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I'm not there so I imagine this article isn't giving a full picture of the situation. Ban/curb use of common Latin phrases to keep people from appearing educated to others seems off, which is why it seems like something is amiss or missing.

so why did you name the title "ok,britian,what's the deal"? a stupid councell stops some staff from saying "vice-versa",why did you make a thread about this.

Xav wrote:so why did you name the title "ok,britian,what's the deal"? a stupid councell stops some staff from saying "vice-versa",why did you make a thread about this.

Well, for one, it is more than one council, and two, it seems odd to ban common phrases so it seems like there must be more to it than just anti-intellectualism (though that could be enough) i.e. I was wandering if someone closer to the subject might have some insight on the matter. Having an exciting thread title is just one of many ways to get people to actually read a thread. This one lets the readers know that it has something to do with Britain, and that something odd is going on, which might pique their interest. They might think "why, what is this?" or something to that effect and they may even put down there blood sausage and biscuit to sip tea and read what is going on here.

This seems to be one of those "small town tries a little too hard and ends up looking foolish on a slow news day" type stories. It seems to me that there was an effort by the council to make staff more approachable and understandable, and one of the suggestions was to hold back on the latin phrases. "town bans latin" is just a more exciting headline, I suppose.

I'm not a Brit, but I'd imagine there is at least some class consciousness at work here between those that learned latin at upper class schools and those that didn't. I'm also going to go out on a limb and guess that this policy has it's roots in a personal agenda and/or vendetta. Stuff like this out of small towns is almost always petty and personal.

lol "put down there blood sausage and biscuit to sip te and read whats going on" your saying all british people are posh and eat tea and biscuits?i see that as rascist-.-. its like someone from britian saying all american people are fat,and big deal two councils stopped people saying "vise-versa" its to stop people who have come to britian to learn english etc and dont fully understand it not getting confused.

Xav wrote: Waa waa waa.....its like someone from britian saying all american people are fat....

But they are. And stupid.

It was clearly a joke, stop being so bloody prissy. And racist, come one, English isn't a race, English people come from many different races. Get over it.

As for the subject at hand, this is one of those stories that no doubt the Daily Mail will get their knickers in a twist over in the same way as all those fallacious "Birmingham bans Christmas" headlines about that bollocks 'winterval' thing. It's ust some well-meaning, but unnecessary, advice from a couple of local councils about how to stop non-native english speakers on the council, or on the staff, being confused. Big whoop.

It's a sign of the over-inflated heads of some of our policy makers. Surely they have better things to fill their time with... I don't know, knife crime, social degradation, and the death of British-ness.

They ring bells?

~sA

The death of British-ness?

Surely you don't mourn the passing of blood sausage, tea, and crumpets?

dogma wrote:The death of British-ness?

Surely you don't mourn the passing of blood sausage, tea, and crumpets?

Maybe they too are becoming fat and stupid. I'm at least a proud fat American, but my cripplingly advanced education keeps me from really living the dream here.

Latin tags are considered somewhat passé (unlike French -- SO FAR.) The reason is that most people don't learn Latin at school anymore.

And so what. You can look stuff up in a dictionary or on Wikipedia if you don't know what it means, like any strange word.

Latin tags are commonly used because they are useful, being short and handy compared to the English phrases that have the same meaning.

English borrows useful words and phrases from other foreign languages apart from Latin, for the same reasons. Will they all be banned too?

The French tried banning foreign words and failed.

23% of the British population leave school unable to read and write English properly. The cure is not to drop big words, it's to teach children properly.

Fortunately Mayor of London Boris Johnson stands against the barbarian tide.

Boris opened the Emperor Hadrian exhibition at the British Museum with a five minute speech in Latin. Switching to English only to ask if people wanted some more, because he could go on all day.

dogma wrote:The death of British-ness?

Surely you don't mourn the passing of blood sausage, tea, and crumpets?

Dude, shut up. Is that all you think britain is? 'Yeah, they're british, so they must drink tea all day and speak posh.' Seriously. WTF? If it wasn't for us, you couldn't even be on here posting on this forum, let alone surf the internet. I'm sorry, but I just get annoyed when people think that's all we are.

Anyway, I haven't heard anything about it. It sounds really stupid. What's the point in banning 'un-british' words? Man, we can be far to patriotic at times. (Yeah I know, says the guy who just had a rant. So shoot me )

That's the same thing that people in small towns do all over. A couple of council members start to realize that their big fish in a small pond and that's all they'll ever be so they decide to stir something up hoping for outside attention to validate their stupidity. It'll blow over once the next trivial fluff piece comes along.

Sicarius wrote:
Dude, shut up. Is that all you think britain is? 'Yeah, they're british, so they must drink tea all day and speak posh.' Seriously. WTF? If it wasn't for us, you couldn't even be on here posting on this forum, let alone surf the internet. I'm sorry, but I just get annoyed when people think that's all we are.

Anyway, I haven't heard anything about it. It sounds really stupid. What's the point in banning 'un-british' words? Man, we can be far to patriotic at times. (Yeah I know, says the guy who just had a rant. So shoot me )

Dude, chill out. Clearly I don't think all British people do is drink tea, and practice etiquette. I was just asking a question about what a guy meant by the 'death of British-ness" and threw a little joke in on the end.

A council spokesman said: "We advise against using certain words, particularly when staff are writing to those whose first language may not be English.

