Q

[GroverDill]

Hi

[Doog]

I've known a few people who have been to France and they have said that the French are a particularly proud group of people, especially when it comes to the language, and they do tend to look down slightly on those who don't make the effort to speak it.

Mind you, I have experienced this sort of behaviour from people in other countries. Spain and Netherlands being the main culprits. It is extremely hard for me to master the sounds of these languages without sounding Australian so I don't bother trying.

I remain very polite with please and thank you all the time but some people are proud to be Spanish or Dutch or whatever and I respect that.

[GroverDill]

Thanks for the response Doog. There is no place in the world that will expose you to more cultures then America. It is not uncommon for me to here 7 or 8 different languages spoken throughout the course of a day and 7 or 8 more spoken the next. I have been exposed, at least to some degree, to just about every culture that exists on the planet. I am very proud of my country and culture and understand what you are saying about people wanting visitors to at least attempt to speak the language. My attitude has always been if you are visiting my country for a week, 2 weeks, a month, or even several months.... I don't expect you to master english. If, however, you decide to move to my country I think you owe the citzens and the country itself enough respect to learn the language. It is very frustrating to see people want to leave there country to come to another for the benefits it and its society provide and not make an effort to conform to one of the most basic elements of the society, that being speaking the language. Also, in a pragmatic sense, its just a necessity. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your country and your language, but treating visitors with anything but respect, kindness, and open arms is the antithesis of pride. You represent yourself and your country far better by welcoming visitors rather then looking down on them. Pride does not exist without representing these values. All this being said, I still don't know if we will visit France or not....lol.... Thanks again for your input Doog.

[Stygian23]

My experiences with the French have been different than Doog's. The French people I have met over the years hate people who aren't French speaking their language. My grandmother learned French from a Parisian French Teacher, became fluent, taught it in college, and when we she went to Paris she was talking to this couple, half-way through the convo they found out she was an American and not a native Parisian and told her to "Stop butchering our language." This after they had been talking fine for over an hour. The French are some of the least friendly people to foreigners in the world (at least in my experience and the experience of the rest of my family). Shrug. Plus you are a 'filthy uncultured' American. Don't expect too much in the way of a warm welcome. This is not to say you won't find good people in France. Just you will be fighting BIG cultural biases and prejudices.

[DrGonzo]

There's a big difference between Parisians and The French.

Although Paris is pretty to look at....

[Doog]

The French/English divide has been apparent for many years and there are people who can go to Paris or other parts of France and come back saying they had a great time.

Like I said, the French are a proud people. Proud of their language and of their country and there have been plenty of posts here about some Dutch people being unfriendly and others being the exact opposite.

If you are an easy come easy go sort of a guy then I don't think you'll have any major problems.

[Miette]

Well, I sent GroverDill a pm with an answer that I came up with after a fair amount of thought.

But just to be fair to the folks that might find this a bit off-topic in the Coffeeshop and Cannabis Section, I sent Lemming a pm mentioning that this might be better suited to the off-topic area.

I don't want to step on anyone's toes, one way or another. I have been trained in diplomacy.

One thing that makes this a tough issue, is that there are so many mitigating factors, and you could run around in circles trying to cover all of the if, ands, or buts.

I haven't gotten a reply back from Lemming just yet, so I wait a little bit more to see if this thread stays here or gets moved.

Just to be clear on one small point - I am a US citizen and a legal immigrant to France. I worked very closely with French, Swiss, British, and one Dutch citizen in the US for 10 years in a very small company.

I got to see how they viewed us, and what they found to be surprizing differences in the US. I live in Southeast France - Nice. The differences between here and Paris are fairly extreme.

Your mileage is going to vary all over the place, but for me, Paris is like visiting New York City and Nice would be more like San Diego, California.

But just as I would explain to my European friends that the US was a Union of 50 countries, France is a country of 95 plus departments (regions), so it is a little risky to make generalizations.

[DC]

Well, as a random statistic...Out of all the nations that visit Amsterdam and don't have english as their first language. I've found, French tourists just edge out the Germans in expecting you to speak their language.

As in, approach the bar without the Dutch or English speaker of their group accompanying them.

[GroverDill]

I have read and replied to Miettes PM answer to my question. The answer Miette gave was thoughtful and informative. Thanks for the input Miette. I did think, after making this post, that it may have been better suited for the general message board rather then the Coffeeshop message board. I have no problem with it being moved if Lemming deems it a good idea. Thanks for everyones input it has been most informative and helpful

Grover

[Lemming]

Good topic but I think you're right, it does belong in this section.

[Miette]

and, voila, here we are...and here is my admitedly, slanted view of things...

Some quick answers - I am a US citizen, living in Nice - Southeast France. I have the European Union equivalent of a *green card* - which gives me the right to live and work in the entire EU.

I worked with French, Swiss, and British co-workers (for 10 years), and I was the manager of human resources (small company), and so part of my job was helping them adjust to life in Northern California and the US, in general.

So, I got to see, from their perspective, what was different about the US and Americans, from their country and their fellow citizens. I traveled back and forth, to France and the UK, and so I got to see, for myself, if what they were telling me really held true.

So, I could probably write for hours on all the ins and outs of this subject, but I will try to give you the short answer. All generalizations, of course.

Paris is the New York City of France. Natives are, at best, politely indifferent, and at worst, downright rude, to their own fellow countrymen.
They are known for their no-nonsense manner and their *seen everything, and not impressed* attitude.

If you want to see the sights of Paris, then go for that, and be prepared for the rush-rush, and impersonal nature, of a big city.

I am terribly prejudiced, but if you are looking to soak up French culture – history, architecture, food, etc., consider Nice. It has an international airport, and is a centuries old crossroads type of city, so it has every service that a tourist might need. It is smaller than Paris, but that makes it much more accessible.

So, it is the old – your mileage will definitely vary – type of thing.

If anyone would like more information, you are welcome to ask here, or PM me. I love to travel, and I love being a half-assed tour guide.