Foreign Languages

[Staff: Warren Ashcroft]

A Swiss guy, looking for directions, pulls up at a bus stop where two Englishmen are waiting.

'Entschuldigung, koennen Sie Deutsch sprechen?' he says.

The two Englishmen just stare at him.

'Excusez-moi, parlez vous Francais?'

The two continue to stare.

'Parlare Italiano?' No response.

'Hablan ustedes Espanol?' Still nothing.

The Swiss guy drives off, extremely disgusted.

The first Englishman turns to the second and says, 'Y'know, maybe we should learn a foreign language....'

Punchline:

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'Why?' says the other, 'That bloke knew four languages, and it didn't do him any good.'

[RFH Customer: cswd]

Quite amusing!

Ironically Swiss people all speak perfect English unless they don't like you (just like the Welsh).

[RFH Customer: Jon Freeman]

Quite amusing!

Ironically Swiss people all speak perfect English unless they don't like you (just like the Welsh).

Dim yn siarad Cymraeg then, cswd? ([you] don't speak Welsh)

I don't btw. Had some happy years living in North Wales though.

[RFH Customer: cswd]

Did you ever get served in a pub. I went to Bangor once and got ignored!!!

[RFH Customer: Jon Freeman]

Did you ever get served in a pub. I went to Bangor once and got ignored!!!

Loads of times....

I lived near Llandudno but used to play music in an Irish session in Bangor. Also played in a Welsh session there once and was the only one who could not speak Welsh but was welcomed. Wish I could have made it more.

It can be quite a mixed community esp with the university there. One session used to get a few foriegn language students coming in to listen during thier term time.

Upper Bangor used to have a reputation of bieng a bit "odd" though. I don't know. I never tried one of the strongly Welsh (as first) language pubs. It could be English would not be specially appreciated.

There is all sorts of history, some Welsh (quite reasonably IMO) do not like it that thier language has been largely taken over in a lot of areas. Worse than that, I know a friend of my father who is say 65. As recently as that, a school he went to as a kid banned (yes punishable) the speaking of Welsh, his native tongue.

I try to see both sides.