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From: Iceman on 4 Oct 2007 15:38 On Oct 4, 2:57 pm, Cathy L <lederer...(a)optonline.net> wrote: > On Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:19:42 -0700, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" > > > > <evgm...(a)earthlink.net> wrote: > > >S Viemeister wrote: > > >> EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote: > > >>> "Plenty" of citizens in almost ANY European country speak some English > >>> - But it's strange how easily they forget it, when accosted by > >>> arrogant Ameircan tourists who address them in English without even > >>> bothering to learn the basic pleasantries in the "official" language > >>> of the country! > > >> But we don't know whether they actually said 'good morning' or 'guten > >> morgen'. > > >True, but having read their posts for some time, now, I > >think it's safe to assume no word of a "foreign" language > >would ever sully their lips! > > Yes, we carried a translation book and always tried to use it whenever > possible. We found, in most countries, if you make an attempt, people > help you more. > > In Munich, as we walked down Landsburgerstrass, When someone > approached, we would smile. Only younger people would smile back. > Older people would not. It was morning, so Bill would say, " Guten > Morgen". What would happen if you approached people on the New York subway and said "Good Morning"?
From: EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) on 4 Oct 2007 15:49 Cathy L wrote: > On Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:37:27 -0700, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" > <evgmsop(a)earthlink.net> wrote: > > >> >>Cathy L wrote: >> >> >>>On Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:04:55 +0200, Martin <me(a)address.invalid> wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>>>Jens corrected your spelling so that when you next mention any of these places >>>>you will be able to spell them correctly. >>>> >>>>By the way how was your meeting with your long lost relatives? >>> >>> >>>Bill wasn't very correct with not adding the umlauts and all. I do >>>think everyone got the drift of where we went though. Obviously it was >>>just an attempt to make fun of him. I don't think there is a lot of >>>difference between Cologne and K�ln, do you? >> >>Not if you discount both spelling and pronunciation! >>(Granted, it's the same city - but how would you know, since >>apparently you didn't stop long enough there - or anywhere >>else - to actually SEE it?) > > > We stayed at he Holiday Inn, at the Koln airport. But how much of the city could you see from a hotel at the airport? I've not been to Cologne, but most modern airports, whatever the city or country, seem to be surrounded by wide industrial areas, then slums, before you actually encounter the city proper.
From: EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) on 4 Oct 2007 16:13 Iceman wrote: > On Oct 4, 2:57 pm, Cathy L <lederer...(a)optonline.net> wrote: > >>On Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:19:42 -0700, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" >> >> >> >><evgm...(a)earthlink.net> wrote: >> >> >>>S Viemeister wrote: >> >>>>EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote: >> >>>>>"Plenty" of citizens in almost ANY European country speak some English >>>>>- But it's strange how easily they forget it, when accosted by >>>>>arrogant Ameircan tourists who address them in English without even >>>>>bothering to learn the basic pleasantries in the "official" language >>>>>of the country! >> >>>>But we don't know whether they actually said 'good morning' or 'guten >>>>morgen'. >> >>>True, but having read their posts for some time, now, I >>>think it's safe to assume no word of a "foreign" language >>>would ever sully their lips! >> >>Yes, we carried a translation book and always tried to use it whenever >>possible. We found, in most countries, if you make an attempt, people >>help you more. >> >>In Munich, as we walked down Landsburgerstrass, When someone >>approached, we would smile. Only younger people would smile back. >>Older people would not. It was morning, so Bill would say, " Guten >>Morgen". > > > > What would happen if you approached people on the New York subway and > said "Good Morning"? Dunno about the subway (I always either walk or take cabs, when in NYC), but I've never found New Yorkers particularly unresponsive to a smile, a "good morning", or a casual comment about whatever's going on in our mutual vicinity! (Unless, of course, everyone I encountered was also from out of state.) ;-)
From: Iceman on 4 Oct 2007 16:19 On Oct 4, 4:13 pm, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" <evgm...(a)earthlink.net> wrote: > Iceman wrote: > > On Oct 4, 2:57 pm, Cathy L <lederer...(a)optonline.net> wrote: > > >>On Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:19:42 -0700, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" > > >><evgm...(a)earthlink.net> wrote: > > >>>S Viemeister wrote: > > >>>>EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote: > > >>>>>"Plenty" of citizens in almost ANY European country speak some English > >>>>>- But it's strange how easily they forget it, when accosted by > >>>>>arrogant Ameircan tourists who address them in English without even > >>>>>bothering to learn the basic pleasantries in the "official" language > >>>>>of the country! > > >>>>But we don't know whether they actually said 'good morning' or 'guten > >>>>morgen'. > > >>>True, but having read their posts for some time, now, I > >>>think it's safe to assume no word of a "foreign" language > >>>would ever sully their lips! > > >>Yes, we carried a translation book and always tried to use it whenever > >>possible. We found, in most countries, if you make an attempt, people > >>help you more. > > >>In Munich, as we walked down Landsburgerstrass, When someone > >>approached, we would smile. Only younger people would smile back. > >>Older people would not. It was morning, so Bill would say, " Guten > >>Morgen". > > > What would happen if you approached people on the New York subway and > > said "Good Morning"? > > Dunno about the subway (I always either walk or take cabs, > when in NYC), but I've never found New Yorkers particularly > unresponsive to a smile, a "good morning", or a casual > comment about whatever's going on in our mutual vicinity! > (Unless, of course, everyone I encountered was also from out > of state.) ;-) My point is that if you say hello randomly to people on the street in almost any place, most would be confused, or assume you want something from them. If you actually talk to people in New York you will find that most of them are friendly.
From: d4g4h4 on 4 Oct 2007 16:48
Iceman <oneofcold(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > On Oct 4, 4:13 pm, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" > <evgm...(a)earthlink.net> wrote: [] > > Dunno about the subway (I always either walk or take cabs, > > when in NYC), but I've never found New Yorkers particularly > > unresponsive to a smile, a "good morning", or a casual > > comment about whatever's going on in our mutual vicinity! > > (Unless, of course, everyone I encountered was also from out > > of state.) ;-) > > > My point is that if you say hello randomly to people on the street in > almost any place, most would be confused, or assume you want something > from them. Depends on the context. If you're walking along a country path in the UK, it's customary to say hello to the people passing you. In a busy town/city, it's unusual, though in some suburbs, it still happens. -- (*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate http://www.davidhorne.net - real address on website "He can't be as stupid as he looks, but nevertheless he probably is quite a stupid man." Richard Dawkins on Pres. Bush" |