French is out of fashion in Rwanda

[Leafless]

When Governor General Michaëlle Jean visits Rwanda next week she might have to bite her tongue about the country’s new language policy. After a century of close ties to France and Belgium, the East African nation is phasing out français and embracing English. “English is becoming more and more dominant in the world,” says Arnaud Nkusi, anchor of Rwanda’s state-owned TV news. “It’s all about business. You have to move with the rest of the world.”

http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/04/22/french-is-out-of-fashion-in-rwanda/

When will French Canadians come out of the stone age and learn the English language, like they are currently doing in Rwanda.

[CANADIEN]

When Governor General Michaëlle Jean visits Rwanda next week she might have to bite her tongue about the country’s new language policy. After a century of close ties to France and Belgium, the East African nation is phasing out français and embracing English. “English is becoming more and more dominant in the world,” says Arnaud Nkusi, anchor of Rwanda’s state-owned TV news. “It’s all about business. You have to move with the rest of the world.”

http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/04/22/french-is-out-of-fashion-in-rwanda/

When will French Canadians come out of the stone age and learn the English language, like they are currently doing in Rwanda.

A more appropriate question would be when will YOU get out of the stone age and start getting a clue.

If you did, you would know that the life of most Rwandans is not gonna get affected very much as a result of the country's government deciding to change what foreign (as in non-Rwandan) language it is gonna use in dealing with the rest of the world. And you would know that this has no bearing of the RIGHTS of Canadians.

At least now you've hinted at your real agenda - the disparition fo the French language from Canada. Unfortunately (for you, not the country), you're dreaming in blakc and white (I'd say technicolour, but that's too evolved for you).

Edited April 22, 2010 by CANADIEN

[Shwa]

A more appropriate question would be when will YOU get out of the stone age and start getting a clue.

If you did, you would know that the life of most Rwandans is not gonna get affected very much as a result of the country's government deciding to change what foreign (as in non-Rwandan) language it is gonna use in dealing with the rest of the world. And you would know that this has no bearing of the RIGHTS of Canadians.

At least now you've hinted at your real agenda - the disparition fo the French language from Canada. Unfortunately (for you, not the country), you're dreaming in blakc and white (I'd say technicolour, but that's too evolved for you).

I am curious Canadien, why do you keep feeding this tête carré troll? Unless you would like to discuss the fact that there are still tête carré trolls in the modern age. You'd think that tête carré trolls like Leafless would use the Internet to get a clue instead of demonstrating they don't possess any. Now he is comparing Canada with, gawd, Rawanda. Yikes!

[M.Dancer]

I am curious Canadien, why do you keep feeding this tête carré troll? Unless you would like to discuss the fact that there are still tête carré trolls in the modern age. You'd think that tête carré trolls like Leafless would use the Internet to get a clue instead of demonstrating they don't possess any. Now he is comparing Canada with, gawd, Rawanda. Yikes!

I'm curious why you feel that using racist names is appropriate?

Mind you, you are not much better than Leafless to begin with..

[Leafless]

A more appropriate question would be when will YOU get out of the stone age and start getting a clue.

Get off the pot Canadien and admit that you detest the success of the English language in Canada and throughout the world.

If you did, you would know that the life of most Rwandans is not gonna get affected very much as a result of the country's government deciding to change what foreign (as in non-Rwandan) language it is gonna use in dealing with the rest of the world.

Sure...and that is why English is replacing French as the language of instruction in the countries schools and thousands of Rwandan schoolteachers were fired because they could not teach the new English language.

And you would know that this has no bearing of the RIGHTS of Canadians.

Right.... this is Canada and not Rwanda.

At least now you've hinted at your real agenda - the disparition fo the French language from Canada.

"Disparition fo the French language from Canada"....Whatever that is suppose to mean.

My only agenda is to see Canada succeed and not become any more of a crippled linguistic basket case than it already is.

Edited April 23, 2010 by Leafless

[M.Dancer]

"Disparition fo the French language from Canada"....Whatever that is suppose to mean.

It's english..obviously the french have succeded..and you can't understand english anymore...

Dis`pa`ri´tion

n. 1. Act of disappearing; disappearance.

[Leafless]

Dis`pa`ri´tion

n. 1. Act of disappearing; disappearance.

'Disparition' is a French word and is not an English word.

[M.Dancer]

'Disparition' is a French word and is not an English word.

See how effective the french conspiracy is....they got you thinking that good english words are french...

http://www.webster-dictionary.net/definition/Disparition

Next you will be saying that accomadation, accord and ambience are french...

