French Men

[gharknes]

OK first if you are french I am not trying to insult you or degrade the french in any way, it is just an obsevation I have made recently, they seem to always want to extend their voice to a point where it is annoying, in my condo building there are a couple of french guys live on my floor but quite a distance away, when they are talking you'd think they where right outside my door, is it just bad manners or is there an underlying reason

I nealy had a fight once in a restuant where i was eating quietly with my girlfriend, the next this this guy gets up from his table and move over and stand about 2 feet behind me - french and voice like a fog horn and starts talking loudly on the phone, I couldn't hear my self talking let alone my girlfriend, I turned round and motioned him to move away (he could have gone to the footpath which was about 10 feet away, he then got extremely anoyed at me giving me a dirty glare, I got up from my table and again asked him to move away at which point his friend got up and motioned him to go outside and appologised for his behavior, not the end of the incident but I won't elaborate any further, could have been any nationality but he did have a very loud voice.

so anyone else think the same as me, comments from french national welcome, perhaps you can spread some light.

Edited June 11, 2007 by gharknes

[GuestHouse]

So one loud Frenchman makes a whole nation loud.

You should come to Rome -Italians screaming at each other is the norm.

But still they are not all like that.

Edited June 11, 2007 by GuestHouse

[CarlBkk]

I am just picturing the scene where you "motion" to a stranger to move away from your table in a public place. Even if he was being loud, it's equally rude and very condescending to gesture in that way. If I was into a conversation talking loudly without realising it and someone gestured me to move away, I'd have a few things to say about it too.

Wouldn't it have been better to just stop talking, turn around and look at him until he realised he was too close? Even a little laugh with your gf about it would have probably made him embarrassed, avoided spoiling a meal with aggression and also saved your gf some embarrassment.

To answer your question though, I've encountered some loud ill-mannered people who haven't realised it. They've been French, Spanish, British, American but mostly Chinese.

[Etrigan]

Incredible.

What utter <deleted>.

Truly, incredible.

[MiG16]

actually of the many French Ive met...as friends and numerous casual passersby met while travelling or even in clubs around bangkok.....Ive not come across one loud one most have been charming and polite actually......

the only time I met any of them that were loud was while watching the Final game of the World Cup when the French played Italians........nothing unusual or even rude about that ...infact it was all done in nice fun way

[shane]

I hear ya man! I'm an American, but not one of the noisy ones..

I really think I am more Thai than American sometimes.. I love when I get on the skytrain or bus in Thailand, the Thais are very

respectfull with their noise levels, usually sitting quietly.. AAAAHHHHH the peace, just like what I do..

However, at my apartment there are numerous Italians/ French models.. They come into the internet cafes late at night & pratically yell on the internet phone calls.. It's beyond rude! Everyone sighs when they come in..If feel they are not well liked in these places.. I have also witnessed Americans just the same which sucks..

Have some curtousy for others.. It actually takes less effort to use a lower volume

[steveromagnino]

If anyone, it can be usually expected that east coast or west coast americans, especially from the cities, will outyell anyone else, even Chinese.

I had always assumed that people from NY do so because the subway system has caused them to be somewhat deaf.

As about 10 of my clients are French, I don't have a stat. sig. sample, but they all seem fairly quiet to me most of the time; get a bit heated sometimes when speaking french, but at least it doesn't have that 'cheese grater' quality that East Coast American seems to bring in droves.

No doubt people find my accent equally annoying. Which is why I don't speak too loudly.

It also has the added benefit of not letting people hear what I am saying. They may think I am an idiot, but if they can't hear me they'll never know for sure. Why remove all doubt by speaking loudly enough for them to know I know naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahthing?

[ronw]

There is an old saying...which is true all over the world.....it applies to all nationalities....................

EMPTY VESSELS MAKE THE MOST NOISE!

My theory is: the louder the voice....the smaller the brain.

[eek]

If i were to generalise, then as a nation, I actually think the french are quieter than many other nationalities.

Actually, even in my apartment block, Thais can be pretty loud too..on mobiles in the corridor late at night/early morning, not thinking to close the door quietly, or groups getting together and laughing etc (esp if they have been out for the night...annoying esp when girls get sorta "sqwalky"..and the high pitched talking and laughing can hard to ignore).

