Brexit, for once some facts.

[oldtom]

Ah, selective quoting

I described the murder of Jo Cox as irrelevant to the simple point of English being a dominant world language.

You had better tell us all how the position of English in a notional league table of languages is relevant to the murder.

You've insulted me by calling me a racist bigot, xenophobe, etc.

I shall ignore your latest, self-righteous protestations for the most part and I shall also ignore the absence of any further comment from you on Nicola Sturgeon and on your bizarre statement and claim that English is the dominant language around the world.

My question to you was to discover what your motive was for making that brash statement, particularly as there was no mention of 'English' before my comment about the linguistic talents of my foreign visitors at a family wedding. You have singularly failed to address that aspect, seemingly believing now that this has become your thread on the prevalence of the English language around the world.

Your arrogance towards those who have challenged you reveals much about your character, none of it desirable.

On your claim that I insulted you, please refer me to the part where I called you a racist bigot, xenophobe, etc. Here is the part to which I think you refer and I quote:


'rules the world'........? 'biggest export'......? 'dreadful Scottish woman'......?

'Rob, you are clearly a person heavily imbued with the kind of xenophobia normally associated with the 'Britain First' racists.'


Now, if you find truth unpalatable and consider my remark to be personally insulting, then I fear there is no hope for you in any democratic society. Your sheer arrogance is quite breathtaking given that you know your whole premise about the EU is predicated on lies, big lies!

As for Mrs Sturgeon, you could have simply referred to her by name and called her dreadful (in your opinion) but you crossed the line by bringing her nationality into your remark - that makes it a racist comment. It is therefore very difficult for me to see you in any way other than I have previously expressed.

I have become very bored with the tedium of your contributions and your complete failure to grasp what is actually going on both here in the UK and on mainland Europe. As I suspect the few members who actually follow this thread are equally bored by the whole thing by now, I shall desist from further comment....well, apart from this one:

'There's none so blind as those who will not see!'

Tom

 

[RobF]

I shall ignore your latest, self-righteous protestations for the most part and I shall also ignore the absence of any further comment from you on Nicola Sturgeon and on your bizarre statement and claim that English is the dominant language around the world.

My question to you was to discover what your motive was for making that brash statement, particularly as there was no mention of 'English' before my comment about the linguistic talents of my foreign visitors at a family wedding. You have singularly failed to address that aspect, seemingly believing now that this has become your thread on the prevalence of the English language around the world.

Your arrogance towards those who have challenged you reveals much about your character, none of it desirable.

On your claim that I insulted you, please refer me to the part where I called you a racist bigot, xenophobe, etc. Here is the part to which I think you refer and I quote:


'rules the world'........? 'biggest export'......? 'dreadful Scottish woman'......?

'Rob, you are clearly a person heavily imbued with the kind of xenophobia normally associated with the 'Britain First' racists.'


Now, if you find truth unpalatable and consider my remark to be personally insulting, then I fear there is no hope for you in any democratic society. Your sheer arrogance is quite breathtaking given that you know your whole premise about the EU is predicated on lies, big lies!

As for Mrs Sturgeon, you could have simply referred to her by name and called her dreadful (in your opinion) but you crossed the line by bringing her nationality into your remark - that makes it a racist comment. It is therefore very difficult for me to see you in any way other than I have previously expressed.

I have become very bored with the tedium of your contributions and your complete failure to grasp what is actually going on both here in the UK and on mainland Europe. As I suspect the few members who actually follow this thread are equally bored by the whole thing by now, I shall desist from further comment....well, apart from this one:

'There's none so blind as those who will not see!'

Tom

What a load of long-winded waffly nonsense.

Bored? I'm surprised you managed to stay awake while churning out that post.

English is the most spoken and influential language in the world.

It's that simple.

Or it is to anyone who applies even a modicum of clear thinking.

And do you honestly think referring to Sturgeon as 'a dreadful Scottish woman' is a racist remark?

Yet more muddled thinking on your part, although you are not alone in that.

