[lg policy] Makron's English proficiency?

[Spooner, Brian J]

I don't have an answer to the question about Macron. However, there is a bigger question: about how and why the relationship between French and English has changed over the past 20 years. 20 years ago, roughly, the only language spoken in Paris was still French. Three years ago, I was invited to lecture there, at the Sorbonne. Nobody expected me to lecture in French, and everyone around me spoke english. What happened?


Brian Spooner

Professor of Anthropology

Museum Curator for Near Eastern Ethnology

University of Pennsylvania

________________________________
From: lgpolicy-list-bounces at groups.sas.upenn.edu <lgpolicy-list-bounces at groups.sas.upenn.edu> on behalf of Harold Schiffman <haroldfs at gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2018 10:58:07 AM
To: lp
Subject: [lg policy] Makron's English proficiency?

All:  The visit of M. Macron to the US this week has prompted me to wonder where and how he learned his English, which in some cases is quite proficient, except for a number of instances of mistakes in the assignment of stress to certain vowels.  But in general his English is quite proficient, making me wonder
where and how he learned it.

I lived in France for two years a number of decades ago,during a time when it was definitely not cool to speak English in public.  De Gaulle was the President and wouldn't have been caught dead speaking English in public.  So I  practiced my French every day, and rarely met anyone with the proficiency in English that Macron demonstrates.  So my question is, does anyone out there know how and where M. Macron learned English, and if so, would you share that knowledge with people on this list?

Best,

Hal Schiffman

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 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com<mailto:haroldfs at gmail.com>
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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