[CANADIEN]

I am curious Canadien, why do you keep feeding this tête carré troll? Unless you would like to discuss the fact that there are still tête carré trolls in the modern age. You'd think that tête carré trolls like Leafless would use the Internet to get a clue instead of demonstrating they don't possess any. Now he is comparing Canada with, gawd, Rawanda. Yikes!

What can Isay... seeing people make fools of themselves time and time again amuses me.

[CANADIEN]

Get off the pot Canadien and admit that you detest the success of the English language in Canada and throughout the world.

(warning: sarcasm follows) Actually, I am an alien... and I mean from another solar system, not another country. And that statement is as true as my alleged hatred of the English language. (end of sarcasm)

[August1991]

When will French Canadians come out of the stone age and learn the English language, like they are currently doing in Rwanda.

When will French people speak English? Well, when will left-handed people choose to write with their right hand?

Will left-handed people ever come out of the stone age and use their right hand?

Leafless, we live in a world where some people are different. Like it or not, it's probably a good thing because putting all your eggs in one basket, as they say, is risky. It's safer to do things differently sometimes, just in case. No?

-----

As to Rwanda, you thankfully didn't blame French-Canadians for the genocide. Or am I wrong about your logic?

Edited April 24, 2010 by August1991

[Leafless]

I am curious Canadien, why do you keep feeding this tête carré troll?

Tete carre?

At least mine is white and not one with a feather sticking out of it.

Obviously you do not have an inkling who the real troll is.

[CANADIEN]

I am curious Canadien, why do you keep feeding this tête carré troll?

Tete carre?

At least mine is white and not one with a feather sticking out of it.

Obviously you do not have an inkling who the real troll is.

His and your racist epithets aside, he is indeed off the mark. You are no troll - merely a clueless loser.

Edited April 24, 2010 by CANADIEN

[Leafless]

Leafless, we live in a world where some people are different.

They can be different as they want, just as long as they pay for their own different ideologies.

As to Rwanda, you thankfully didn't blame French-Canadians for the genocide. Or am I wrong about your logic?

Genocide...that is a horrible thing for you to suggest.

My logic dictates if Rwanda, an emerging competitive African country, can recognize that the English language is the common language of work and buisness, then why is it Quebec could never do the same.

[CANADIEN]

They can be different as they want, just as long as they pay for their own different ideologies.

Here we go again. Waiting for the proof (that shall never come) that I don't pay taxes.

Genocide...that is a horrible thing for you to suggest.

That or screaming nazi...

My logic dictates if Rwanda, an emerging competitive African country, can recognize that the English language is the common language of work and buisness, then why is it Quebec could never do the same.

When it comes from you, logic should come between quotation mark, so that people won't confuse it with the real thing.

In the real world, Rwanda is barely emerging from the traumatism caused by the geneocide. In the real world, over 1.3 billion Chinese would chuckle at the notion of English as the common language. In the real world, what second language two people with different first language are likely to use when talking with each other has nothing to do with what Canadian languages Canadians have the right to use when dealing with their government.

[Leafless]

You are no troll - merely a clueless loser.

Speaking of clueless losers, my 'real troll comment' was directed at you as being the real troll.

To bad you did not get it.

And I could very well be a loser, as well as million of other Canadians who were not born francophone and do not get to eat the icing off the cake, thanks to a dysfunctional, irresponsible federal government.

[CANADIEN]

Speaking of clueless losers, my 'real troll comment' was directed at you as being the real troll.

To bad you did not get it.

Don't worry, I knew you were that delusional.

And I could very well be a loser

You are, having lost touch of reality a lng time ago.

as well as million of other Canadians who were not born francophone and do not get to eat the icing off the cake, thanks to a dysfunctional, irresponsible federal government.

They, unlike you, are imaginary.

Edited April 25, 2010 by CANADIEN

[Shwa]

I'm curious why you feel that using racist names is appropriate?

Unless English bigots have now formed a race, I doubt tête carré is racist. Besides, I am English and I wouldn't consider myself a tête carré, nor any of the people I choose to associate with. So you are a wee bit off the mark there genius. You're such a square. Oops, was that "racist" too? Thanks for coming out. (of the closet)

Mind you, you are not much better than Leafless to begin with..

Ooo, a drunk taking another shot. So what else is new?

[Shwa]

At least mine is white and not one with a feather sticking out of it.

Brilliant comeback grampa. "At least" you didn't compare Canada with Rawanda. Oops. You did.

[Machjo]

When Governor General Michaëlle Jean visits Rwanda next week she might have to bite her tongue about the country’s new language policy. After a century of close ties to France and Belgium, the East African nation is phasing out français and embracing English. “English is becoming more and more dominant in the world,” says Arnaud Nkusi, anchor of Rwanda’s state-owned TV news. “It’s all about business. You have to move with the rest of the world.”

http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/04/22/french-is-out-of-fashion-in-rwanda/

When will French Canadians come out of the stone age and learn the English language, like they are currently doing in Rwanda.