Make mention of race or nationality in any context these days and someone will bellow 'racist' at you.

Just as my simple observation of the prevalence of the English language has led to your ridiculous allegations of racism and xenophobia.

There is no connection, much as you are trying to make it.

I'll try one more time, I have no influence on the English language, what I think about any political or social question is irrelevant.

If I am all those nasty things you say I am, or if I am none of them, makes no difference.

English still rules the linguistic world.

 

[flecc]

English still rules the linguistic world.

As this link shows.
.

 

[Alan Quay]

What a load of long-winded waffly nonsense.

English is the most spoken and influential language in the world.

It's that simple.

It's not though, because the Chinese languages have the most speakers by a long way, then Spanish. English is in third place.

 

[flecc]

It's not though, because the Chinese languages have the most speakers by a long way, then Spanish. English is in third place.

Not really, see the link in my post just above. The English language has the total most speakers.
.

 

[D8ve]

Your right Rob he's not alone in finding your description of Nicola offensive.
She has been elected by a huge majority of her electorate. The mandate she holds is far stronger than that that any politician in my memory has held. But that's my muddled thinking.
English is the lingua franka even though it's a rubbish language. But we are a small country. No longer the rulers of an empire.we need to recognise that and look to the future.

 

[Alan Quay]

Not really, see the link in my post just above. The English language has the total most speakers.
.

I guess it depends how you're counting. How do we know that the non native speakers in your link aren't just people who can say 'Manchester United'.

I have a GCSE in French, and attempted to use it at the weekend (with tragic result I admit.)

Would that count me as a non native speaker?

 

[anotherkiwi]

I doubt that 1.5 billion people are fluent in English. A few words does not make a person a polyglot.

 

[mike killay]

So, there you have it Rob.
You are imbued with fascism and xenophobia.
Diagnosed at a distance, guilt by association.
And you, and 17 million other people have been lied to.
How else could Remain have lost the vote?
Surely not because decent, working class people no longer wanted to be in the EUSSR
You must be feeling awful, tried, convicted and sentenced by OldTom who is red as any tomato ever was.

 

[flecc]

I guess it depends how you're counting. How do we know that the non native speakers in your link aren't just people who can say 'Manchester United'.

I have a GCSE in French, and attempted to use it at the weekend (with tragic result I admit.)

Would that count me as a non native speaker?

I doubt that 1.5 billion people are fluent in English. A few words does not make a person a polyglot.

The 1.5 billion are sufficiently fluent for day to day language use and most would consider them to be fluent in English. If you add in those who are not fluent and know some English the total would be far in excess of 1.5 billion, possibly over 2.5 billion

I think you are both clutching at straws. Remember English is the communication language of the Commonwealth, at 2.1 billion comprising almost a third of the planet's population.

And English is the dominant language of the internet, which is probably the greatest communication influence of all now.
.

 

[tillson]

I'm hearing that Scotland have run up a £14 billion pound deficit. 9.5% of GDP.

And still the small Scottish idiot woman bangs on about independence if BREXIT goes ahead. Where is she going to get her cheese from after independence? I think the Scotts are wise enough to kick any second independence vote into touch.

 

[RobF]

So, there you have it Rob.
You are imbued with fascism and xenophobia.
Diagnosed at a distance, guilt by association.
And you, and 17 million other people have been lied to.
How else could Remain have lost the vote?
Surely not because decent, working class people no longer wanted to be in the EUSSR
You must be feeling awful, tried, convicted and sentenced by OldTom who is red as any tomato ever was.

Well quite.

I just thought I was a bloke with an opinion, but it seems to be a lot more complicated than that.

Perhaps I was knocked on my head when I was a baby, or given a golliwog to play with, or exposed to the gender stereotyping of Jack and Jill, or maybe it was the casual racism in my Noddy books.

I mean, you live through all that then along comes Brexit and not so dear Old Tom.

It's enough to send any man off the rails.

 

[RobF]

I'm hearing that Scotland have run up a £14 billion pound deficit. 9.5% of GDP.

