French
The other night, Daniel woke me up in the middle of the night. He was crying. “What is it?” I asked anxiously. “Please don’t make me watch Sponge Bob in French anymore.”
Despite having very little visible French, Michael still often uses French syntax when speaking in English. He generally describes injuries thus: “I’m sore at my knee”.
The Princess speaking about the generosity of a waiter which I considered significant and she considered no more than her due: “He only gave me one tablette, in fairness.”
Irish
I am doing a short Irish course. No sniggering. This may merit a post of its own in due course, there’s something to look forward to. I was telling the principal in the children’s school about this and the Princess interrupted me (sharper than a serpent’s tooth etc.) and said “Tá Gaeilge uafásach aige.”* In unison, the principal and I snapped back “aici!”**. I tentatively suggested to Mr. Waffle that he might like to speak to me in Irish as well as speaking to the children in French and he put his head in his hands. I am taking this as a no.
*”He speaks terrible Irish”
** “She!”
I for one would be terribly happy reading short posts in Irish now and then. We’ve moved and the closest Irish speakers are over an hour away and not very organized…I’m plodding away on some translating of children’s books but it’s not going very fast and no one else I know cares about Grainne Mhaol anyway.
We care VERY much about Grainne Mhaol. In fact, herself is in the middle of a school project on the fair G. Not sure I’m up to posts as Gaeilge though…
I H O P E Y O U D O N’ T M I N D I F I S P E A K R E A L L Y S L O W L Y & SHOUT! When I reply to a post you’ve done in ‘Foreign’.
Sorry I’m British. It’s a cultural thing. It’s how I’m meant to deal with languages I don’t speak. …Er that’s anything that isn’t English. Though if you provide subtitles I can feel all superior about reading a Subtitled blog 🙂