A Language Question..If you not mind.

[Dee]

What does that have anything to do with Merb? What does that have anything to do with an American writing a review or asking a question in English to get a reply in French? Since when an American writing a review in English is an attack to the French language / culture? If I was an unilingual French person and I asked you a question in French and you, being a bilingual person, choose to answer me in English.....would that be called lack of basic "savoir-vivre"?

Hi Maxima,

What I was trying to say is that this may be the reason that French is used... indeed I come closer to saying it is unfortunate, then I do to saying it is wise or correct... If I feel I've been badly beaten up by (say) every guy with a red mustache that I have ever met, I might not act totally rationally and open mindedly when I meet the next fellow with a red mustache.

To reply in French at times may indeed be rude, but I expect Canadian French speakers have suffered the reverse frustration at least a 1,000 times for every time English speakers have felt it.

 

[korbel]

Ce que tu reviens à dire, c'est que tu considères la langue anglaise d'une classe sociale supérieure au français. Pourquoi eux auraient le droit de nous répondre en anglais à des thread partis en français alors que nous on ne devrait pas le faire? Le respect ça va dans les 2 sens.

Bonjour Mazingerz,

That just isn't fair. I read Techman's post and when you say he is implying that English is superior or in a superior class of languages you are wrong. I don't mind the fact that you always write in French. Sometimes I can read you and sometimes I can't. I would love to be able to reply to you in French. Mais, je parle le français mal et très limité. I have tried freetranslation.com with my Montreal friend and it does not work very well at all unless I keep my phrases very brief and simple. The truth is many Americans are much less able to communicate in two languages than the average French-Canadian who despite their insecurities in English do very well. Generally, it is just much easier to communicate together by using English because of the much greater language capabilities of French-Canadians. But there is no implication or belief that either language is "d'une classe sociale supérieure". So let's leave Quebec politics out of this. English just helps more people understand each other here.

Cheers,

Korbel

 

[Maxima]

...
To reply in French at times may indeed be rude, but I expect Canadian French speakers have suffered the reverse frustration at least a 1,000 times for every time English speakers have felt it.

What does this political thing has anything to do with the unilingual American hobbyists who asked for information on MERB?

 

[vasco]

Imho

If we respond to a question in the language it was posted in, what freak'n language does Oliver post in.

I suggest we post only in PIG LATIN.

IMHO, I don't care in what language you respond. If I really need the information you are offering I will do my damnest to decipher it.

 

[korbel]

If we respond to a question in the language it was posted in, what freak'n language does Oliver post in.

Well Vasco,

Of course you know that Oliver is from a superior race on the other side of the galaxy where English is just too primitive to learn properly.

really,

Korbel

 

[Dee]

What does this political thing has anything to do with the unilingual American hobbyists who asked for information on MERB?

Nothing and everything....

I'm failing to make my point.... our histories and perceptions preordain us to act in certain ways even if it may not be rational... just as my fear of a new red mustached man wouldn't be... but my visceral reaction may supersede my reason. Those who hadn't been beaten up by red mustached men would never understand my reaction unless they knew my history.

Capisce?

This would be so much easier to explain in French..... j/k

 

[Maxima]

Nothing and everything....

I'm failing to make my point.... our histories and perceptions preordain us to act in certain ways even if it may not be rational... just as my fear of a new red mustached man wouldn't be... but my visceral reaction may supersede my reason. Those who hadn't been beaten up by red mustached men would never understand my reaction unless they knew my history.

Capisce?

This would be so much easier to explain in French..... j/k

Oh, I see. C'est similaire au complexe d'oedipe. Ca s'explique comme le fait que Hilary me fait bander royalement, n'est ce pas?

 

[korbel]

если отверстия ишака смогли лететь, то это место был бы aero портом

Well OK,

"If apertures of a donkey could fly, this place would be aero port". Freetranslation is not so good here I think...lol.

