Why Is Worrying About Written English Considered Snobbish?

[Guest X-QUORK]

Having spent a bit of time in Paris and other parts of France I'd agree with Prescience, on the whole the French are incredibly polite and courteous to strangers, however Paris is a completely different kettle of fish. Even so, it's still my favourite European capital by a long shot.

[Guest theboltonfury]

Ah BF: what one must first understand is that Parisians believe the sun shines insofar as they are concerned.

Everyone else in France is a stumbling peasant. And as for foreigners..................

To a died-in-the Wool Parisian, those from the far South next the Pyrenees are not just peasant but totally beyond the pale and closely realated to cattle.

Hence the idiomatic expression, " Je fait (Whatever one does) comme la vache Espagnol !"

Which means do things clumsily; based on the reality that since the Basque region of France and Spain kept swapping its jurisdiction between France and Spain for hundreds of years, every time the two countries were at war, then for 50 years the peasants spoke Spanish: then French; then Spanish again then French etc and finished up speaking Batua, the Basque language and fractured French and Catalan Spanish!

Don't know if anyone remembers the first wonderful series of Hello Hello: one of the barmaids was dark haired and spoke her part in a very heavy gutteral way with much spitting!

And Rene always used to say "Please forgive her: she is from ze South!"

And that's how the Basque French speak French!

Now meanwhile, the rest of France thinks the Parisians are totally up themselves, pretentious and unbearable.

Paris in any case, is not prototypical of the country: anymore than is London.

Taxis rip you off at every opportunity: bars and restaurants shamelessly pad tourist's bills: and le Milieu (Underground) rob tourists as a sport. Many Parisian coppers in any case are Corsicans and in the Union Corse!

Some nice crumpet though.......................

I've often wondered how Yves St. Lauren, who was born in Oran Algeria and Dior, who was born in Granville, Normandy, did so well, since they would have been considered beneath slugs by the Paris haute monde!

I am Italian by birth and the same North South divide exists - maybe worse there. Le terrone (the peasants) is the friendly terms for anyone south of Firenze. It is not well received by the south.

There is actually a bit of a mild uprising too in Italy at just how their language is completely slipping into Americanisms. Il Weekend, il test etc. Some of the grammar has become most sloppy. You'd be disgusted.

[Guest X-QUORK]

I am Italian by birth and the same North South divide exists - maybe worse there. Le terrone (the peasants) is the friendly terms for anyone south of Firenze. It is not well received by the south.

There is actually a bit of a mild uprising too in Italy at just how their language is completely slipping into Americanisms. Il Weekend, il test etc. Some of the grammar has become most sloppy. You'd be disgusted.

Il Furio?

[Guest theboltonfury]

Il Furio?

I think 'Il furbo' would be more appropriate.

Look it up.

[Guest X-QUORK]

I think 'Il furbo' would be more appropriate.

Look it up.

The Clever One?

[Prescience]

I am Italian by birth and the same North South divide exists - maybe worse there. Le terrone (the peasants) is the friendly terms for anyone south of Firenze. It is not well received by the south.

There is actually a bit of a mild uprising too in Italy at just how their language is completely slipping into Americanisms. Il Weekend, il test etc. Some of the grammar has become most sloppy. You'd be disgusted.

I understand with the revival of the League of Lombardy into the Northern League (Think it's called?) the Northern bankers, industrialists and exporters are becoming pretty hacked off since.........." the Southern peasants simply want to sit in the sun and swig wine!"

Now: who is actually stupid?

Last time I was in Milan on a biz trip I would have swapped anywhere on the Italian Med or Adriatic for that gloomy city: it was Winter though to be fair.

[Guest theboltonfury]

The Clever One?

A general term for sly, cunning and clever.

If an Italian evaded tax, he would not consider himself a criminal. he would be furbo.

Edit - I do NOT evade tax!