as a diplomatic language, or in any other meaningful 'world'
sense, it has long since lost any importance. Next to English, Arabic,
Mandarin, Spanish and Hindi are far more important than French.

--
(*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
http://www.davidhorne.net - real address on website
"Abominable, loyal, blind, apparently subservient."
Pres. Carter on Pres. Blair- May, 2007

"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...

Many of the worst teachers have impeccable credentials and are well paid,
and
vice versa.

Whiners who can't make it usually use that kind of rationalization when the
truth is they simply can't cut it.



Read _Sorbonne Confidential_.

Request denied.

David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*) writes:

Next to English, Arabic,
Mandarin, Spanish and Hindi are far more important than French.

It's the other way around. If you can't find someone who speaks English, the
next language you try is French.

EridanMan writes:

Indeed this is my point. French was without a, if not the crucial
international language for many centuries. That said, its relevance
today is waning.

It remains vastly more relevant than Spanish or Chinese, both of which are
highly localized geographically.

True, but again, simple efficiency dictates that an international
'common' language is best served if there is only one, and as uniform
as the geographic distribution of french speakers may be, English
still remains far more common and 'useful', despite whatever flaws you
may find in its capacity for expression.

I never said that French was preferable to English, only that it is the next
best choice after English. Neither language is better than the other
fundamentally; it is purely a question of how many people speak each language,
and where they reside.

... Especially as the crest of the English wave breaks, and the
U.S, grows less and less relevant in the global economy.

The English wave is not being driven by the U.S., and is nowhere near breaking
any time soon. The U.S. could disappear and English would not lose any
significant momentum now.

El Maximo writes:

Whiners who can't make it usually use that kind of rationalization when the
truth is they simply can't cut it.

I've already recommended reading on the subject. There's a reason why so few
French people can speak any useful English despite years of formal education
in the language.