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What will be next? Alo⁽ë⁾ vera?

Viktor77 wrote:

Cedh wrote:

Viktor77 wrote:But it was how they tried to be economic that was positively ridiculous. I've used that mayo for weeks and I only noticed the "(n)" a few days ago. Even if you needed the extra n, and no one does, you'd likely read right over it anyway (which with two labels at least you would be less likely to). It's just ridiculous to the extreme.

I drove through the east of Belgium about a week ago and came across a road sign with "Luxemb(o)urg" on it. Seems they're using those brackets systematically...

Should've taken a picture for me, I study that stuff. Just kidding but that is fascinating to know. Not to mention again entirely pointless. Can I guess you were near Eupen or Sankt Vith? Bilingual signs are only found in the Germanophone area, Brussels, and a handful of small border towns.

Yes, that was on the motorway from Verviers to Trier, close to St. Vith. I couldn't take a photo though because I was driving the car...

Pole, the wrote:What will be next? Alo⁽ë⁾ vera?

I imagine that or Aloe(ë) Vera, perhaps. Quite idiotic....

Cedh, of course, I was only joking.

Sglod wrote:

Yng wrote:

Sglod wrote: Not everyone is bilingual. My dad tried to buy a tractor from a bloke in Llanrwst, but he (the bloke, not my dad) was monolingual in Welsh. The bloke had to get his nephew round to translate.

How many years ago was this? I'd bet you any money he'll be dead now. In any case, monolinguals aren't generally the sort of people who make much use of public services - or, indeed, of motorways, in my experience.

It was only a few years ago and the bloke was in his 60s so I'll be having your money.

hahaha OK te

I know a couple of ancient monolinguals too around the Trawsfynydd area - the sort of people who chase you with antique shotguns if you try and walk across their fields.

Pretty sure my thesis advisor went to some particular town (or at least place...) in Wales (don't remember which) just a few years ago where everyone spoke Welsh and someone even told him that you'd have difficulty making yourself understood there if you spoke only English.

Vijay wrote:Pretty sure my thesis advisor went to some particular town (or at least place...) in Wales (don't remember which) just a few years ago where everyone spoke Welsh and someone even told him that you'd have difficulty making yourself understood there if you spoke only English.

The sort of story everyone likes telling, but is rarely true. I mean, it's an exaggeration for narrative effect - I doubt there's anywhere in Wales where you'd actually struggle to make yourself understood (except with some old people in remote ish farming areas).

Cedh wrote:

Viktor77 wrote:

Cedh wrote:

Viktor77 wrote:But it was how they tried to be economic that was positively ridiculous. I've used that mayo for weeks and I only noticed the "(n)" a few days ago. Even if you needed the extra n, and no one does, you'd likely read right over it anyway (which with two labels at least you would be less likely to). It's just ridiculous to the extreme.

I drove through the east of Belgium about a week ago and came across a road sign with "Luxemb(o)urg" on it. Seems they're using those brackets systematically...

Should've taken a picture for me, I study that stuff. Just kidding but that is fascinating to know. Not to mention again entirely pointless. Can I guess you were near Eupen or Sankt Vith? Bilingual signs are only found in the Germanophone area, Brussels, and a handful of small border towns.

Yes, that was on the motorway from Verviers to Trier, close to St. Vith. I couldn't take a photo though because I was driving the car...

When me and my family were driving through the Germanophone part of Belgium on our way to Germany, we passed bilingual signage with the French graffitoed out, so that they only read "Trier", say. Driving through Belgium was an interesting experience in and of itself, as my dad was rather confused at the letters on the road telling us that the road went to "Luik".. until he realised that that is the Flemish for "Liège".

So is this thread supposed to be for stories about other people's use of language, or can it be about ourselves, too?

Well, okay, I guess there's at least one other thread for that in the L&L Museum. But I'm kind of confused about what the purpose of this thread is anyway.