And We Didn't Think The French Had A Sense of Humor

[freeandfun1]

My mother is a coonass from Bayou Cheyne, LA. My grandmother's maiden name is "Bruno" and my grandfather was a "Smith". They both spoke cajun French but other than that, I myself don't know much about our "French" roots.

 

[freeandfun1]

I bet you believe the crap about the superiority of the Airbus 380 , what a joke .

Obviously the French did not think very far ahead (as Gomer would say, "surprise, surprise, surprise") before developing that piece of equipment. It won't be able to fly into most airports in the world unless those airports spend millions on upgrades to runways, etc.

Giant A380 could be too big for most airports

It's one thing to build a really, really big airplane. It's quite another to find a place for it to land.

U.S. airports from Seattle to Atlanta say accommodating Airbus SAS's new super-jumbo A380 in anything other than an emergency would require major new construction. Runways would need widening, and terminals would need upgrades to load and unload the double-decker plane easily.

Even with those improvements, airports might need to curtail other airport traffic to let the big jet lumber through the airfield. And some officials worry the weight of the A380 would collapse tunnels and buckle overpasses.

What's more, some airport officials say they just aren't seeing the demand for the A380 that would warrant such cost and inconvenience.

I can't see how this plane would be financially feasible. I fly internationally often and the planes are rarely packed to capacity unless it is around a holiday or something.

 

[sitarro]

My mother is a coonass from Bayou Cheyne, LA. My grandmother's maiden name is "Bruno" and my grandfather was a "Smith". They both spoke cajun French but other than that, I myself don't know much about our "French" roots.

I am from Lafayette (near the heart of coonass land), both of my parents spoke Cajun French but I didn't pick up much . They used it to tell each other stuff they didn't want us to hear . I tried to learn French in junior high and high school . . . the teachers were awful . One was Yugoslavian and mispronounced my French name and the other was a P.E. coach that did it to make a few extra bucks. My friend wants to teach me but he knows Spanish as well and I think that would be a more valuable second language so I will probably go with it.
i'm surprised your Grandmother's name wasn't spelled Bruneaux .

 

[Said1]

I am from Lafayette (near the heart of coonass land), both of my parents spoke Cajun French but I didn't pick up much . They used it to tell each other stuff they didn't want us to hear . I tried to learn French in junior high and high school . . . the teachers were awful . One was Yugoslavian and mispronounced my French name and the other was a P.E. coach that did it to make a few extra bucks. My friend wants to teach me but he knows Spanish as well and I think that would be a more valuable second language so I will probably go with it.
i'm surprised your Grandmother's name wasn't spelled Bruneaux .

Acadian Genealogy, History and Surnames Resource Information

 

[sitarro]

Obviously the French did not think very far ahead (as Gomer would say, "surprise, surprise, surprise") before developing that piece of equipment. It won't be able to fly into most airports in the world unless those airports spend millions on upgrades to runways, etc.
Giant A380 could be too big for most airports
I can't see how this plane would be financially feasible. I fly internationally often and the planes are rarely packed to capacity unless it is around a holiday or something.

Good points free . I have 4 brothers with Continental Airlines so I hear a lot about the business . The first thing I thought of was how long it would take to board and take off 550 to 840 passengers . The Boeing triple 7 is about the biggest plane I would ever want to get on . I have flown on it to London from Houston and found it to be very comfortable . I guess that the fact that there are many 747s and DC-10s sitting in storage in the desert escaped the planners of this Airbus . One of the biggest complaints of the pilots in my family is that more and more routes are being flown by the little Brazillian 50 passenger jets and they are worried about their position as 737 Captains.
I like the direction Boeing is going with a new generation of more economical and efficient aircraft .
By the way , Jet Blue was given the Airbuses that they fly interest free by the French , I wonder why they would do that .

 

[freeandfun1]

i'm surprised your Grandmother's name wasn't spelled Bruneaux .

It probably was at one time.

I lived in Bunkie, LA when I was in 2nd and 3rd grade. Back then (this would have been around 1974) French was taught to us as a regular class every day. I don't remember much other than singing Frère Jacques every day. I also remember how to count to 10!