Hmmm,

Korbel

 

[DouMan]

Nothing and everything....

I'm failing to make my point.... our histories and perceptions preordain us to act in certain ways even if it may not be rational... just as my fear of a new red mustached man wouldn't be... but my visceral reaction may supersede my reason. Those who hadn't been beaten up by red mustached men would never understand my reaction unless they knew my history.

Capisce?

This would be so much easier to explain in French..... j/k

Dee, I can very well relate to your point since I, like many, have been raised in both languages.

When I would be in a mainly English surrounding ... I would get called a frog, when I was in a mainly French surrounding ... I would get called a bloke. But sooner or later these visceral feelings must make way for the real world and that people can and should communicate with respect of each other.

A good example of this may be Cirque du Soleil. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but it is my belief that their songs are not based on any language but are only sounds based on intonations to carry over the mood of the moment.

Surprisingly enough, without any language barriers, they have become world renown.

 

[Techman]

Nothing and everything....

I'm failing to make my point.... our histories and perceptions preordain us to act in certain ways even if it may not be rational... just as my fear of a new red mustached man wouldn't be... but my visceral reaction may supersede my reason. Those who hadn't been beaten up by red mustached men would never understand my reaction unless they knew my history.

Capisce?

This would be so much easier to explain in French..... j/k

As far as I can tell, the people who who repressed the French here in Quebec have pretty much died out long ago. Many of them also happened to be the French Catholic clergy of the time but I don't see the separatists wanting to destroy the Catholic church. Then again, if they did it would remove all the major words of profanity from the language.

But hey, when you make revenge your reason or excuse for your actions how do you expect others to react. Besides...I don't remember Americans being part of anything the French may think they have a reason to be still pissed off about. Oh right...sorry...they speak English. The verbotten language.

We are the Borg, you will be assimilated or destroyed. Sounds really cool when watching Star Trek doesn't it?

This is Quebec, you will be assimilated and speak only French.
Not so cool in the real world.

Techman

 

[Sexy_BBW_Véro]

Hi Smuler

When i joined Merb last year , it was at 90% an English board.
My native language is french ... couples of years ago , i was considering myself as bilingual but unfortunately , i didn't had the chance to practice English during 6 years and I've lost it so much.

At my beginning here , I wrote a post in French on an English thread ... someone told me that it will be more intelligent to post in same language as the thread starter. Logical ! Since , i apply that logical when i post on threads.

My English's not very good but Babelfish is worse then i could be i think! I'm doing my best (without translator) and i think that i am now little bit better then couple of months ago ... no??!!

For Advertising and website ... i had bilingual adds before and it was so complicated to set up my encounters by phone . Loudness of the voice and linguistic accent gave me hard time .

Now i have only french website and adds ... that way , we find a middle way to communicate between English & French

If I'm getting less business because of this ... i don't think . At least , i don't feel it.

Hope girls advice was welcomed here
if not ... sorry!

 

[EagerBeaver]

But hey, when you make revenge your reason or excuse for your actions how do you expect others to react.

By Dee's logic it is totally understandable why Nazi Germany, which felt it had gotten a raw deal in the Treaty of Versailles, invaded Poland, Czechoslavakia, etc. in World War II. Basically we can see why they invaded all of the rest of Europe.........we can now understand the Nazis' behavior.............thank you for letting me see the light on this...........

 

[eastender]

Not So

As far as I can tell, the people who who repressed the French here in Quebec have pretty much died out long ago. Many of them also happened to be the French Catholic clergy of the time but I don't see the separatists wanting to destroy the Catholic church. Then again, if they did it would remove all the major words of profanity from the language.

Techman

Staying away in droves has reduced the Catholic church to a nonentity. Churches that would hold 3-4 masses each Sunday in the early sixties are being sold for a fraction of their worth.

This sentiment has greatly impacted on the infrastructure of the church, their political and social influence as well as the bottom line.

 

[fastmoonbrush]

as is....

