For the English, France is not expensive

What puts foreigners in France? When asked, arguments abound. “What we like is the quality of life we ​​have here, exclaims Michael Legg, an Englishman newly installed in the Creuse, people are very nice and the houses are much cheaper than in Great Britain. “Robbert Paul who left his native Cornwall and has installed permanently with wife and children, is no less talkative. “We came on vacation three years ago, and we enjoyed the scenery, climate and the people we have decided to stay.” In most cases, they do not even speak French. But no matter, they learn on the job. Especially since many of them are not buying a second home, they elect residences in France. On the niche houses in the countryside, 77% of the market held by the British and Irish. In the Creuse, for example, the number of English who move is impressive. “It reminds us of the English countryside without having to endure the rainy climate,” exclaims Michael Legg. The sun, however, is not guaranteed. Without doubt one of the reasons for the success of this department is to seek it on the price side. It is easily small country houses, old but livable for 60 000-80 000. Work with the key, of course, but at this level, the English did not hesitate. They usually come with a comfortable budget. “In most cases, they sell property they own in Britain, bought in France and put the rest, with the aim of running an early retirement in France,” says Alain Bernard, responsible for several brands Green and Blue in the region, including Bourganeuf, where the English are very present. It is much easier than in Britain, the real estate values ​​are very high. “To buy a home with us, it takes a lot of money, because prices have soared in recent years,” specify the British. Analysis confirms the latest study of ERA on the European market. In Britain, the average price of housing at the national level stands at 283,825 euros in 2005. In France, this value is only 176 000 euros. No wonder that many British owners who got rich through real estate, landed in France with big budgets. Good customers for Alain Bernard, who has also specialized in foreign customers. “In 1000 transactions, I sold 300 houses in the English.” Traders, supermarkets, local artisans do not complain either to see the arrival this unexpected customer. As a result, the bilingual posters popping up everywhere, revealing their presence that wants yet understated. In some markets, we find eachother. It even admits to revise its notions of English and recruit staff who speak the language. Result, villages were dying a slow back to life. A Bourganeuf, the twelve-hole golf course - you know the English love of the sport - was a huge success. “I got into golf!” Exclaims Alain Bernard.
    Overall, the local population rather than the benevolent eye, even if here and there, a few grumpy to say that the English have driven up property prices and the country’s children can not housing … Anyway, the villages of foreigners are not for tomorrow. In any case, they may not emanating from the British, who seek, mostly, to flee the company of their compatriots. “We do not find in France that we do not like in Britain because the English are not very open, said Michael Legg, who continues: For us it is not to live in community. If there were too many English in the region, surely we would leave. “Still,” every village has its English, “says one resident. The Creuse is not an isolated case. Long before it, Perigord had their happiness. But the region is now abandoned by the customer. Because its prices are too high but also because, paradoxically, there are now too English. So, what are the surrounding areas taking advantage of this disaffection. Limousin example, well served by low-cost airlines. From Limoges, Ryanair offers almost daily connections with London-Stansted, Liverpool and Nottingham-East Midlands, while Flybe serves Southampton with five flights in the summer and three winter week. At competitive prices of course. “There are fifty euro notes and sometimes less than ten dollars!” Says Michael Legg.Depuis opening a connection with London-Stansted, three years ago, Rodez also illustrates this phenomenon . In 2004, the airport has attracted some 61,000 foreign passengers on 145 000 in total. They settled on the side of Najac and Villefranche-de-Rouergue. “A Najac, one third of the population is British, says Jean-Stéphane Vilain, Habitat Selection, but those who come here want to live in French.” The type of property most wanted? The old farmhouse at 150 000 euros.Reste whether this influx of customers can be sustainable. These markets are indeed dependent companies. What if the links do not prove more profitable? Carcassonne region has also become very popular thanks to its routes. Sun, its landscapes, its authenticity charm the English customers.
    Where the waves come across the Channel that break from the airport to buy everything for sale. A lucrative market for some professionals who are willing to specialize in foreign clients and wrap himself in sounding names … British! However, the rush does not reach the south of the Loire. A similar phenomenon in Burgundy, a region that sees surge English, Scots, Germans, Dutch … “Within a radius of fifteen miles of Cluny, foreign customers install more main residence. Sometimes, they buy several small communities and form but they are integrated into local life “, explains Cédric Plantin, which has two branches and stones Traditions in Cluny. He continues: “The sale of property in London allows English to buy beautiful properties they renovate. They settled in the years since they have the facilities to work via the Internet. “Karan and John Hicks is a good example. They just bought a farm on five acres of land in La Guiche, near Cluny, where they would like to raise alpacas and create shelter. “This is much better than in the north of England, says John, one can live alone.” It is clear that many areas are affected. However, this market is slowing. Foreign buyers accounted for only 12% of the market for houses last year against 14% in 2004. It is true that countries such as Croatia are emulated because of their unbeatable prices. “For 100,000 euros, there are beautiful houses with 4000 m2 of land,” laments a real estate agent in the Vaucluse. Thus, Germans and Irish turn away from France. The English, they are less adventurous. “From this point of view, the French property market should maintain some activity.