Rwanda seems to be repeating the same mistake it had committed earlier. By requiring all students to learn French, it essentially cut the country off from the non-French-speaking world to a degree. Now that it's going wholesaele to English, it'll essentially be cutting itself off from the non-English-speaking world to a certain degree. And make no mistake about it; plenty of people in the world with money to spend don't know English. Hungary has a good policy on this front. Each school is free to teach the second language of its choice from among the course plans available with the Ministry of Education, or it can create its own plan to be presented to the Ministry for approval. Each pupil likewise is free to sit the second-language of his choice for high school graduation from among the languages offered by the Ministry of Education. Such a policy allows second-language instruction to evolve naturally according to local circumstances.

BC's and Alberta's policies are similar to Hungary's, albeit not quite as liberal. Quebec could learn from the Hungarian model too.

[Machjo]

When Governor General Michaëlle Jean visits Rwanda next week she might have to bite her tongue about the country’s new language policy. After a century of close ties to France and Belgium, the East African nation is phasing out français and embracing English. “English is becoming more and more dominant in the world,” says Arnaud Nkusi, anchor of Rwanda’s state-owned TV news. “It’s all about business. You have to move with the rest of the world.”

http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/04/22/french-is-out-of-fashion-in-rwanda/

When will French Canadians come out of the stone age and learn the English language, like they are currently doing in Rwanda.

And another point about Quebec 'getting a clue'. English is already compulsory across Quebec, so if anything, Rwanda's policy is approaching Quebec's if anything.

[Leafless]

And another point about Quebec 'getting a clue'. English is already compulsory across Quebec

Then why is it Quebecers must attend a French school up until the end of high school? Or explain what 'compulsory means', for example, how many hours per day of English language instruction students receive or whatever is the case?

In Quebec, the Catholic/Protestant divide was replaced with a French/English one in 1998. Quebecers must attend a French School up until the end of high school unless one of their parents previously attended an English-language school somewhere in Canada (immigrants from other countries cannot use this exception).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Canada

[Machjo]

Then why is it Quebecers must attend a French school up until the end of high school?

for the purpose of clarity, we must distinguish between 'French school' and French-medium school'. In Quebec, many are required to receive French-medium instruction while some are allowed to receive English-medium instruction, though in that case French is a compulsory second-language. The reason for this is that French is a difficult language and so for many French as a second language often does not suffice to gain a sufficient mastery of the language; and also because Quebec recognizes the need for a common language for a society to function efficiently.

Or explain what 'compulsory means', for example, how many hours per day of English language instruction students receive or whatever is the case?

Compulsory means that it's a compulsory subject in all schools across the province. As for how many hours, I don't know. Though I wouldn't mind comparing Quebec with Ontario, Rwanda, the UK, Hungary, Italy, and Poland on that front, just out of curiosity, in terms of how many hours are committed to second-language learning and what second-languages they can choose from, and the reasoning behind these policies, as a good basis for comparison. I wouldn't mind comparing their success rates either.

Edited April 26, 2010 by Machjo

[Leafless]

Compulsory means that it's a compulsory subject in all schools across the province. As for how many hours, I don't know. Though I wouldn't mind comparing Quebec with Ontario, Rwanda, the UK, Hungary, Italy, and Poland on that front, just out of curiosity, in terms of how many hours are committed to second-language learning and what second-languages they can choose from, and the reasoning behind these policies, as a good basis for comparison. I wouldn't mind comparing their success rates either.

Sorry Macho, English in Quebec as a SECOND language does not compare with the ROC that mostly offers French immersion programs that Quebec does not.

In fact Quebec schools do not even compare with schools in Rwanda, where government wants all academic lessons to be taught in ENGLISH.

Government wants all academic lessons to be conducted in English with effect from this year and has since embarked on training teachers in the language ahead of the start of the new academic year.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201002010594.html

It seems Quebec could learn a thing or two from Rwanda.

Even in communist China the official language is standard Chinese, but most buisness people speak English.

The official language is standard Chinese, which is derived from the Mandarin dialect. Most business people speak English. There are many dialects in China however there is only one written language.

http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/china.htm

Edited April 26, 2010 by Leafless

[CANADIEN]

And another point about Quebec 'getting a clue'. English is already compulsory across Quebec, so if anything, Rwanda's policy is approaching Quebec's if anything.

It does not.

In Quebec's French schools, English is taught as a second language. In Rwanda's schools, French (before) and English (now) is the language of isntruction, at the expense o0f local languages. Not the same by any stretch of the imagination.

Edited April 26, 2010 by CANADIEN