Second language

30 Jan 2013

Quote by flower411
Well !!!!
I must admit I`d never really thought about it before so I had no idea which language was most widely spoken in the UK after English...
Blimey ..... it`s Polish ! Who would have thought it ?
I suppose, if asked, I may have guessed at Indian but then aren`t there loads of Indian languages so not even all the commonwealth immigrants from India speak the same language .
So who else is surprised ?

I am not surprised. But not to worry cometh the Election and UKIP get in, we can send all the foreigners back home were they came from. Let's not just claim our country back, claim our language and all our jobs too. If we go back as far as the 1960's we can claim all our houses back too. In fact fuck it, let's kick everyone out with any Roman or Norman Genes.
Mandatory gene test for all.

30 Jan 2013

Quote by flower411
Well !!!!
I must admit I`d never really thought about it before so I had no idea which language was most widely spoken in the UK after English...
Blimey ..... it`s Polish ! Who would have thought it ?
I suppose, if asked, I may have guessed at Indian but then aren`t there loads of Indian languages so not even all the commonwealth immigrants from India speak the same language .
So who else is surprised ?

I am not surprised. But not to worry cometh the Election and UKIP get in, we can send all the foreigners back home were they came from. Let's not just claim our country back, claim our language and all our jobs too. If we go back as far as the 1960's we can claim all our houses back too. In fact fuck it, let's kick everyone out with any Roman or Norman Genes.
Mandatory gene test for all.
What ? You mean I could get a job picking apples or cleaning in a hospital ?
Sweet :bounce:
No, yer a fecking Huguenot, out.

30 Jan 2013

Quote by flower411
Well !!!!
I must admit I`d never really thought about it before so I had no idea which language was most widely spoken in the UK after English...
Blimey ..... it`s Polish ! Who would have thought it ?

FFS, noone tell Star, we'll be here all bloody week! :shock: Flower, you're a twat sometimes, d'you know that? rotflmao

Quote by Too Hot
I am not surprised. But not to worry cometh the Election and UKIP get in, we can send all the foreigners back home were they came from. Let's not just claim our country back, claim our language and all our jobs too. If we go back as far as the 1960's we can claim all our houses back too. In fact fuck it, let's kick everyone out with any Roman or Norman Genes.
Mandatory gene test for all.

If UKIP winning an election coincides with Alex Salmond winning Scottish independence I might just claim my right to wear the Buchanan and bugger of back to Scotland. Free prescriptions and university fees innit. Me teeth need doing and at the ripe old age of 43 I finally know what I might want to do with my life. Bring it on. D'you think UKIP might subsidise it a la Enoch Powell's proposal IIRC? ;)

30 Jan 2013

Quote by neilinleeds
Well !!!!
I must admit I`d never really thought about it before so I had no idea which language was most widely spoken in the UK after English...
Blimey ..... it`s Polish ! Who would have thought it ?

FFS, noone tell Star, we'll be here all bloody week! :shock: Flower, you're a twat sometimes, d'you know that? rotflmao

I could teach you all my second language, it is called gibberish he would never understand that wink

30 Jan 2013

:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:
I'm sure none of us could possibly say mate. T'is truly a mystery of our times. confused

31 Jan 2013

Twating Doughnuts .....they cause so much trouble bolt

31 Jan 2013

Quote by flower411
Well !!!!
I must admit I`d never really thought about it before so I had no idea which language was most widely spoken in the UK after English...
Blimey ..... it`s Polish ! Who would have thought it ?

Quote by neilinleeds
FFS, noone tell Star, we'll be here all bloody week! :shock: Flower, you're a twat sometimes, d'you know that?