A Brief History of the English Language

The English language has become the main international language in the world. This is the main language in Great Britain, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries such as Botswana and Uganda. About 320 million people speak English as their first language - about the same level as Spanish - but less than the Mandarin (Chinese) or Hindi (Indian language).
     An estimated 460 million the number of people in the world who speak and use English in their daily lives, a total that is second only to Mandarin - which almost all the speakers are in China ..
     The English is the main second language of India, South Africa, and in many other countries in Asia or Africa, but more importantly, the English language became the language of international trade, business , diplomacy, and tourism.
 
     But how can the English language has it become so dominant?
     Above all, it’s a coincidence. After Spain in the 16th century, England became the colonial nation’s most active 18 or 19 centuries, and British explorers and settlers brought their language with them, all over the world. Then in the 20th century, it was the turn of the United States, became the most powerful nation, to further expand the development of English.
     The importance of U.S. multinationals eventually impose English as the international language of business, and Hollywood and the music industry have completed the process, making English the primary language media, music and showbiz ..
     But there are also other factors that contributed to the development of the English language, it is aspcts the nature of the English language.
     There are over a thousand years, while the configuration of modern Europe began, the Western Europe had three different areas on the east, tribes speaking Slavic languages, among the tribes speaking Germanic languages (including the Scandinavian languages), and south and west were of ethnic groups speaking languages ​​of Roman origin. In the far west were also some tribes speaking Celtic languages, such Gaelic.
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     At that time, England was a Germanic country, the land of the Angles, and most of its inhabitants spoke languages ​​of Germanic origin (including Scandinavian languages), a minority spoke Celtic languages ​​..
     In 1066, the Land of the Angles, England, was conquered by the Normans from France, who brought in their luggage their own language, the Norman French, a Romance language ..
     Over the following centuries, the old Germanic language of the English, Old English, was mixed with the French language spoken by the nobility, the Norman French, to produce a new language, English. This language was so very special, since it was formed of elements from two different language families. It was partly Germanic (including grammar and structures), partly Roman (including much of its vocabulary). The Celtic languages ​​have largely escaped this process and remained alive in Cornwall and west of the British Isles. .
     In other words, the English language has a foot in both camps main language of Western Europe. Most citizens of Western Europe may find familiar elements in the English language.
     For example, those who speak a Germanic language (German, Dutch or a Scandinavian language) do not need to have a lot of English to understand this sentence:
     The man forgot to water garden history last night
In contrast, Francophone, Hispanic and Italian should be able to easily understand the sentence, even if they have very little English.
     Indicate if You Have a difficulty problem.

     To the extent that English is straddling two different language families, non-English speakers can often manage to communicate in English, without much attention to grammar. By “communicate” must understand “to convey a message successfully”, not “speak well”.
     However, grammar is very important, because without grammar, no language can survive. Grammar is the mortar that holds together the bricks of a language, without grammar, there is always risk of ambiguity, risk and often against-sense, and even messages written in simple English can lose their meaning.

    For example, note the importance of word order in these two examples are very similar but have two very different meanings.
     The man saw the woman WAS hungry.
     The man saw the woman WAS hungry.
Or see the major difference between these two sentences:
     This is a forgotten story by Charles Dickens.
     This is a forgotten story by Charles Dickens.

     Since the mid-twentieth century, English has become a global language, used throughout the world, this has made it a much richer language than before. She has incorporated words from other cultures, other languages, such bungalow (India), relaxation (French), kebab (the Turkish), potato (Native American word) - the quantities of jargon and slang from the USA.
     Today, the vocabulary and syntax of English are changing. There is no such thing as “official English”, neither Britain nor the United States has an institution like the French Academy, whose function is to determine what is acceptable and what who do not. The great judges in this area are the major dictionaries of English, USA Websters and the OED for Great Britain. But like other dictionaries, they are descriptive, not prescriptive, that is, they describe the English language as used, and do not try to decide whether changes in language are acceptable or not ..
     English of the early twenty-first century is very different from the English 100 years ago, and the pronunciation has changed too, and changing very fast right now. Who knows what will be the language at the dawn of the twenty-second century ….. ? ETAE, etc..