Foreign People

[vladmir_illych_lenin]

I know there is a lot of foreign people in this forum (non-US/Canada). They seem to speak very good English. But the question is:

Can they speak English?

Does Hakan have a Swedish accent?

Can Shadowdale pronounce quintissential?

Does Stormerne say "I need to wahsh ma cah."?

Are Stellar and SunTzu hicks?

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Oh dear. Foreign = non US/Canada, thus including England, Australia et al, yet thou asks "Can they speak English?"
- We invented it, and speak with no accent

- "They seem to speak very good English" yet "Can they speak it". I understand what you are implying; it is just funny it came out in such a George W. Bush way....

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Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you.
- N.S.Khrushchev

 

[shadowdale]

Sure I can pronounce quintessential!!!
And yea I speak with an accent, most Scandinavian do. I don't know why but in all my life I have only meet one Scandinavian then didn't speak with that funny Scandinavian accent.
But in school my teachers always referred to my language as American and not English???

No Vlad the question is not whether we "foreigners" (funny choice of words) speak English, because we do!! The question is how well do we speak it and how many other languages do we speak - and how many do the Americans speak??? I know many Canadians also speak French, and all us Europeans speak our native language, and how many more????

I speak more or less fluent English, German and Swedish - Some French and Italian and a bit Thai! And of cause Danish is my native language.

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Veni Vidi Vici.

Coolbook:
Håkan Eriksson, Stormerne, vladmir_illych_lenin, Cunobelin Of Hippo, vanillacube.

 

[GenghisK]

I'm French living for at least 6 months in UK. I think I need to speak English in order to survive and to refuse all the girls who are knocking at my door everyday

Don't know if Håkan has a Swedish accent but at least he has surely a sexy accent. Since even girls are starting to register as Håkan fan club...

I can answer for Stormerne, since we met once as we work not far from each other. No he really has a very good pronounciation because I did understand everything he said, whereas with some other people... Surprisingly he hasn't the cockney accent, if that was the idea you implied.

And what's a hicks?

<FONT size="1">Shadowdale, did you get my PM, BTW?
</FONT s>

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Genghis K.

 

[willemvanoranje]

1. Most of them, on this forum all foreigners speak English (duuh)
2. Yes, he has.
3. yep. But it'll sound a little weird. Like kwintientiol and with a Danish accent.
4. yeah. Never noticed all English speak that way?
5. dunno what a hick is.
   [/list=a]
   
   I speak Dutch, English (both American and GCE (even with Cockney)), French, German and a bit Spanish. I know some bad words in Surinamese (Taki-Taki-language), but that's because of all those Surinamese people here in Amsterdam.
   
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   Concordia res parvae cres****.
   
   [This message has been edited by willemvanoranje (edited May 01, 2001).]

 

[Håkan Eriksson]

In our school my teacher always says English but we have disscussed and listend to the differences between American-English, British-English, Indian-English and Australian-English.

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[Damien]

I speak french(natal language),canadian french(québécois),german,swiss german and english.I understand a bit spanish,dutch,italian and a few american expressions.
Europeans learn at least 2 languages at school and as europe is multicultural and quite small compared to america,if we live in another country,we r also at least bilingual,even trilingual in certains situations(if u live in a foreign country and near another foreign country's border).
Well,for the accent we fit our ton of voice to the language with the tonic accents and also imitate a voice we heard in the street or mostly in a film.(i say "we" since the beggining but...that's how I do).
Satisfied?...u now know how those curious and funny people called foreigners do to speak ur language...u c ...a bit like the aliens...we take a voice and the way it speaks(with the tonic accents) and we imitate it.

 

[Loaf Warden]

Originally posted by shadowdale:
No Vlad the question is not whether we "foreigners" (funny choice of words) speak English, because we do!! The question is how well do we speak it and how many other languages do we speak - and how many do the Americans speak??? I know many Canadians also speak French, and all us Europeans speak our native language, and how many more????

Well, I speak English and am getting very close to fluency in Japanese. I have a smattering of German that, though I can't remember much right now, would turn quickly into fluency if I went to spend time in Germany. I'm still trying to decide whether I want to take Latin or Chinese in the fall semester, and last weekend I bought a Dutch grammar and an English-Dutch/Dutch-English dictionary so I can study that language on my own. (There are no Dutch classes at my university.)

 

[Archbob]

Originally posted by GenghisK:
I'm French living for at least 6 months in UK. I think I need to speak English in order to survive and to refuse all the girls who are knocking at my door everyday <IMG SRC="http://forums.civfanatics.com/ubb/biggrin.gif" border=0>

Are you daydreaming again Ghengis?