Dif versions of this happen everywhere and with all nationalities. Depends on the person/people and the situation i think...not where they are from.

[gharknes]

OK maybe it is just chance that the French people that are immediately in my little world just happen to be very loud ones

CarlBKK - the guy in the resturant got the look first, then the motion to move, and I'm sorry but I was not rude he was, I totally disagree with you.

as for my girlfriend she would probably have thumped him. That wasn't the point of this thread, it was a generalisation that any french people that I currently come in contact with seem to talk very deeply and throw their voice, I thought I read somewhere that this was a trate of the french and how they speak.

[Flow]

Hate to say this, but I find Americans loud. they always need to make their presence known when they're at work or in the office by turning their vocals cords on at full volume. I wonder why that is??

[PRGUY]

I do not think that it is good to generalise any any specific race or nationality. It all depends on the individuals and their upbringing. I have come across decent French Folks and also a varied range of decent folks from different nationalities and at the same time have come across obnoxious French, Chinese, Indians, British, Americans, Middle-Easterns, you name it. It all depends on their upbringing.

[jackr]

Israelis outstrip everyone! Not nice when you're staying in a nice resort in a peaceful environment with your family and they get together and **** it all up. Tossers!

[Flow]

Israelis outstrip everyone! Not nice when you're staying in a nice resort in a peaceful environment with your family and they get together and **** it all up. Tossers!

Israelis..... some, a minority can be ok though, but the majority are real tossers. Thais don't like them either. They have such bad manners.

Edited June 11, 2007 by Flow

[MTW]

I lived in France for some time when I was in my 20s and have visited there numerous times. I can't say I have ever found French people being particularly loud.

I am American and also don't think we are particularly loud, to the poster who said that. However since you stated you found this in a business or office setting, it could be considered that people might speak a little louder there, on the phone, in a meeting, in order to be sure they are being heard and not sounding meek or wimpy. As a woman with a naturally small voice, I know I have to force myself to speak up more than is natural for me in these settings.

I also think whenever a person finds another language or accent annoying, we always think they are talking too loud just because we don't like to listen to it.

[pop_corn]

blah, i like loud ppl

[carnival1200]

There is an old saying...which is true all over the world.....it applies to all nationalities....................

EMPTY VESSELS MAKE THE MOST NOISE!

My theory is: the louder the voice....the smaller the brain.

Thats not true - a lot of americans have big brains

[ronw]

There is an old saying...which is true all over the world.....it applies to all nationalities....................

EMPTY VESSELS MAKE THE MOST NOISE!

My theory is: the louder the voice....the smaller the brain.

Thats not true - a lot of americans have big brains

Really? I hear that you have to kill a hundred to get a pound!..............and some brains are VERY valuable...........being totally unused!!!!

[tijnebijn]

Maybe they are just very drunk everyday.Drunk people are very loudly.Aslo a thing is the language,french indeed can be very loudly,even more so Italians.But hey have good manners except from how they communicate.I found the african languages the most loud,but probably because how the people use it.The israelis are the most rude I have ever witnessed.And really the Thai are the most descent kind of people you can find on the planet, if not close.

[Tilokarat]

Are the French still yelling and screaming about the BBC showing 'Henry V' on the 200th anniversary of their glorious revolution, or is it because Napoleon met his Waterloo thanks to Wellington or is it because they hated to get off the Chunnel train at Waterloo station, or is it because London got the Olympics and they didn't?

[bowthai]

Are the French still yelling and screaming about the BBC showing 'Henry V' on the 200th anniversary of their glorious revolution, or is it because Napoleon met his Waterloo thanks to Wellington or is it because they hated to get off the Chunnel train at Waterloo station, or is it because London got the Olympics and they didn't?

it's because they stopped showing the jerry lewis movie marathons that used to be on every night.i was in paris when it happened and it was an amusing sight seeing thousands of frenchies in berets running around screaming like jerry lewis and hitting each other with loaves of bread.no wonder the germans were so fearful of taking on france.

[jeffrosner]

Fascinating - it's ok to bash The French but say something about the Thais and the thread gets locked -

Mr. Rosner is stepping back to watch the thread and how it is handled.