my Swedish
companion listened to the conversation going on around
us, and asked: "Why do the English have such a desire
to crucify their own language?"

I lived in Norway for 6 years and speak Norwegian - not a hard language
to learn and very satisfying to speak - and it was very clear how much
care the Norwegians took about their dialects and language in general,
even to the point of inventing a simplified dialect they called
Nynorsk. I had a theatre gig on bass for a while where Rolf Wesenlund
(I think) did a very funny sketch on the different dialects and forms
of words, so they can also take it lightly, but they love and value
their language as much as they love their customs and nature - which is
to say a lot more than we do. They are not without their dry humour,
but they do have the capacity to take serious things seriously, rather
than being blase about everything.

Don Pearce wrote:
On Fri, 25 Aug 2006 10:23:10 +0300, "Iain Churches"
wrote:

"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message
...
In article , Serge Auckland
wrote:
Jim Lesurf wrote:
Thank heaven audio people never caught onto OCTETS as being anything
other that a group of eight musicians. :-)
They are in France! Octet is the French name for a Byte.
So what do they call an octet when they use something like UNIX? Or is
chmod banned in France? ;-


Wonderful nation the French. Their word for inductor (choke) is "self"
A chap with whom I sometimes exchange an e-mail or two, sent me
an excellent schematic for a valve regulated psu which he had designed.
He added a word of caution "Iain. Do not try to draw too much
currant (sic) or you may inadvertently totally destroy your self."


Iain

Huh? I know two French words for inductor - they are inducteur and
bobine. What was his word?

d

Self, I presume it's a contraction of self-inductance.

I occasionally buy French Hi-Fi mags for a laugh, they are as much
comics there are most are here, and apart from interesting words:

Woofer = Boomer (may say something about the sound of French 'speakers ;-)

They also have a completely different range of loony accessories, like
the anti-MIS stickers which are suppose to suppress Surface
MicroInduction (No, I have no idea what it is either) They must be good
though, as they cost 50€ each.

Not forgetting the Esprit Manta box, A freestanding box with no physical
connection to the hi-f (you just stand it near the equipment) which is
supposed to "destroy all electromagnetic pollution" for the princely sum
of 480€.

Ah well, the French aren't so different to us after all......

S.

On 2006-08-25, Don Pearce wrote:
On Fri, 25 Aug 2006 10:23:10 +0300, "Iain Churches"
wrote:
Wonderful nation the French. Their word for inductor (choke) is "self"
A chap with whom I sometimes exchange an e-mail or two, sent me
an excellent schematic for a valve regulated psu which he had designed.
He added a word of caution "Iain. Do not try to draw too much
currant (sic) or you may inadvertently totally destroy your self."

Huh? I know two French words for inductor - they are inducteur and
bobine. What was his word?

I have also heard and seen "self" used in French for "choke". It seems to
be a contraction of "self de choc", which seems to be a colloquial synonym
(probably frowned on by l'Académie française) for "bobine d'arrêt".

"Bobine" is best translated as "coil" in this context rather
than "inductor" (e.g. "bobine d'induction" or "bobine de self" for
"induction coil" or similar - the latter being a contraction of "bobine
de self-induction" which is where I guess the "self" creeps in to this
context).

See, for example
http://perso.orange.fr/f5zv/RADIO/RM...B/RM24B06.html

My excuse: I spent three months working for France Telecom R&D at CNET
in Lannion many moons ago. Very educational - far more educational than
some years learning French at school. Sorry ...

--
John Phillips

"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 25 Aug 2006 11:26:13 +0300, "Iain Churches"
wrote:


"Don Pearce" wrote in message
.. .

How is it that Swedes have such a great command of English?
Danes have
it too, and Norwegians to a lesser extent.

They seem to find it easy. Sitting in the bar of a ship
crosing from Goteborg to Newcastle, my Swedish
companion listened to the conversation going on around
us, and asked: "Why do the English have such a desire
to crucify their own language?"

I guess the answer to that is "we do because it is ours, and we can".

Or maybe because its ours but we don't know any better:-))

Personally I don't crucify the language; it is important to me that it
is both written and spoken well.

Don. You (and I) represent the old fogies in this respect:-)
You too probably cringe at "You did good" and "me and him"
but one hears such expressions often.

As regards Danish, if you have a basic command of skandinaviska
all you then need to be fluent in Kobenhaven is two large Victoria
plums - one in each cheek:-)

Regards
Iain

In article , Don Pearce
writes
On Fri, 25 Aug 2006 09:59:17 +0300, "Iain Churches"
wrote:


"Don Pearce" wrote in message
.. .

How much should I charge for the English lesson?

