Daily usage of languages in Gib
Almogaver
days, since somebody posted a link here. I found it interesting that a
lot of Spanish is being used there by Gibraltarians. I also found it
extremely interesting to read some of the llanito mixture that seems to
be spoken over there (there is a whole thread dedicated to it). From
reading this NG alone, one would tend to believe that the main language
used over in Gib is English, as one very rarely sees any Sp or llanito
being used. However, looking at the aforementioned forum it would
appear that in reality there is a lot of mixture. So which one is more
representative of the situation on the ground ? Somehow I suspect the
panorama forum is, if only due to pure statistics, as there seems to be
a larger number of posters in that forum.
Anybody care to comment ? I've never been near the place so I only go
by what I read in places like these.
DCC
"Almogaver" <en_roger...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1125565809....@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Wait a while! All hell will be let loose on you.
This is a pet subject with some in here.
Mind your head.
FAQ overhead!!!
Jim Watt
<en_roger...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
I visited it recently too, although despite trying to
register an accont twice it would not let me in.
The seem to have a number of Spanish contributors
who will only speak their language and being polite the
locals repsond accordingly.
In he street the majority of things are discussed in Spanish
with English to fil lthe gaps indeed one woman complained
that she was expected to do that and preferred English.
I notice the younger generation are more slanted to English
and most of the verbal swearing is in that, although some of
the writing on the bus shelters uses Spanish words.
Overall Janito is alive and well. However as this is an International
newsgroup, traditionally English has been the preferred language
- very little good news and sensible topics have ever been seen in
any other.
I see in Panoram they are talking about the Falangists demonstrating
at the frontier on their side. I suspect they amount to a man and a
dog these days, however they will not be as they have been refused
permission by the police, so the VOGG can go and monitor the air show
instead. One hopes the RAF do not follow the example of the
Gibraltar squardon who gave an example of how to sink at their open
day and the navy were rescued by the RGP. It was to commemorate
their 20th aniversary and the 200th of Trafalgar. No Spanish or
French vessels were involved, although we cannot rule out Italian
frogmen from Algeceras. Commander Crabbe was not available for
comment. The sea was warm and they all had lifejackets on.
--
Jim Watt
http://www.gibnet.com
Lynx
"DCC" <m...@home.com> wrote in message
news:df6i1n$8so$1...@nobel.pacific.net.sg...
Nah! It's a bit like Catalunya, where the only one who speaks Catalan is
retired Jordi Puyol.
Almogaver
Jim Watt wrote:
> On 1 Sep 2005 02:10:09 -0700, "Almogaver"
> <en_roger...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>
> >I had a look at the panorama discussion forum over the last couple of
> >days, since somebody posted a link here. I found it interesting that a
> >lot of Spanish is being used there by Gibraltarians. I also found it
> >extremely interesting to read some of the llanito mixture that seems to
> >be spoken over there (there is a whole thread dedicated to it). From
> >reading this NG alone, one would tend to believe that the main language
> >used over in Gib is English, as one very rarely sees any Sp or llanito
> >being used. However, looking at the aforementioned forum it would
> >appear that in reality there is a lot of mixture. So which one is more
> >representative of the situation on the ground ? Somehow I suspect the
> >panorama forum is, if only due to pure statistics, as there seems to be
> >a larger number of posters in that forum.
> >
> >Anybody care to comment ? I've never been near the place so I only go
> >by what I read in places like these.
>
> I visited it recently too, although despite trying to
> register an accont twice it would not let me in.
>
Maybe they know it's you -:))
> The seem to have a number of Spanish contributors
> who will only speak their language and being polite the
> locals repsond accordingly.
>
Yes, that would be a fairly typical Spanish attitude alright.
> In he street the majority of things are discussed in Spanish
> with English to fil lthe gaps indeed one woman complained
> that she was expected to do that and preferred English.
>
That's interesting.
> I notice the younger generation are more slanted to English
> and most of the verbal swearing is in that, although some of
> the writing on the bus shelters uses Spanish words.
>
Curious that despite most of the discussions taking place in Spanish
with bits of English, swearing is mainly in English. It won't be for
the lack of equivalents in Andalusian Spanish. That's for sure.
> Overall Janito is alive and well. However as this is an International
> newsgroup, traditionally English has been the preferred language
> - very little good news and sensible topics have ever been seen in
> any other.
>
Thanks that's what I thought. I just like seeing llanito written down.
I believe there's some publication or other (Calentita ?) written in
it, but no online version -:((
Almogaver
Lynx wrote:
> > Wait a while! All hell will be let loose on you.
> >
> > This is a pet subject with some in here.
> >
> > Mind your head.
> >
> > FAQ overhead!!!
>
> Nah! It's a bit like Catalunya, where the only one who speaks Catalan is
> retired Jordi Puyol.
Yes he speaks it with me all the time, I being the only other speaker
left.
Thankfully not quite true, although some of your (ex) northerly
neighbours wouldn't mind it at all if it came to that. The same sort of
specimens that would generously offer you "autonomy" status. Haven't
heard any of them around here for a while.
Lynx
Is Catalan and Provecal the same language? If it is, do the people from both
sides of the border follow the same culture?
Almogaver
Lynx wrote:
> "Almogaver" <en_roger...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:1125577604.2...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>
> sides of the border follow the same culture?
Good question. Provençal is part of the larger Occitan language, aka
langue d'Oc. It is very closely related to Catalan although strictly
speaking not the same language. Suffice it to say that most Catalan
speakers would be able to read and understand a text in Occitan
(especially of the so called Languedocian variety, the closest Occitan
dialect to Catalan) without much trouble.
As to cultures, well there are similarities and differences. Catalan
culture is in the main (except for the French northern Catalonia)
heavily influenced by Spanish culture while Occitan-Provençal is
influenced (even more) by French culture. Cultures tended to be an
awful lot more similar a couple of hundred years back before the
invention of the uniformising nation state. That has tended to wipe out
a lot of the localisms in the name of "progress". As a result we can
all now shop in big shopping centres (forget customer service), drink
high sugar content beverages and further dynamite our own health by
eating fast food crap while sitting in front of the TV watching reality
shows. So I guess at the end of it all, and to finally answer your
question (a humble attempt to beat Ken in long winded-ness), both
cultures are pretty much the same. But so is the one where you live for
that matter.
Ken
Eng and Sp are in daily use inthe street, with both being used in the same
sentence being the norm. Note there are many words of Maltese, Italian,
Hebrew origin that are used also, and are taked as being Sp in as much as
they are not English.
There is a correlation between the speaker's age and the language used
predominantly (there being exceptions to every rule of course) with Eng
being favoured the younger the person concerned. Within any age group those
individuals who took longer over their education would tend to use more Eng,
as the language of education in Gib is Eng, and the language of further
education among Gibraltarians, who almost exclusively attend University in
the UK, is also necessarily Eng. There are of course some extensively
schooled young Gibraltarians who speak a far better quality fo Sp than their
grandparents.
K
Lynx
"Ken" <k...@k1at.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:df7ngb$r7g$1...@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...
El Ken answered your posting antes que yo, porque estamos in different time
zones.
Mano
DCC
Lynx wrote:
> "Almogaver" <en_roger...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:1125577604.2...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>
(a humble attempt to beat Ken in long winded-ness)
Ahm Ahm! No chance. He's the champ!