Then perhaps the people should be learning English instead of being pandered to by do gooders...

Best thing about British government banning things?

People do it anyway...

Hmmm. Sounds like another case of a Jobsworth's taking things too seriously.
It's relatively more common in the UK and gets reported more often.
It is wierd how the british are often portrayed really negatively on the telly. Like, any historical thing.

On the subject of ignoring laws, that is really, really common over here. The government sometimes has to go back on things because everyone refuses to obey them.

dogma wrote:The death of British-ness?

Surely you don't mourn the passing of blood sausage, tea, and crumpets?

black pudding, tea and crumpets are some of the greatest joys one can enjoy in this world (along with real ale, battered mars bars, fish and chips and curry)

Sicarius wrote:
Dude, shut up. Is that all you think britain is? 'Yeah, they're british, so they must drink tea all day and speak posh.' Seriously. WTF? If it wasn't for us, you couldn't even be on here posting on this forum, let alone surf the internet. I'm sorry, but I just get annoyed when people think that's all we are.

Anyway, I haven't heard anything about it. It sounds really stupid. What's the point in banning 'un-british' words? Man, we can be far to patriotic at times. (Yeah I know, says the guy who just had a rant. So shoot me )

the country is full of those that over react, lack a sense of humor and have little more than space between their ears, and this gentleman proves my point nicely.

Ok, some of my compatriots need to take a deep breath and relax.

Its obvious that no offense was meant and that all that was being indulged in was some good-natured banter.

As for the original topic, this is yet another example of the entire philosophy of the current Labour government.
People get poor exam results and hence feel 'let down by the system' - hey, lets just make all the exams so easy that anyone can pass them.
Ooh, some people don't understand certain words? - Let's issue a council directive banning them.

What's next? The complete abolition of all English grammar in favour of txt spk?

When will they learn that government is not there to appeal to the lowest common denominator, but rather is there to raise it?

[/rant]

It's because we're fundamentally a Maoist society.

omg what a failed story, failed article, failed thread, fail fail fail!

In answer to the original question. Nobody in Britain cares.

Ceteris paribus, I find the de minimis quid pro quo of this thread to be concerning to an amicus curiae such as myself. In actu, caveat emptor (inter alia) should be observed before posting ad nauseum. Once cooler heads prevail, it could even merit an ex post facto edit to avoid a mea culpa. Regardless, I feel that res ipsa loquitir, and discretion is the better part of valor, Q.E.D.

groz wrote:Ceteris paribus, I find the de minimis quid pro quo of this thread to be concerning to an amicus curiae such as myself. In actu, caveat emptor (inter alia) should be observed before posting ad nauseum. Once cooler heads prevail, it could even merit an ex post facto edit to avoid a mea culpa. Regardless, I feel that res ipsa loquitir, and discretion is the better part of valor, Q.E.D.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

dogma wrote:

Sicarius wrote:
Dude, shut up. Is that all you think britain is? 'Yeah, they're british, so they must drink tea all day and speak posh.' Seriously. WTF? If it wasn't for us, you couldn't even be on here posting on this forum, let alone surf the internet. I'm sorry, but I just get annoyed when people think that's all we are.

Anyway, I haven't heard anything about it. It sounds really stupid. What's the point in banning 'un-british' words? Man, we can be far to patriotic at times. (Yeah I know, says the guy who just had a rant. So shoot me )

Dude, chill out. Clearly I don't think all British people do is drink tea, and practice etiquette. I was just asking a question about what a guy meant by the 'death of British-ness" and threw a little joke in on the end.

But, I do drink tea, I do practice my etiquette, and every summer I make a point of taking the waters in the Pantiles.

However, do balance this with me striving to be a modern day Fop and Dandy!

Oh, and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (where I live) last year (or earlier this, one forgets) tried to ban the use of brain storm as an expression, claiming it to be discriminating against Migraine Sufferers.

The use of "Brain Storm" was publically decreed as a "bad" phrase which "discriminated against sufferers of epilepsy".

Some politicians should just get a grip, I have friends who are epileptic that this this was funny as hell...

See, I always thought that was an urban myth about 'brainstorm', or at least a Daily Mail lie. Anyone got a source?

malfred wrote:

groz wrote:Ceteris paribus, I find the de minimis quid pro quo of this thread to be concerning to an amicus curiae such as myself. In actu, caveat emptor (inter alia) should be observed before posting ad nauseum. Once cooler heads prevail, it could even merit an ex post facto edit to avoid a mea culpa. Regardless, I feel that res ipsa loquitir, and discretion is the better part of valor, Q.E.D.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Haha! Im loving this thread I too feel that the 'British' governement have gone all 'politically correct' and for the worst. Now I live in the 'UK' and not England, Im 'British' and not English. Its turning into a proper nanny state. Next thing will be people knocking on my door to see if i got up for work in the morning.

How do I change the little flag by my name by the way? It currently says that Im one of those abominable yank types Time for breakfast and a broadsheet methinks, tally ho, whatwhat?

"Maybe they could try playing ‘chase the Health & Safety officer’ or ‘Kick the silly PC person’. (If thats not too un-PC)

"I know I could burn up a lot of calories playing those games!"

I love my Dog Oscar, London, United Kingdom

(from the BBC's Have Your Say.)

You guys could stop this bickering now and move to Oz. Problem solved.

Who's bickering? We're having fun!

Where do you think the expression "whinging pom" came from?