And still the small Scottish idiot woman bangs on about independence if BREXIT goes ahead. Where is she going to get her cheese from after independence? I think the Scotts are wise enough to kick any second independence vote into touch.

Ooo, is she small as well?

I shall have to consider revising my epithet for her.

Not that this isn't a very serious matter, or not that lampooning politicians is a long standing tradition which plays a valuable role in stopping the power going to their heads.

Oh no, nothing like that at all, this is much too serious for any of that.

 

[anotherkiwi]

I have enough basque to order wine and food. I do not speak basque. I have understood Spanish for many years and been able to get around. But it is only recently that I consider myself able to have a conversation of any interest. Tested I am a B1.
http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/resources/european-language-levels-cefr

Language for me is about expressing abstract ideas, not about asking where the loo is...

 

[anotherkiwi]

The 1.5 billion are sufficiently fluent for day to day language use and most would consider them to be fluent in English. If you add in those who are not fluent and know some English the total would be far in excess of 1.5 billion, possibly over 2.5 billion

I think you are both clutching at straws. Remember English is the communication language of the Commonwealth, at 2.1 billion comprising almost a third of the planet's population.

And English is the dominant language of the internet, which is probably the greatest communication influence of all now.
.

10% of Indians speak English, aren't they half of the Commonwealth?

 

[flecc]

10% of Indians speak English, aren't they half of the Commonwealth?

English is the world's dominant language and it's idle to pretend otherwise. All the evidence shows that and there's no evidence that any other language comes near to that status.

The argument that the 1.5 billion in the graph I linked to is invalid is good for all the other languages listed, if just a few words qualifying is their measure. It still leaves English as dominant.
.

 

[tillson]

I have enough basque to order wine and food. I do not speak basque. I have understood Spanish for many years and been able to get around. But it is only recently that I consider myself able to have a conversation of any interest. Tested I am a B1.
http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/resources/european-language-levels-cefr

Language for me is about expressing abstract ideas, not about asking where the loo is...

Smell you!

I am able to order chips and ale on any beach throughout the world. I simply repeat my demands, in English, incrementally raising the volume of my voice until my instructions are complied with.

 

[oldgroaner]

Smell you!

I am able to order chips and ale on any beach throughout the world. I simply repeat my demands in English, incrementally raising my voice until my instructions are complied with.

Well done tillson another classic along the tried and tested
"If I shout louder they will try to understand!"
Always works, Guaranteed , Very British!

 

[oldgroaner]

Well quite.

I just thought I was a bloke with an opinion, but it seems to be a lot more complicated than that.

Perhaps I was knocked on my head when I was a baby, or given a golliwog to play with, or exposed to the gender stereotyping of Jack and Jill, or maybe it was the casual racism in my Noddy books.

I mean, you live through all that then along comes Brexit and not so dear Old Tom.

It's enough to send any man off the rails.

Or cause him to derail the thread with this "English language love in nonsense?"
Handy of course if you don't have a coherent argument on the subject of the thread, is there any danger of you getting back on topic?

 

[oldgroaner]

So, there you have it Rob.
You are imbued with fascism and xenophobia.
Diagnosed at a distance, guilt by association.
And you, and 17 million other people have been lied to.
How else could Remain have lost the vote?
Surely not because decent, working class people no longer wanted to be in the EUSSR
You must be feeling awful, tried, convicted and sentenced by OldTom who is red as any tomato ever was.

"And you, and 17 million other people have been lied to.
How else could Remain have lost the vote?"

Are you by any chance asserting they were not lied to?
Very Brave.
Any evidence to support that assertion?

"EUSSR" interesting term, and of course that is something that is cast iron truth isn't it?
Unfortunately it's another case of one of the lies you have been fed by the Media, which had you bothered to check is easy to refute, so why didn't you do that?
Amazing that "still in denial" is apparently the case here.
I'll save you the trouble of looking, just click this link
https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/institutions-bodies/european-parliament_en