Language game on holiday

5:14pm Friday 5th August 2011 in Sir Bill Taylor blog Photograph of the Author By Sir Bill Taylor, Lancashire Telegraph blogger

Holiday time for many. Fewer traffic jams, fewer cars on works’ car parks, lots of kids around.

Some years ago we were travelling through France, found a reasonable hotel and booked in.

We went down for the evening meal, my wife was, unstereotypically, a little late.

Two guys at the next table were chatting in what I assumed was a Scandinavian language. Stereotypically I assumed they’d speak English.

“Where are you guys from, then?” I asked.

“Norway”.

“Oh yes, our football team has a Norwegian player, Gamst Pedersen”.

“Aha, Blackburn Rovers…” We prattled on and my wife arrived.

The lady owner came in and greeted us all in perfect French, as she was indeed French.

In our best rusty 1960s-schooled French we got by and ordered.

Next came the Norwegians who conversed with our restauranteuse in…Spanish.

“Excuse me”, I said. “She’s French, not Spanish”.

“We know that Englishman…but we don’t speak French, who does? She’ll just have to understand our Spanish!”

The ordering took a while…Norwegian to English to French to Spanish and back.

Have you get any funny or annoying 'having-a-linguistic-go' stories?

Comments (5)

11:10am Sat 6 Aug 11

DFRobert says...

Do you get paid for this inane, ungrammatical drivel or is it a clever wheeze to keep your name before the public ?

I can't help feeling that, if the latter, it's ill-advised since it makes wholly clear your . . . shall we say . . . shortcomings.
Do you get paid for this inane, ungrammatical drivel or is it a clever wheeze to keep your name before the public ? I can't help feeling that, if the latter, it's ill-advised since it makes wholly clear your . . . shall we say . . . shortcomings. DFRobert

12:12pm Sat 6 Aug 11

Sir Bill Taylor says...

Thanks DFR...& sorry, never really professed to my grammar being over strong...
If you'd care to correct it, that would be fine.
Thanks DFR...& sorry, never really professed to my grammar being over strong... If you'd care to correct it, that would be fine. Sir Bill Taylor

9:52pm Sun 7 Aug 11

Parly says...

DFRobert wrote:
Do you get paid for this inane, ungrammatical drivel or is it a clever wheeze to keep your name before the public ?

I can't help feeling that, if the latter, it's ill-advised since it makes wholly clear your . . . shall we say . . . shortcomings.
Ooooh get her! Saucer of milk over here please...
[quote][p][bold]DFRobert[/bold] wrote: Do you get paid for this inane, ungrammatical drivel or is it a clever wheeze to keep your name before the public ? I can't help feeling that, if the latter, it's ill-advised since it makes wholly clear your . . . shall we say . . . shortcomings.[/p][/quote]Ooooh get her! Saucer of milk over here please... Parly

12:42pm Fri 19 Aug 11

Wittoner says...

French you say,Norge,Spanish well seriously Bill, i once had great difficulty with the language,in GLASGOW of all places,totally baffled by what the guy was trying to tell me.
French you say,Norge,Spanish well seriously Bill, i once had great difficulty with the language,in GLASGOW of all places,totally baffled by what the guy was trying to tell me. Wittoner

12:38pm Sat 20 Aug 11

Sir Bill Taylor says...

I was once rushing late for a golf tee time in Spain. My wife spotted the only people about to ask for directions. Two guys wearing Sikh turbans, who I dismissed as none golfers. She got out & approached them. After a lot of arm waving & 360o pointing,she returned to the car.
Waste of time she declared, broad Dublin accents, knew nothing about golf!
I was once rushing late for a golf tee time in Spain. My wife spotted the only people about to ask for directions. Two guys wearing Sikh turbans, who I dismissed as none golfers. She got out & approached them. After a lot of arm waving & 360o pointing,she returned to the car. Waste of time she declared, broad Dublin accents, knew nothing about golf! Sir Bill Taylor
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