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Join me in World Conquest

<FONT COLOR="blue"><FONT face="lucida handwriting">Hold on through today means that there will be a tommorrow
</FONT c></FONT f>
Check out Arcade Portal and

 

[Az]

I'm half-french half-greek

I speak French and Greek as native languages and have become quite fluent in English. I also know a few things in spanish.

Originally posted by GenghisK:

I'm French living for at least 6 months in UK. I think I need to speak English in order to survive and to refuse all the girls who are knocking at my door everyday

!lo!

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<IMG SRC="http://www.3dflags.com/images/g/3dflagsdotcom_greec2gs.gif" border=0> <IMG SRC="http://www.3dflags.com/images/f/3dflagsdotcom_franc2ws.gif" border=0>

 

[Archbob]

I really can't tell if someone has an accent just by their posting. I need to hear them speak.

 

[GenghisK]

Originally posted by Az:
I'm half-french half-greek

Exactly what I thought and guessed when we had a chat couple of days ago. Half-clever/intelligent, half-silly <IMG SRC="http://forums.civfanatics.com/ubb/biggrin.gif" border=0>
Half-life half-dead, half-funny half-stupid half-good driver half-tickets champion... J/K <IMG SRC="http://forums.civfanatics.com/ubb/lol.gif" border=0><IMG SRC="http://forums.civfanatics.com/ubb/lol.gif" border=0><IMG SRC="http://forums.civfanatics.com/ubb/lol.gif" border=0>

Originally posted by Fallen Angel Lord:
Are you daydreaming again Ghengis?

Nope. Why?

Are you jealous? Hey I'm not so selfish, come here and I'll share them with you

J/K.

[This message has been edited by GenghisK (edited May 03, 2001).]

 

[Håkon]

Since I'm a "foreigner" I'd better reply to this.

I speak good English and fluent Norwegian (of course) - I'm quite proud of my English as I'm second best in my class (one is half English).

If it's pronounced Kouin-tisenshial, I probably can.

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<IMG SRC="http://www.vg.no/vg/sport/fotball/elfot96/sbodo.gif" border=0>
forever!!

 

[stormerne]

Originally posted by vladmir_illych_lenin:
Does Stormerne say "I need to wahsh ma cah."?

By no means dear chap. One has servants to do that...

<IMG SRC="http://helios.acomp.usf.edu/~ggato/England_gl.gif" border=0>

 

[Magnus]

yes, I got a chuckle out of the word 'foreign' its such a relative term. Everyone is a foreigner and we are all natives simultaneously.

I hate the word 'chuckle' by the way, but that's what I did and dammit, I am sticking to it.

 

[Simon Darkshade]

"i speak very goood Eeengleesh. I learn it from a boook"
"Manuel, come here"
"Yes, Mr Fawlty?" "Ufph!!!"(As hit over head)
I think thre is something in that for all of us, don't u?
Oh Stormene, my dear old fellow, how absolutely droll! I almost dropped my monocle in my Glenfiddich whilst polishing my regimental tie and Elgin marbles....
Here is an amusing anecdote that is supposedly based in truth:
In the 19th century, a Russian nobleman visits his distant English cousin. He returns one morning looking particularly satiated after a hunting expedition.
"So, Ivan, how did it go, what?
"Excellent. I shot two hares, sonme grouse and six peasants!"
"Surely you mean pheasants don't you?"
"No, peasants."
Teeheheeee

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Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you.
- N.S.Khrushchev

 

[KnightOfNi]

Do you mean they seem to WRITE very good english but can they SPEAK english.
Wouldn't it be more correct to write "I know there ARE a lot of foreigners..."

BTW I speak english,french,dutch and portuguese. I understand spanish and a bit of german.

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Ni !

 

[andycapp]

Vlad, a delicious irony in the way you use the word "foreigner", it reminds me of something my grandmother would say to me as a child - "Don't know why they let all these 'foreigners' live here!" My Grandmother was English and she was referring to all the people not born in Britain - like me, and the vast majority of Australians!

Admittedly she would have a chuckle after saying this and promise to get me a British passport.

 

[weimar_republic]

my father was a forigen person. he moved here from Italy in the 50's. I dont know any Italian though, which sux...

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Whats the point of living if you cant do anything stupid?

 

[Cunobelin Of Hippo]

QUOTE

Do you mean they seem to WRITE very good english but can they SPEAK english.
Wouldn't it be more correct to write "I know there ARE a lot of foreigners..."

UNQUOTE

Hippo concurs. I can write/read French very well, but just try to understand me speaking it (so says some local Quebecois) Oh, and for those who asked, a hick is something along the lines of trailer trash with a bigger shotgun and fewer inbred dogs.