That just isn't fair. I read Techman's post and when you say he is implying that English is superior or in a superior class of languages you are wrong. I don't mind the fact that you always write in French. Sometimes I can read you and sometimes I can't. I would love to be able to reply to you in French. Mais, je parle le français mal et très limité. I have tried freetranslation.com with my Montreal friend and it does not work very well at all unless I keep my phrases very brief and simple. The truth is many Americans are much less able to communicate in two languages than the average French-Canadian who despite their insecurities in English do very well. Generally, it is just much easier to communicate together by using English because of the much greater language capabilities of French-Canadians. But there is no implication or belief that either language is "d'une classe sociale supérieure". So let's leave Quebec politics out of this. English just helps more people understand each other here.

Cheers,

Korbel[/QUOTE]

 

[fastmoonbrush]

ok...je suis vraiment poche for "quoting someone"...

But bro, you just did everything i mentionned...cheers to you Korbel

 

[seymourhass]

When i joined Merb last year , it was at 90% an English board.
My native language is french ... couples of years ago , i was considering myself as bilingual but unfortunately , i didn't had the chance to practice English during 6 years and I've lost it so much.

At my beginning here , I wrote a post in French on an English thread ... someone told me that it will be more intelligent to post in same language as the thread starter. Logical ! Since , i apply that logical when i post on threads.

My English's not very good but Babelfish is worse then i could be i think! I'm doing my best (without translator) and i think that i am now little bit better then couple of months ago ... no??!!

For Advertising and website ... i had bilingual adds before and it was so complicated to set up my encounters by phone . Loudness of the voice and linguistic accent gave me hard time .

Now i have only french website and adds ... that way , we find a middle way to communicate between English & French

If I'm getting less business because of this ... i don't think . At least , i don't feel it.

Hope girls advice was welcomed here
if not ... sorry!

Vero,

Your command of the English language is much better than some English speaking members

I enjoy reading the French posts, Mazingerz included. He strikes me a credible poster, who tends to give the straight dope.

At first I used my Larousse dictionary to better understand the posts, but now because of him and other’s, I have a better command of the language. It is now easier for me to construct sentences in French. I always admire the person who can switch languages in mid sentence. That is power!

I do not consider myself fluently bilingual, but it always makes me proud when a Quebecois compliments my French speaking ability.

While it is true the Montreal SP scene is essentially bilingual, some girls are more comfortable in French, and they are the ones I practice my new found skills. It allows me to get more mileage than if I was unilingual English.

For unilingual anglos & American based merb members, I feel your frustration…

 

[korbel]

Translation of Mazingerz' post:

What you just said is that you consider the English language to be superior in social standing to French. Why do they [i.e., anglophones] have the right to respond to us [i.e., francophones] in English in a thread that starts off in French while we are not supposed to do the opposite. Respect works both ways.

You will probably respond: because they don't speak French. That's not my problem. We're talking about Montreal escorts here and that's a French speaking mileu in Quebec. [CR: please note my use of mileu, an English word borrowed from French. ] If guys don't like that, then they don't have to come to Quebec.

I don't have to justify myself as to why I write in French and I'm not ashamed to do so. Most people here [in Quebec] speak French as their mother tongue, so I write in the language of the majority.

You want to make your own law. Fine. Here in Quebec, it's not up to me to express myself in English, it's up to you to speak French.

As for everything else, all that I have to say is that I have as much respect for anglophones as they have for us.

Thanks CaptRenault,

I don't know why so many get pissed off about this subject. A recent thread called "Hierarchie" is/was entirely in French. I could not read enough of it and Freetranslation didn't help. But I didn't complain and I wasn't insulted. If people prefer to speak in one language because that's how they feel comfortable communicating I see nothing wrong with that. But if anyone of any background is doing it because of some sort of resentment it's plain foolish. What purpose does being intentionally anti-social serve. If you can speak another language but won't because of some feud, or insist on seeing everyone of another language background as the same, then your real problem is you have not grown up enough to use good sense or good manners. I would speak a lot more French if I could. Those of you who have the wonderful gift of multiple languages shouldn't cheat that gift by tarnishing it with cheap clannish bitterness. Really, get over it. La bonne chance à tout; surtout vous Mazingerz.