Scott

"That side" has no precedent. And never try to charge for English
lessons; you'll be penniless in a year.

d


Tee Hee:-) A good friend of mine here, Peter, whose mother
tongue is Swedish, worked for a couple of years at a music shop in
Chicago, fixing amps etc. When the boss needed a letter written,
the secretary used to send for Peter, saying "Can you help, please.
You are the only one here who can write proper English:-)

Iain



How is it that Swedes have such a great command of English? Danes have
it too, and Norwegians to a lesser extent. My generic "Scandinavian"
is not bad (based on Faroese, and no, I don't do Danish), but nowhere
near their level of English.


Simple. No other bu**ers speak it in the known universe unlike most all
other languages..

And theres a school somewhere in the news last week thats making
Mandarin Chinese compulsory!...

--
Tony Sayer

"Iain Churches" wrote in message
news

"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...

How is it that Swedes have such a great command of English?
Danes have
it too, and Norwegians to a lesser extent.

They seem to find it easy. Sitting in the bar of a ship
crosing from Goteborg to Newcastle, my Swedish
companion listened to the conversation going on around
us, and asked: "Why do the English have such a desire
to crucify their own language?"



English is no longer our *own* - it belongs to the world now!

Nowt mekks me laff more'n I see 'Lee Otdog' on a Froggie billboard!!

(IYSWIM...?? ;-)

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Iain Churches wrote:
I am afraid that neither of the above is the case. I understand exactly
his position, and would not deny him the right to have his opinion.
Interestingly enough, I know from e.mail from "fringe members" of this
group that quite a few share Keith's opinion, but are unwilling to get
involved in what one calls "running a marathod in treacle" which would
result from posting such an opinion.

So rather than come out and say you also always prefer the sound of vinyl
to CD - for which you'd be laughed at as a pro - you simply try to add
weight to that opinion by bringing in the views of your phantom friends?
Who are obviously also not keen on trying to explain just what they mean
either.

Dave. Your persistence in putting words into people's mouths
makes me think that discussion with you is pointless.

I have never stated the above. What I have stated is that CD
is without doubt a technically superior mediu, but often
one finds that a CD reissue of a recording also available on
vinyl frequently compares poorly with the latter.. You are
unwilling to make the modest investment to prove this for
yourself, or even to listen to some current chart product.

As regards phantom friends, the people to whom I refer have
all been members of this group at one time or another, and
their names would be familiar to you. Although such people
no longer post here, I am happy they keep in touch by e.mail
and through other groups.

Regards
Iain

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...

Talking of turntable eye candy I've been cleaning up a Transcriptor's deck
for display only. They never were any good at other than for looking at.
;-)

Pity it's not an EMT 940 you could sell it, and buy the house next
door to yours:-)

Iain

On Fri, 25 Aug 2006 13:33:27 +0300, "Iain Churches"
wrote:


"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 25 Aug 2006 11:26:13 +0300, "Iain Churches"
wrote:


"Don Pearce" wrote in message
. ..

How is it that Swedes have such a great command of English?
Danes have
it too, and Norwegians to a lesser extent.

They seem to find it easy. Sitting in the bar of a ship
crosing from Goteborg to Newcastle, my Swedish
companion listened to the conversation going on around
us, and asked: "Why do the English have such a desire
to crucify their own language?"

I guess the answer to that is "we do because it is ours, and we can".

Or maybe because its ours but we don't know any better:-))

Personally I don't crucify the language; it is important to me that it
is both written and spoken well.

Don. You (and I) represent the old fogies in this respect:-)
You too probably cringe at "You did good" and "me and him"
but one hears such expressions often.

As regards Danish, if you have a basic command of skandinaviska
all you then need to be fluent in Kobenhaven is two large Victoria
plums - one in each cheek:-)

Regards
Iain


I'm not too bad with the vocabulary, it is this business of chopping
the ends of words off as if they were unfinished that I have trouble
with.

d

--
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

Don Pearce wrote:
On Fri, 25 Aug 2006 11:26:13 +0300, "Iain Churches"
wrote:


"Don Pearce" wrote in message
.. .


How is it that Swedes have such a great command of English?
Danes have
it too, and Norwegians to a lesser extent.

They seem to find it easy. Sitting in the bar of a ship
crosing from Goteborg to Newcastle, my Swedish
companion listened to the conversation going on around
us, and asked: "Why do the English have such a desire
to crucify their own language?"


I guess the answer to that is "we do because it is ours, and we can".
Personally I don't crucify the language; it is important to me that it
is both written and spoken well.

English hasn't been taught in English schools for thirty years.
That could be the problem.

--
Eiron

No good deed ever goes unpunished.