My mother says that when I was around 4, I would speak cajun with my grandparents but then we moved back to Texas and I lost it all before we moved back to LA and then back to TX (moved a lot).

 

[padisha emperor]

Amazing, if the A-380 would be the best plane ever made, it would be an european aircraft,but no, it is a french, because it threaten boeing, and seems for you to be bad....funny....


For "Bruno" and "Bruneaux", the "Bruno" is a french name, , like Jean, Philippe, Pierre, Jacques, or anything else..so, it shouldn't be surprising

French is a very hard language to learn, but in USA, I think that it is not a necessary language, spanish is more useful...

Question : at US school, how many foreign languages did you learn ?
thanks

freeand fun, i'm sorry for you, "frère Jacques" is a boring song, but every pupils learn it...I hope you hold fast

 

[freeandfun1]

For "Bruno" and "Bruneaux", the "Bruno" is a french name, , like Jean, Philippe, Pierre, Jacques, or anything else..so, it shouldn't be surprising

"Bruno" was her family name, but then again, back then names were changed a lot. My great-grandfather changed his family name from Greenlee to just Lee.

Question : at US school, how many foreign languages did you learn ?
thanks

It varies from state to state and school district to school district. When I lived in LA, we were taught French in elementary school. When I moved to Texas, we were taught Spanish (for two years) in Junior High. In High School, foreign language was an elective. You didn't have to take one if you didn't want to.

 

[padisha emperor]

"Bruno" was her family name, but then again, back then names were changed a lot

In france,like everywhere, lot of family names are usual names, so ...Myabe an ancestor was called Bruno, and then it became the family name.

You didn't have to take one if you didn't want to.

really ?
It's crazy !
In france,you have to learn 1 foreign language choosen by you, during the 2 first years of "collège" (collège, in france : from 11 to 15 yeras old, 4 classes), and during the 2 lastn you have to choose an other langugae, which will be your second foreign language.
And after ,in the "Lycée" (french lycée : from 15 to 18, 3 classes) : youlearn the 2 languages choosen in lycée. You can, if you want, change the order, then your second language in collège would become your first in lycée.
The first foreign language has a bigger coefficient than the second.

For an example : I chose german as first foreign language, in "6ème" (11-12), and english for my second foreign language, in "4ème" (13-14).
When you don't take english as first language, you have to take as second.

Of course, there is also spanish, italian, and sometimes also russian, japanese.....but not often, not in all the lycées or collèges.

 

[sitarro]

Amazing, if the A-380 would be the best plane ever made, it would be an european aircraft,but no, it is a french, because it threaten boeing, and seems for you to be bad....funny....

I am criticizing the marketing strategy and the egotistical writings and speeches that have been made about this boondoggle plane . It is a repeat of the Concorde .Design shouldn't be based on egotistical desires to have the fastest or the biggest , that is easy to accomplish , it should be more about producing a form that follows function(borrowed from my favorite Architect Mr. Wright).

For "Bruno" and "Bruneaux", the "Bruno" is a french name, , like Jean, Philippe, Pierre, Jacques, or anything else..so, it shouldn't be surprising

I was kidding about that spelling , it is a standard cajun joke that anything pronounced o should be spelled with an eaux . Like Geaux Cajuns!

In American schools there is an option to study a variety of other languages but most don't have a use for it so while we might study other languages we never really learn them because there is a lack of interest in speaking anything but English in this country . I can travel 3000 miles across the country and never need anything but English . I can also go to the north pole and not really need anything but English . I won't go south because there is very little guarantee that I will ever come back(not very safe for Americans). Because of that I've never had an interest in travel to Mexico or anywhere in South America . I have been all over the United States and yet I feel I could spend the rest of my life finding new places here , why should I bother going places that dislike me because of where I was born. I might go to France to meet my friend's family but I am not overly excited, I would rather spend a week in Yosemite .

 

[no1tovote4]

Amazing, if the A-380 would be the best plane ever made, it would be an european aircraft,but no, it is a french, because it threaten boeing, and seems for you to be bad....funny....


For "Bruno" and "Bruneaux", the "Bruno" is a french name, , like Jean, Philippe, Pierre, Jacques, or anything else..so, it shouldn't be surprising

French is a very hard language to learn, but in USA, I think that it is not a necessary language, spanish is more useful...

