OT- Spelling is out.

[Slynky]

Originally posted by Alneyan:
As for your rant a page before, I would partially agree. (And yes, I read it and care about your opinion ) I wrote "partially" because I cannot speak of how English-speakers felt when coming in France for obvious reasons. I don't know about your hypothesis to explain this hostility or at least, this distrust from the French government, which would be linked to the choice of an "universal" language to be used in airports . To use English as the basic language in such cases is sensible IMO, simply because English is speaking much more widely than French to begin with. French was perhaps an universal language before, but that was five or six centuries ago so.

I'm certainly not qualified on the subject. I'm only drawing conclusions based on some other facts. And, as Dennis Miller would say, "Of course, this is just my opinion, I could be wrong."

I think things (relationship) between France and the US turned bad several years after WW2. The US kept troops there. France said to get out. The US left. My dad was one of them and from firsthand knowledge, I can tell you a lot of people in the US were upset. He told me of a newspaper graphic that had a picture of gravestones in France with a caption that said, "Some of the US soldiers can't leave."

In the late 50's or early 60's, the "world" decided a universal language was needed (and there is no need to repeat my story). I'll just add that ANYONE with any sense would have to understand the economic impact/benefit of having one's country's language chosen. The final 2 Languages, French and English, were debated hotly. When French was, hmmmmmm, "discarded" and English chosen, I'm saying that left a bitter pill in French stomachs. I'm saying, fueled by the feeling their country was being occupied after the war and the selection of English over French as an international language, many French people became upset/angry. And just as a lot of people in the US are upset that the French seem to be a big "thorn" in the US/Iraq/terrorist situation, a lot of French still harbor ill feelings about the US.

Now, I realize there are lots of side discussions one could delve into. It's certainly a complicated subject. And I'm no authority for sure. But with firsthand experience while visiting France, I'd have to say I experience more aggression there than any other country I visited. And part of the reason, I believe, I tried to explain above.

(pardon any typos...rushing this through from work)