I think that was the exact intention of the thread to be honest, and I would hate to disappoint anyone Neil.
I was also suprised it was Polish being honest as I kinda thought it would be Punjabi or Urdu. I am not that bothered about Polish being the second most spoken language to be honest, but I am a bit worried about the other figures published in the papers today.
More than FOUR million people in England and Wales, one in 12 of the population have a non-English Mother tongue, the latest Census stats show.
The real worry is the who speak no English at all ( how can they possibly integrate then? ). One million homes now have no native English speakers, with London being the most diverse area, no surprise there really.
In Lincs two out of five immigrants said they could not speak English at all or not very well, makes me wonder though how they managed to do the Census then.

31 Jan 2013

Quote by starlightcouple
I think that was the exact intention of the thread to be honest, and I would hate to disappoint anyone Neil.
I was also suprised it was Polish being honest as I kinda thought it would be Punjabi or Urdu. I am not that bothered about Polish being the second most spoken language to be honest, but I am a bit worried about the other figures published in the papers today.
More than FOUR million people in England and Wales, one in 12 of the population have a non-English Mother tongue, the latest Census stats show.
The real worry is the who speak no English at all ( how can they possibly integrate then? ). One million homes now have no native English speakers, with London being the most diverse area, no surprise there really.
In Lincs two out of five immigrants said they could not speak English at all or not very well, makes me wonder though how they managed to do the Census then.

138,000 speak no English at all out of a population of 65,000,000 is 0.2% of the population. Is that a big deal? I wonder how many of the million or so Brits in Spain are now fully fluent in Spanish - then consider the relevance of the "story." Our local college is FULL of Eastern Europeans doing English nightclasses (after doing a full days work).
One million homes have no native English speakers...What is the significance of this? That there are so many (or so few??) paying rent/mortgages and integrating themselves into society? One minute you complain they don't integrate and send all their money home and now (presumably) they are not just stealing jobs - but homes too?
It seems to me Star that you have a real problem with anyone who does not stack up to your version of what English/British should be. London is the greatest city in the world BECAUSE of its cultural diversity. My personal life and that of my friends and family has been greatly enriched by multi culturism BECAUSE we embraced it instead of fearing it.

31 Jan 2013

Too Hot, I'm sure I never used to agree with you quite so much as I find myself doing lately. What happened there then? Say something controversial I can get all indignant about, see if we can't restore some balance here, eh? ;)
The figures in themselves are pretty meaningless without more to go on that would help us interpret them. For example, I wonder how many of the four million where English is listed as their second language might be Welsh patriots? Might be none of them did that, could be loads. That could put a bit of a different complexion on the numbers far as what should be understood from them goes, couldn't it? That might be complete bollox, but you take my point, purely by way of illustration? In any event, English being your second language does not in any way suggest none-fluency in English, or have any meaning whatsoever as far as the prospects for integration are concerned. Lots of third generation Asians might list Punjabi or Hindi as their first language cos that's what is spoken at home. Doesn't mean these people couldn't also be lawyers and doctors or whatever whose fluency with the English language is better than mine, does it?
138,000, how are we to understand that? That there are Asian women, some new arrivals, some who've been here fifty years but have barely integrated into English society generally because back home they would not have integrated socially beyond immediate family, friends, other female or religious circles anyways, it's a cultural thing? Sure, there'll definitely be some there, we all know it exists. There will also be the newly arrived wives and children of immigrants who have preceded them and settled into work, or business here, and are now in a position to bring across their loved ones, as should be their right. They can't speak English at the moment, but that's not to say they won't be pretty fluent by the time the next census comes round I assure you, their kids will be English school educated. That's the thing with the census, it's a snapshot in time and subject to change. What d'you reckon the split is between the first group I listed, and the second? I dunno.

London is the greatest city in the world BECAUSE of its cultural diversity. My personal life and that of my friends and family has been greatly enriched by multi culturism BECAUSE we embraced it instead of fearing it.