Cheers,

Korbel

 

[sapman99]

MERB has evolved, have we?

The focus has remained: its’ primarily a discussion forum about the escort scene in Montréal. Many other peripheral topics are posted here, but that is the main reason why it exists. Reviews, discussion, advertising.

The site does originate in Toronto, Canada. An officially bilingual country. Technically, they have to give French language customer service to the French clientele that requests it… But I surmise that would only apply to the billable services it provides, such as advertising and supporting memberships.

In any case, this is more about where we want to see the board go. We can stick to the old ways and only post in English or evolve. The board may have started up mostly if not all English, but new members have joined, new discussions have started, and revenue must be generated from those pesky French posts .

Recently I reviewed a provider in French, because I felt like it. She had just gotten a rash of English reviews in any case. Later on I reviewed her again in English, but a totally different text.

I agree that a direct reply (to a direct question to the individual) in French to a question from a poster known to be unilingual English raises eyebrows. But say the poster wants to contribute to the thread “at large” in French, I say let him. I may or may not agree with posting like this (it always depends on the circumstances at the time and what is being said), but if we take away that freedom… What is next?

I really enjoy the francophone presence on MERB. Without disrespect for the English membership, I do post in French occasionally, and will not translate myself at all times. To be fair, I would have to translate all my English posts to French. Scary…

Power to those who can interact on the board in the two languages. To the ones who cannot, it is still an excellent tool for research and interaction in either one.

If a unilingual person (of either language) is so curious about a post they cannot understand, its’ up to them to copy it over to a translation robot and get at least the gist of it.

 

[Elvis]

But that being said, I find it shows a real lack of respect when someone constantly replies to English posts by unilingual English posters, in French.

Toujours aussi borné, ce bon vieux Techman!

Ce que tu dis n'a tout simplement pas de sens. Il est temps que tu sortes de ton ghetto mental des années 70.

Si moi, je pose une question au Forum en français et qu'un type me répond gentiment en anglais, parce que c'est sa langue maternelle, est-ce que j'aurais le culot et le manque de savoir-vivre de lui dire qu'il me "manque de respect"??? Et bien, non, car je suis un VRAI gentleman et je lui dirai même un beau gros merci en anglais. Le savoir-vivre va dans les deux sens.

Ce Forum est bilingue, c'est inscrit dans la Charte du forum, nous vivons dans un pays libre et les gens peuvent écrire et répondre dans la langue de leur choix.

J'ai essentiellement cessé d'écrire en anglais sur ce Forum depuis que l'orang-outan de 6'4" qui sévit sur ce forum et qui se pense au-dessus de la charte de ce forum a essayé de m'imposer sa langue. Laissons donc les gens libres de parler la langue qu'ils veulent, on se fout du reste.

Quant à nos amis unilingues américains, on pourrait peut-être leur dire qu'un petit cours de français, ça coûte à peu près le coût d'un "out-call"...

 

[Maxima]

...
If a unilingual person (of either language) is so curious about a post they cannot understand, its’ up to them to copy it over to a translation robot and get at least the gist of it.

As far as I can remember this has always been the case on Merb. I can not recall any poster here who deliberately scorn the language of other people (be it French or English) until the joining of one particular individual who deliberately played the language superiority / inferiority cards.
You should remember that it is not against board rules to post / reply in French in an English discussion / thread / question ..and vice versa. However when you are known as a bilingual individual and when unilingual Americans asked you nicely to explain in English you refused to do so on the ground of languages superiority / inferiority .... then you didn't really care about the harmony of the Board, did you?