Anglais dans le tour

markhewitt1978

There was a feature on the Today programme this morning about how now, even compared to a couple of years ago, English is becoming the dominant language on the Tour de France, whereas previously you needed to know some French in order to get by.

They were saying it's not just the influence of teams and media from English speaking countries but mostly from non-French speaking countries who will nearly always have English and not French as a second language so find it easiest to use English to communicate.

spaceman147

Heard that myself, used all over the world now, even in the far east.

RichN95.

English is the easiest to learn as a) due to to pop culture people get exposed to it more and b) it doesn't overcomplicate itself by feeling the need to ascribe a gender to a saucepan.

spaceman147

I think they said the internet was a massive factor too.

jamie1012

The day we start spelling derailleur "derailler" is the day I'm out.

No_Ta_Doctor

RichN95 wrote:

English is the easiest to learn as a) due to to pop culture people get exposed to it more and b) it doesn't overcomplicate itself by feeling the need to ascribe a gender to a saucepan.

wombly_knees

Coq au vin saucepan?

joelsim

RichN95 wrote:

English is the easiest to learn as a) due to to pop culture people get exposed to it more and b) it doesn't overcomplicate itself by feeling the need to ascribe a gender to a saucepan.

It could be worse, it could be German who have a neutral gender which should work.

But no, Das Madchen, a girl, is neuter! Where's the *** logic in that.

Cleat Eastwood

Joelsim wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

English is the easiest to learn as a) due to to pop culture people get exposed to it more and b) it doesn't overcomplicate itself by feeling the need to ascribe a gender to a saucepan.

It could be worse, it could be German who have a neutral gender which should work.

But no, Das Madchen, a girl, is neuter! Where's the *** logic in that.

You ever tried cheating on a german girl - neutered is only the start of it.

Mindermast

Joelsim wrote:

But no, Das Madchen, a girl, is neuter! Where's the *** logic in that.

Well in English there is "he, the boy", "she, the girl" and "it, the thing" - logic?`

There is little logic in any spoken language.

In German, "-chen" attached to a noun makes it smaller, younger, cuter or less meaningful, sometimes even ridiculous, and it always turns the noun into neuter. "Das Hündchen" (from "Der Hund", "the dog", male) is a young dog or a small dog, "Das Muttchen" ("Die Mutter", "the mother", female) is an old silly woman, "Das Mädchen" is younger than a young woman, and a young women was "Maget" ages ago, turned into "Magd", smaller "Mägdchen", then "Mädchen".

In the western world - probably even in France - English has become the most important second language for those, who don't speak English anyway. In the Tour de France, French and Belgian teams where dominant for quite a while, other cyclists often even learned French, sometimes for professional reasons - being in a French speaking team. These times are over. There are British, American and Australian teams now, and why should they speak French? Most people understand them anyway, if they speak English slowly and without too much of a local touch.

Mikey23

Loved Froome being interviewed in French the other day and it being translated into english