The same could be said of any major city. The culture of this country and the daily lives of everyone here have been enriched immeasurably by immigrant communities. Try getting a salt beef bagel when you fancy one without Jews moving their community and their wealth here, think banking and finance have generally done well out of that too. If we're being mercenary about it that's just one example without which I can assure you this country just would not be what it is. That should be acknowledged for the simple truth that it is, instead of this constant yelping about the destruction of our English culture harking back to a golden age that always was a myth anyways.

31 Jan 2013

Quote by neilinleeds
Too Hot, I'm sure I never used to agree with you quite so much as I find myself doing lately. What happened there then? Say something controversial I can get all indignant about, see if we can't restore some balance here, eh? ;)
The figures in themselves are pretty meaningless without more to go on that would help us interpret them. For example, I wonder how many of the four million where English is listed as their second language might be Welsh patriots? Might be none of them did that, could be loads. That could put a bit of a different complexion on the numbers far as what should be understood from them goes, couldn't it? That might be complete bollox, but you take my point, purely by way of illustration? In any event, English being your second language does not in any way suggest none-fluency in English, or have any meaning whatsoever as far as the prospects for integration are concerned. Lots of third generation Asians might list Punjabi or Hindi as their first language cos that's what is spoken at home. Doesn't mean these people couldn't also be lawyers and doctors or whatever whose fluency with the English language is better than mine, does it?
138,000, how are we to understand that? That there are Asian women, some new arrivals, some who've been here fifty years but have barely integrated into English society generally because back home they would not have integrated socially beyond immediate family, friends, other female or religious circles anyways, it's a cultural thing? Sure, there'll definitely be some there, we all know it exists. There will also be the newly arrived wives and children of immigrants who have preceded them and settled into work, or business here, and are now in a position to bring across their loved ones, as should be their right. They can't speak English at the moment, but that's not to say they won't be pretty fluent by the time the next census comes round I assure you, their kids will be English school educated. That's the thing with the census, it's a snapshot in time and subject to change. What d'you reckon the split is between the first group I listed, and the second? I dunno.
London is the greatest city in the world BECAUSE of its cultural diversity. My personal life and that of my friends and family has been greatly enriched by multi culturism BECAUSE we embraced it instead of fearing it.

The same could be said of any major city. The culture of this country and the daily lives of everyone here have been enriched immeasurably by immigrant communities. Try getting a salt beef bagel when you fancy one without Jews moving their community and their wealth here, think banking and finance have generally done well out of that too. If we're being mercenary about it that's just one example without which I can assure you this country just would not be what it is. That should be acknowledged for the simple truth that it is, instead of this constant yelping about the destruction of our English culture harking back to a golden age that always was a myth anyways.
I guess my views have been developed like most people's as a consequence of their life experiences.
I don't buy the anti immigration pitch at all. Much travelling and reading and trying to understand history and culture has made me realise that immigration is an absolute necessity. In this particular decade of immigration I also happen to have a personal an intimate interest and this has further strengthened those views.
I have other views which you may not find palatable but we can't all be the same can we?
I think that once we turn 18 we have to bear the consequences of our decision making and I feel that far too much pity is handed out in the form of cash payments to people who made piss poor life choices. On the other hand I feel that the genuinely unfortunate in life should be cared for better than they are now. Taking personal responsibility for your lot is a fundamental requirement in a progressive society and it can't be that the government has to continuously support the thick, the stupid, the idle and the tossers - there are far more deserving causes and the country cannot afford to support people who shot themselves in the foot when they should be supporting those who have been shot in the foot by someone else.
As a consequence of the type of work that I do I do feel that this country is trying to maintain its population in a comfortable lifestyle that it (the country) simply cannot afford. Broadly speaking we are now a nation made up of people in poorly paid jobs that offer little to no security. These jobs are also being undertaken in many poorer countries that do not have the same living expenses as here in the UK and those governments do not have to support their low paid workers. This will never be the fault of any UK Government, it is just the way of the world and I don't see welfare support increasing I see people having to work harder for longer and for less money to survive and I don't see that as a bad thing.