Thread for Things That Made You Frown Today

[Kastrel]

Kastrel we're going to need to see some pics of this place, inside and out. A pizza place that apparently has shitty pizza, shitty owners who like to fuck with potential employees and customers, shitty looking employees. How has this place not burned to the ground already by the sheer awfulness of it?

It hasn't been there long. It very recently replaced a pizza parlor that had been there since before I was born. I wouldn't say their pizza is shitty, but its quite inferior to the pizza place before. I'd say give it some time though.

My friend also suspects it might be run by the mafia, because an obese, difficult to understand, old Italian man sits outside at a table gibbering incoherently and seems to be in charge of the place. But until people start going missing, I'll reserve judgement.

[Atlanteax]

Let's face it...if you are an American teaching your child(ren) languages and one of them isn't spanish then you are a fucking moron.

Only need to learn English. This is a mandatory secondary language to learn for most other nations, due to the importance of trade with the U.S.

[4a6c1]

French is also heavily in use, especially in Europe and Asia. I didn't know until recently that 35 countries have french speaking populations not including Africa which has several dozen french sounding dialects. Many japanese people speak german, for whatever reason. Italians are like us, they only love their native language and when they learn another it's usually spanish. Latin and Central Americans make the best translators...a spanish speaking brain can be mutated for any language. English and Chinese people have in common that their language is so complicated that most rural communities don't speak *any* language correctly. RAMBLINGS.

[Tisket]

Only need to learn English. This is a mandatory secondary language to learn for most other nations, due to the importance of trade with the U.S.

And yet, most of us can't carry on a simple conversation with a vast swath of our very own population. There is nothing wrong with being an insular prick so, when choosing a language to teach your children, go ahead and choose something they are less likely to need on a day-to-day basis than Spanish. There is nothing wrong with other languages. I just personally think that, if they already speak English, it would be stupid to choose a different language than Spanish as the first to teach a child.

Unless, of course, you are going to live in Russia or China.

[Tgo01]

Every child should be taught Klingon as soon as possible.

[Atlanteax]

French is also heavily in use, especially in Europe and Asia. I didn't know until recently that 35 countries have french speaking populations not including Africa which has several dozen french sounding dialects.

French colonial legacy ... France was also the dominant power on the European continent for a long time, so it behooved other European nobles to learn French for diplomancy purposes.

Many japanese people speak german, for whatever reason.

For the purpose of trade relations with Germany.

Italians are like us, they only love their native language and when they learn another it's usually spanish. Latin and Central Americans make the best translators...a spanish speaking brain can be mutated for any language. English and Chinese people have in common that their language is so complicated that most rural communities don't speak *any* language correctly. RAMBLINGS.

Heh, local dialects?

[Tisket]

Every child should be taught Klingon as soon as possible.

My son speaks that one too.

[Delias]

And yet, most of us can't carry on a simple conversation with a vast swath of our very own population. There is nothing wrong with being an insular prick so, when choosing a language to teach your children, go ahead and choose something they are less likely to need on a day-to-day basis than Spanish. There is nothing wrong with other languages. I just personally think that, if they already speak English, it would be stupid to choose a different language than Spanish as the first to teach a child.

Unless, of course, you are going to live in Russia or China.

Or ukraine.

[Latrinsorm]

Kastrel we're going to need to see some pics of this place, inside and out. A pizza place that apparently has shitty pizza, shitty owners who like to fuck with potential employees and customers, shitty looking employees. How has this place not burned to the ground already by the sheer awfulness of it?

The free market would insure that it had, so obviously they're getting handouts from Obama.

English and Chinese people have in common that their language is so complicated that most rural communities don't speak *any* language correctly. RAMBLINGS.

Como se dice in Chinese, "THESE COLORS DON'T RUN"?

French colonial legacy ... France was also the dominant power on the European continent for a long time, so it behooved other European nobles to learn French for diplomancy purposes.

It was the "lingua franca" if you will.

[Atlanteax]

And yet, most of us can't carry on a simple conversation with a vast swath of our very own population. There is nothing wrong with being an insular prick so, when choosing a language to teach your children, go ahead and choose something they are less likely to need on a day-to-day basis than Spanish. There is nothing wrong with other languages. I just personally think that, if they already speak English, it would be stupid to choose a different language than Spanish as the first to teach a child.

I'd venture a good part of communication issues domestically is the emergence of the internet ... and the distortion of dialogue into lingo (LOL/etc) being something that anyone using the internet easily grasps. Pretty scary to think that *THAT* could be the norm for how people communicate in the future.

In the meantime, English is currently the 'universal language' for international trade, and just as the status continues to be more entrenched as the international reserve currency, English will persist in being so, with it being the primary secondary language in Europe and Asia (self-reinforcing as subsequent generations learn English as well).

All due to it being the British that sowed the seeds of a global hegemon.