From The Times:
"PRESIDENT CHIRAC stormed out of the first session of a European Union summit dominated by a row over French nationalism because a fellow Frenchman insisted on speaking English.
President Chirac and three of his ministers walked out of the room when Ernest-Antoine Seillière, the leader of the European business lobby UNICE, punctured Gallic pride by insisting on speaking the language of Shakespeare rather than that of Molière.
When M Seillière, who is an English-educated steel baron, started a presentation to all 25 EU leaders, President Chirac interrupted to ask why he was speaking in English. M Seillière explained: “I’m going to speak in English because that is the language of business.”
Without saying another word, President Chirac, who lived in the US as a student and speaks fluent English, walked out, followed by his Foreign, Finance and Europe ministers, leaving the 24 other European leaders stunned. They returned only after M Seilière had finished speaking.
The meeting was furnished with full interpretation services, and anyone in the room could speak or listen in any of the 20 official EU languages. Embarrassed French diplomats tried to explain away the walk-out, saying that their ministers all needed a toilet break at the same time."
Parlez vous franglais?
2 commentaires:
Rajtha fl-EU Observer din. Naħseb li Chirac qed jgħaġġibha, u bil-kbir. Fl-UE u barra minnha nemmen li wieħed għandu jħossu komdu jikkomunika mal-pubbliku fil-lingwa ta' l-ieħor, jekk hekk jixtieq. Din l-għażla mhux bilfors hija sintomatika ta' subordinazzjoni lingwistika. Biex nisraq kliem David, "il-kuntest kollox".
Fermo restando, ma naqbilx li l-Ingliż huwa esklużivament il-lingwa tan-negozju, hekk kif il-lingwi tal-globalizzazzjoni (ekonomika u mhix) huma pluralità, mhux ilsien wieħed biss. Ta' min Chirac jikkjarifika l-motiv tar-reazzjoni tiegħu.
Tali kjarifika gier tappurtata fuq reuters u fuq The Laughing Fit http://akkuzatnejn.blogspot.com
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