Bilingual clap trap.
- Thread starter Diesel
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Actually, when the stereotypical Englishman goes abroad, he simply shouts louder and speaks slower to get his point across. Look at the English retirement enclaves in Spain - they spend all day drinking lager, speaking English, even reading English language newspapers. No effort to learn the language or integrate.
Were there laws passed to prevent the speaking and teaching of Gaelic in schools? That's why there's been such a Welsh language revival in the last couple of decades, they're reacting to almost making the language extinct (by force, rather than non-use) by forcing everyone to learn it.
Typical governmental overreaction. It'll balance out eventually.
Again, was Irish banned by law previously?
Pardon?The only thing I grope is my lady.
Where did I display any hostility or hatred of the English in this thread? You upset because I pointed out your poo poo? I am merely saying what did happen.
"The origin of this popular belief is difficult to trace. In the 16th century, Boece referred to the decree of the Scottish king Evenus III that "the lord of the ground shall have the maidenhead of all virgins dwelling on the same". Legend has it that Saint Margaret procured the replacement of jus primae noctis with a bridal tax called merchet. King Evenus III did not exist, and Boece included much clearly fictional material in his account."
Yes well done, you read the wiki page. Did you not read my post? Where I said I did not believe it took place, but other atrocities were.
You sir, are Major n00b.
Its the only time its happened here though, so I fail to accept your premise.
English lords and soldiers of the Crown raped and pillaged, burn and killed.
Does that make you feel better?
I am not accusing betty down the street, or young christopher at school. I think you are reading far too into the semantics to actually avoid a constructive argument.
Robin Cook, the late foreign secretary, conceded that it was in the nature of the European Union to welcome all-comers and that Scotland would be a member.
Wouldn't see it being a problem myself, just anti-nationalist cladtrap.
Although I did read about some EU fisheries commissioner saying otherwise. That in his view, an independent Scotland would remain outside the EU until it had completed the formal application process - in the same way as Eastern European states have done in recent years.
That application process would be much easier than for the new accession states because Scotland has been in the EU for 30 years, but it would probably take months, maybe even years, to complete, with all the other member states having to approve the country's membership before it could join.
But all conjecture anyway.
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Man of Honour
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Robin Cook, the late foreign secretary, conceded that it was in the nature of the European Union to welcome all-comers and that Scotland would be a member.
Wouldn't see it being a problem myself, just anti-nationalist cladtrap.
We might be getting a bit off topic here but it could (read as almost certainly would) still require some renegotiation, I know the EU is inclusive however that doesn't mean that certain conditions do not have to be met. It might or might not be smooth but I find it doesn't do to assume that politics will ever be done the simple way, stupidity exists in many guises it is just politics displays them more prominently than most.
//edit I started the reply before your edit, I'd agree with that mostly.
You could re-read your post and substitute some group other than "the English". In your head, turn it into a comment on how bad "the Jews" are, or "the blacks" or even "the Scots". Would you dismiss that as "semantics"?
Yes, the Penal Laws sought to wipe out all Gaelic culture and Catholicism in Ireland. Gaelic was seen as a major barrier in conquering the country, so all teaching of the language was outlawed. 100s of illegal Gaelic "Hedge schools" formed, but the perpetrators were jailed/executed, and their houses and crops burned. It was a lost cause.
It was the Famine in 1845 that saw the majority Gaelic-speaking population fall from 8 million to under 4 million. 2 million died, the rest emigrated. The famine hardened Irish hatred for Britain whose mercantilist policies they blamed for starvation.
After Independence, the government made Irish the first official language in the Constitution, thus Irish became a mandatory subject in all schools. But the curriculum focused on Irish literature and poetry instead of actually teaching people how to speak it. This caused even more damage to the language.
It remains a mandatory subject today, but only recently have they changed the curriculum to focus on speaking it rather than reading and writing. We'll have to wait another 6 years to see if it makes any difference.
I hated the language in school, but I believe making Irish (and Welsh for that matter) optional would certainly put the final nail in the coffin. Irish will remain mandatory in all schools until the Irish people vote to abolish the language from the constitution in a referendum. That's never going to happen.
Visually the syntax is completely random, too few letters are used too frequently, and orally it sounds like a dyslexic deaf child trying to beatbox whilst sucking a werthers original.
Dont worry about it, stick to something simple then...
I'm as far from a Welsh Nationalist as can be, but reading some of the replies in the thread makes me think they actually have a point about some things. I have never encountered such ignorance.
I used to think the English were ok
