do you see France as more north or south Euro nation?

[JamesBond007]

None in my opinión.

France is its own thing and so is Britain but British culture is technically West Germanic but France is not.

France is its own weird thing at the heart of Europe or something and Britain is more like the Japan(ese) of Europe. Britain has more on common with Australia, New Zealand America than France or Europe.

[Nurzat]

I don't believe in North and South but in this:

Europe:

Advanced civilizations (culture, food, art, philosophy):
1. France
2. Italy


Semi-advanced civilizations (may have philosophy or culture but lack art or may have technology but lack food etc):

3. Germany
4. Netherlands
5. UK
6. Austria
7. Switzerland


Somewhat advanced civilizations (may have food but may not have culture, may have philosophy but lack technology etc):

8. Greece
9. Spain
10. Portugal


Civilized barbarians (may have average everything but not excel on any, culture, philosophy, food, art):

11. Denmark
12. Norway
13. Sweden
14. Finland


Backward civilizations (no food culture, no art, no philosophy, no technology):

96. Moldova
97. Bulgaria
98. Romania
99. Albania


the rest dwell between the civilized barbarians and the backward civilizations, closer to one or other

[Daco Celtic]

I don't believe in North and South but in this:

Europe:

Advanced civilizations (culture, food, art, philosophy):
1. France
2. Italy


Semi-advanced civilizations (may have philosophy or culture but lack art or may have technology but lack food etc):

3. Germany
4. Netherlands
5. UK
6. Austria
7. Switzerland


Somewhat advanced civilizations (may have food but may not have culture, may have philosophy but lack technology etc):

8. Greece
9. Spain
10. Portugal


Civilized barbarians (may have average everything but not excel on any, culture, philosophy, food, art):

11. Denmark
12. Norway
13. Sweden
14. Finland


Backward civilizations (no food culture, no art, no philosophy, no technology):

96. Moldova
97. Bulgaria
98. Romania
99. Albania


the rest dwell between the civilized barbarians and the backward civilizations, closer to one or other

Lets not forget your beloved Slavic countries

101. Ukraine
102. Belarus
next Slavic country, etc

[Faklon]

France is an idealistic combination of Northern nihilism/individualism and Southern corruption

Overall, more African

[Nurzat]

Lets not forget your beloved Slavic countries

101. Ukraine
102. Belarus
next Slavic country, etc

given the choice, I would move to France or Italy, not to Ukraine or Belarus. but not to a city

[Alexandro]

Alex, you speak Catalan, don't you? (I think you said that once, I don’t remember) but if so, what is the degree of similarity between Catalan and French? because I have seen that Catalan grammar resembles the French in certain things.


And responding to thread, I think France is an intermediary, mainly because it is historically Catholic and speaks a language derived from Latin.

Sí, parlo català!

People make the mistake (not saying you, speaking in general terms right now) in saying that Catalan is a blend of languages, it isn't. Catalan is its own language with its own history. You can say it is similar to French and Spanish in order to understand it better....but then it's also similar to Portuguese and Gallego, and Romanian, Italian and obviously Mandarin

Catalan is a gallo-romance language closely related to Occitan, and they are more mutually intelligible in practice than Catalan and Spanish or French. Catalans can watch television or read news in Occitan and understand 90-100% of what is said, but Spanish speakers would not be able to have a full conversation with a Catalan speaker. To answer your question, French grammar is very similar to Catalan grammar, many French words are common to Catalan. Nevertheless Spanish has some lexical influence on Catalan as well. Still....due to influence of French in Catalonia, many people understand it and can learn it easily. This is however not due to lexical proximity but rather culture influence.

Anyway, in my opinion, Catalan is the most beautiful language in comparison with either Spanish or French.

[Tooting Carmen]

I don't believe in North and South but in this:

Europe:

Advanced civilizations (culture, food, art, philosophy):
1. France
2. Italy


Semi-advanced civilizations (may have philosophy or culture but lack art or may have technology but lack food etc):

3. Germany
4. Netherlands
5. UK
6. Austria
7. Switzerland


Somewhat advanced civilizations (may have food but may not have culture, may have philosophy but lack technology etc):

8. Greece
9. Spain
10. Portugal


Civilized barbarians (may have average everything but not excel on any, culture, philosophy, food, art):

11. Denmark
12. Norway
13. Sweden
14. Finland


Backward civilizations (no food culture, no art, no philosophy, no technology):

96. Moldova
97. Bulgaria
98. Romania
99. Albania


the rest dwell between the civilized barbarians and the backward civilizations, closer to one or other

LOL what crude generalisations!

[Jana]

Lets not forget your beloved Slavic countries

101. Ukraine
102. Belarus
next Slavic country, etc

Everyone is jelly of Slavs

[Ayetooey]

I don't believe in North and South but in this:

Europe:

Advanced civilizations (culture, food, art, philosophy):
1. France
2. Italy


Semi-advanced civilizations (may have philosophy or culture but lack art or may have technology but lack food etc):

3. Germany
4. Netherlands
5. UK
6. Austria
7. Switzerland


Somewhat advanced civilizations (may have food but may not have culture, may have philosophy but lack technology etc):

8. Greece
9. Spain
10. Portugal


Civilized barbarians (may have average everything but not excel on any, culture, philosophy, food, art):

11. Denmark
12. Norway
13. Sweden
14. Finland


Backward civilizations (no food culture, no art, no philosophy, no technology):

96. Moldova
97. Bulgaria
98. Romania
99. Albania


the rest dwell between the civilized barbarians and the backward civilizations, closer to one or other

Good list. Changes I would make.

1: Swap Italy and France.

2: UK above Germany, followed by Germany, then Netherlands.

3: Add Ireland to the somewhat advanced civilizations.

4: Take Romania/Bulgaria off backward civilizations. Add Bulgaria to civillised barbarians, Romania to somewhat advanced. Add Russia/Ukraine to backward civilizations.

[Nurzat]

Good list. Changes I would make.

1: Swap Italy and France.

2: UK above Germany, followed by Germany, then Netherlands.

3: Add Ireland to the somewhat advanced civilizations.

4: Take Romania/Bulgaria off backward civilizations. Add Bulgaria to civillised barbarians, Romania to somewhat advanced. Add Russia/Ukraine to backward civilizations.

I was about to like you comment until I read Russia/Ukraine in the end

the order may change, of course, but overall it is indeed a good list, mine, here people praise rural northern societies on TA for their blond peasants but if they'd visit both worlds I bet they'd choose Italy or France to live in, maybe not necessarily in a city, France is not only banlieues