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Terence Stamp ... English is now like a foreign language
Hotgossip
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3167654/SEBASTIAN-SHAKESPEARE-English-foreign-language-London-says-Terence-Stamp.html
Having visited other major towns and cities recently, I think he's right and I also think it's a great shame that we often feel like the outsiders in our own country.
Having visited other major towns and cities recently, I think he's right and I also think it's a great shame that we often feel like the outsiders in our own country.
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It's the truth, but no doubt he will get criticised for it.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/6418456/Labour-wanted-mass-immigration-to-make-UK-more-multicultural-says-former-adviser.html
No sign there of any plan to make English a minority language!
Some of the kids, whilst they can understand punjabi, will always answer in english. A couple of them cant even string a couple of sentence together in punjabi. I think its quite sad, that they cant. If the parents have grown up here, the chances are that kids will be speaking english as their main language. The older generation (50+), not so much.
As for the Eastern Europeans, yes I bet they speak their mother tongue. However by the second generation (as with Asians), they (the kids) will be speaking English as their main language.
So I dont think anyone needs to worry about English not being the main language in the UK.
Living in London myself I can honestly say there are particularly a large amount of people from Eastern European countries, and the language I hear is mainly polish.
Good sensible post but unfortunately some folk latch on to these sorts of stories to confirm their own prejudices.
A handful of families emigrating from Pakistan. Own a string of corner shops.
A few from China. Work in local takeaway.
A few from Turkey (I think). Work in local kebab shops.
An Italian girl at school. (Very pretty).
One Jamaican once. Funny guy, Used to come in and play pool for a couple of weeks.
Three French girls on some school holiday when I was about 15. First and last time someone came to my town on holiday for no good reason like partner or work. That boggled my mind at the time "you're on holiday.....here?".
And 4 Polish folk I worked with for a summer who were the best people at that job (temp and manual) that we ever had.
So all positive so far.
I guess the city experience (especially London, Birmingham, Bradford, Leeds?) is very different? You probably meet more immigrants in one day than I have in my immediate area in my life.
Very different worlds and concerns.
See what you did there
How can that possibly be true? Do Poles follow you around?
I had worked with Mr Stamp on two occasions. He seemed serious and a little arrogant, but he was lovely if a little shy and introspective at first. When he had a bit of alcohol in him during meals, he offered fantastic anecdotes. Almost all ended up in his book, so there's nothing for me to share here. Yeah, I have a soft spot for the man.
Bless him. Speaking from a party in mayfair is rather ironic. His language seems to be bullshine. Amazingly he mentions women with lots of children wearing scarves as an example, no prizes for guessing who he means, yet he grew up in the eastend. Does he really want to integrate with people he looks down on? I wonder how hard he tries. A dollop of snobbery stirred gently with a dollop of xenophobia.
Heh, good work.
Do people have to be followed around for them to hear what language other people speak? You could be just simply be walking past people in the street and you hear all varieties of languages spoken - it's not hard to grasp.
As it happens I know and associate with polish people and encounter many in London. Therefore, I'm merely saying a lot of the foreign language heard is mostly polish although I do hear English also.
That's fair enough, but if you are involved or work with Poles then yes you will hear Polish predominantly. But the average person in London will not, maybe a few but that's all.
http://www.sneps.net/images/graphi28.gif
british born people are the majority then.