Posted on 12/21/2024 1:14:43 PM PST by nickcarraway
Language clash on a rush-hour train ignites political uproar in Belgium – and an official complaint.
A seemingly innocent greeting from a train conductor has sparked a full-blown political row in Belgium, after a Dutch-speaking passenger took offence to a French ‘bonjour’ on board a rush-hour train. The conductor’s attempt to please all passengers has instead ignited a war of words in a country already deeply divided over language politics. Now Belgium’s language watchdog, the Permanent Commission for Linguistic Control has got involved. That’s right, the big dogs have stepped in the ring. Who knows where this may take us next? What a time to be alive.
It all kicked off back in October when Ilyass Alba, a French-speaking conductor on a train from Mechelen (in Flanders) to Brussels, welcomed passengers with a cheerful “goeiemorgen, bonjour” – that’s “good morning” in Dutch and French, for those unfamiliar. But for one Dutch-speaking commuter, Alba’s bilingual greeting was a step too far. He had crossed a line that was never meant to be crossed. “We’re not in Brussels yet!” the passenger protested, demanding that only Dutch be used.
The train conductor’s ‘language violation’ is now under review
Well, technically, they had a point. Under Belgium’s complex and often controversial language rules, conductors should only use both Dutch and French in bilingual areas like Brussels and a few select regions. Alba’s greeting – mixing the languages – quickly became a political hot potato on the train and in Belgium as a whole. Writing on Facebook, Alba explained that he’d simply aimed to accommodate all passengers, stating: “I always say ‘goeiemorgen, bonjour’ to make sure everyone feels welcome.” But for some, this wasn’t a simple case of good manners; it was an outright breach of the country’s strict language laws.
As the issue escalated, Belgium’s language watchdog, the Permanent Commission for Linguistic Control, jumped in. They’ve launched an investigation into whether the Belgian railway operator, SNCB, is sticking to its language policies. This ‘serious’ case of ‘language violation’ is now under review, and the Commission has requested more details from SNCB on how these rules are being enforced.
Use of French greeting by train conductor has sparked a heated debate
The drama has sparked heated political debates, with the country’s political landscape split along linguistic lines – Flemish (Dutch-speaking) politicians are demanding stricter adherence to the rules, while French speakers argue for a more relaxed approach. French-speaking transport minister Georges Gilkinet – a member of the Green party – sided with Alba, declaring that Belgium’s language borders are crossed all the time in a country as small as Belgium. “Conductors should focus on giving a quality welcome,” he said, adding, “Using several languages to greet passengers doesn’t shock me in the slightest.”
However, not everyone shares his view. Sammy Mahdi, the leader of the Flemish Christian Democrat party (CD&V), called for a stricter stance, warning that “we can’t just throw our language legislation overboard like that.” Meanwhile, SNCB has called for more flexibility when it comes to applying the rules. A spokesperson for the train operator suggested that “saying hello in several languages is just nice,” and added, “we can only thank our conductors for that.” In Belgium, where politics and language are always intertwined, what began as a polite greeting has now turned into a full-blown linguistic tug-of-war.
I think that people who “take offense” should be publicly beaten to the point up deep psychological damage so that they spend the rest of their lives in fear of ever being annoying to anyone ever again.
This should be the reply, in French:
“Get a f——g life”.
Well said. And in Belgian as well.
Sounds like the sort of thing holders of non-useful college degrees do to make a buck.
Welp, that’s it. Time to go to war.
France and French, as well.
There should be public caning for these agitating malcontents.
A reasonable remedy for this would be to require anyone complaining about language to post $1000 bond. If the charge is unsubstantiated they then lose the bond.
What sort of people back-bite each other while immigrants smash through them with automobiles?
They all ought to be thankful they’re not speaking German.
some what along this line. I am offended when watching an English speaking program on TV has Spanish commercials. I can see Spanish commercials during a Spanish speaking programs. But not mixed. If they can enjoy an English program they can listen to English commercials.
Instead use Howdy Asshole! Or Go F yourself sport! Would either of those be acceptable in those circumstances?
Same here..
What do they think about ‘Allah Akcbar’?
We need a law in the U.S. that recent immigrants can only receive free interpreters for 3 years and then they are on their own. For those American citizens who cannot speak English the answer should be too &!@% bad.
He should have said *Allahu Akbar*.
Then he’d be untouchable.
What are the Dutch going to do with islam?
The Permanent Commission for Linguistic Control - here in the U.S. we have universities for that.
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