Eurovision

Eurovision
 

Leí que hay una controvérsia en fráncia sobre el popularísimo concurso internacional de canciones Eurovisión. Muchas veces los ganadores del concurso ganan fama internacionalmente. Este año la canción fráncia seleccionó para el concurso era una canción con letras en inglés. Hay franceses que dicen que una cancion seleccionada para representar fráncia debe estar cantada en francés.

¿Que piensan vds? ¿Piensan que la dominación mundial de inglés se pone en peligro la cultura auctótono de todas las regiones del mundo? O, piensan que es una buena cosa que inglés es la verdadera lingua franca.
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I read that there is a conroversy brewing in France over the immensely popular annual international song contest Eurovision . Many times the winner becomes internationally famous. This year France's selection was sung in English. Some French people say that a song selected to represent France should be sung in French.

What do you think? Do you think worldwide English domination endangers
unique regional culture? Or, do you think it's good that English has become
the true lingua franca?

Poli
Feel free to correct my Spanish-- or English for that matter.

I just read the same article. I am surprised that the French want to keep English words out of their language. I may be biased, but there are MANY French words in English (most of them not pronounced like the French pronounce them), and words from dozens of other languages. The English language lends itself well to adoption and adaptation, and the people who use it are glad to coin new words and adopt others into the language almost daily. So, I wonder why the French are so adamant about keeping French pure. Do they fear they'll lose their language? Or, do they have a very pompous attitude? Maybe I'm asking two unfounded questions.

I liked the comment in the article where the singer said that it should be his right to choose the language he sings in and that he tried to adapt the song to French but it wouldn't work. We who speak more than one language often choose words that 'work' for us, whether they be in our mother tongue or another tongue. Do the French oppose a good Italian or German opera? If not, why would they care if a good English song won the contest?

What worries me is not the language chosen by each country ( though I understand those who try to promote the use of their own), but the quality of the songs. Have you heard the Spanish song for this year? If that guy wins the contest I'll die of shame!:(:thumbsdown:
Having said this, I have to tell you that my 3-year-old son loves it...

France presents a song with English lyrics to Eurovision? Why not in Turkish?
Lingua franca? Who need it if you live in Paris?

Please... let everybody speak their own language. I've never seen a country singer singing in French... But, who knows?

I'm sorry I'm not going to correct your English for the moment.

Francia no es palabra esdrújula, pues ia forma diptongo. Por eso no lleva acento.

(If there is any other proposal to make corrections other place or other way to keep the thread tidy, please tell me.)

I for one, appreciate the thousands of different languages in the world, and would love to learn more of them. So I think it's kinda sad that one language is becoming so ubiquitous that other languages are dying out.

Gracias Alfonso.¡ Esdrújulo, que palabra! Esa palabra me hizo consultar el diccionario

Ahora, voy a dar mi opinión. La gente de Francia no deben tener ningún miedo de que perderán su cultura si tengan
artistas que quieren cantar en inglés. La lengua francés y tambien su cultura es fortísimia. Igual, americanos que
cantan español (habían varios) o cualquier otro idioma no deben preocuparse. Una cultura que accepta otras
culturas es una cultura confidente y sofisticada -- un imagen que Francia siempre quiere proyectar.

.....

I am not interested at all in being represented by a song. But if I were, I would appreciate being able to understand the lyrics, just to know if I'm to be proud, or ashamed, of what is supposed to be representing me.

(Extracted from the book of a very ancient Chinese philosopher).

... I would appreciate being able to understand the lyrics, just to know if I am to be proud, or ashamed, of what ...

These changes make the sentence sound better to the English ear. Otherwise, your comment is great.


:thumbsup:
Speaking of representing your country well (and using lyrics you're proud to call your own), ...

Cuando vivía en Nicaragua, oí una canción muy nicaragüense, ganadora del Festival de la Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana (OTI) en 1977. La canción lleva por título Quincho Barrilete y ensalza la pobreza y dignidad de un niño trabajador.
Se puede escucharla aquí.

He aquí la letra:

De la marimba de chavalos de la Tirsa
Este tal Quincho se la gana a los demás,
Con sus diez años no cumplidos todavía
Es hombre serio como pocos en su edad.
Mientras su mamá se penquea en la rebusca
Quincho se faja como todo un tayacán,
Mañana y tarde vende bolis en los buses
Para que puedan sus hermanos estudiar.

(Coro)
¡Qué viva Quincho, Quincho Barrilete,
Héroe infantil de mi ciudad!
¡Qué vivan todos los chavalos de mi tierra,
Ejemplo vivo de pobreza y dignidad!
¡Qué viva Quincho, Quincho Barrilete.
Su nombre no se olvidará!
Porque en las calles, plazas, parques y barriadas
El pueblo lo repetirá.

Joaquín Carmelo viene a ser sólo un membrete
Que le pusieron en la pila bautismal,
Pero su nombre de combate es Barrilete,
Le cae al pelo con su personalidad.
Allá en El Open vive desde el terremoto,
A hacer lechuzas este Quincho es un campeón,
Por un chelín te hace un cometa prodigioso
Para ponerle un telegrama al Colochón.

(coro)

El tiempo sigue incontenible su camino,
Y el chavalito que vivió en el Open Tres
No volverá a ponerse más pantalón chingo
Ni la gorrita con la visera al revés.
Un día va a enrollar la cuerda del cometa
Y muy feliz mirando al sol se marchará,
Enfrentará las realidades de su pueblo
Y con los pobres de su patria luchará.

(coro)

Letra y música de Carlos Mejía Godoy, Nicaragua.

(Puedo explicar lo que no se entiende. ;))

Bonita letra y buen mensaje. Por cierto había unas palabras que no había visto antes.

Great song by Carlos Mejía Godoy!
Thanks a lot for your corrections, Rusty.
Some words I can't understand: tayacón, colochón, pantalón chingo.
I also don't understand hacer lechuzas but I suppose it's armar cometas.
¡Viva Quincho Barrilete!

tayacán = hombre bien fuerte (hombre encargado de los bueyes)
Colochón = nombre cariñoso de Jesucristo
pantalón chingo = pantalones demasiados cortos

Alfonso,
Instead of I also don't understand X, you say: I don't understand X either.

Actually, both are fine & grammatical, but I personally would prefer the second.

Concerning the word lechuza, I new a woman (a Mexican) who would say lechuza instead of lechuga, but I think she was just trying to be funny.

Never would have guessed that one :)

It's OK to say 'I also don't understand ...,' the way Alfonso used it. Your suggestion is another way to say the same thing. Both sentences work in this instance.