Question : at US school, how many foreign languages did you learn ?
thanks

freeand fun, i'm sorry for you, "frère Jacques" is a boring song, but every pupils learn it...I hope you hold fast

According to DLI it is a level 2, all romance languages are at a level 2. In contrast there are 2 level 5 languages English and Chinese. Russian, the language I took was a level 3, Arabic is level 4.

The higher the number the more difficult it is for people to learn the language. They have made language learning a science there, they are very good at it.

 

[freeandfun1]

According to DLI it is a level 2, all romance languages are at a level 2. In contrast there are 2 level 5 languages English and Chinese. Russian, the language I took was a level 3, Arabic is level 4.

The higher the number the more difficult it is for people to learn the language. They have made language learning a science there, they are very good at it.

What is Korean (Hangul)? I am not totally fluent, but I speak about 60% and understand about 85% and I can read and write the language too, but the characters are easy to learn and I cannot claim fluency in this arena as to be fluent in Hangul, you must also learn many Chinese characters.

I'm self-taught though. I have never taken a class, I just learned it through business and through my wife.

 

[padisha emperor]

ok for the joke...I couldn't guess

What is DLI, no1 ?
When a language is difficult,is level is higher, or it is just to make a classification ?


For the difficult of learning a language, i agree with you...So,if you can help me when you see that I do often the same mistakes.

I study german since 9 years, and it still hard : when you progress, you see again new hard things....

And I learn some french things everydays...
The french grammair is really really difficult, it is an horror !!


I think that inhabitants of countries with several languages or the countries with a languagae who is only speak in one country are the most able to well learn : like in canada, for French and English, In Belgium for french and Dutch, in the scandinavian countries...they have to speak english , nobody speak danish or norvegian... remember Abba

i've got a friend from Luxembourg (between France, Belgium and Germany) : the national languages are "luxembourgeois" - (don't know in english) a kind of germanic language, near german - and frenc. And thiqs guy speak perfectly French, english, italian, german and russian - and of course Luxembourgeois - it is crazy. And he's like me, 19.

 

[freeandfun1]

DLI = Defense Language Institute.

The Federal Government's language school for DOD and other Federal employees.

 

[Annie]

According to DLI it is a level 2, all romance languages are at a level 2. In contrast there are 2 level 5 languages English and Chinese. Russian, the language I took was a level 3, Arabic is level 4.

The higher the number the more difficult it is for people to learn the language. They have made language learning a science there, they are very good at it.

Makes sense to me. I've always heard English is incredibly hard to learn, as the rules and word meanings are constantly changing, especially American English.

 

[padisha emperor]

That surprised me.

I'm not the one who will say that english is the easier language to learn but it is easier that a lot of other languages.
First for the vocabulary, lot of words same as french and latine languages.

Not to say that french is the best - not at all, please, don't mistake what I 'ill say - but I was convince that French was one of the most difficult language to learn.

because there is alawyas exceptions for the grammair rules....always always...the conjugaison of the verbs changes always too. in english, it is the same, except for the "she, he, it" ans some special verbs... (go, go, gose, go, go go). the same verb in french : vais, vais, va, allons, allez, vont (verb "aller").
On english, so, conjugaison is quite easier...and also for the adjectives : they don't change...quite not hard too.

there is not strong verb (is it correct ? ) in french, but with all the special times, and the different kind of conjugaison...In some TV games, the hardest questions are sometimes about the conjugaison of a verb at an awful time


the accents are also not easy...it can change totally ther meaning : example : "à" different from "a" ("a" : conjugainson of "avoir" to have).
there are : é,è,ù,à,¨,^....

In a phrase, the place of the words : there is no rules, excpet sometimes, like for a question...so, you can put the verb at the end....sio, you can have, with a different place, the same meaning, but with a different accentuation, so, it gives nuance....


I think that french is really hard, for the french it is hard, so for foreigners....it is certainy an horror...
And hard to speak to, for the accent


German is really hard too, the grammar is more regular than the french one, but there is the declinaison, like in latin.


But maybe is there some things in english that I don't know, who are really really hard.


Is there big differences bewteen US and UK english ?
i only knwo that the OU becomes O in US englush "humor, honor, color......)