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 kinky_afr0
Male, 18-29, Europe
 555 Posts
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Sunday, March 10, 2013 3:49:36 PM
stupid americans |
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 lauriloo
Female, 40-49, Midwest US
888 Posts
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Monday, March 04, 2013 8:23:59 PM
"I was under the impression many foreign countries automatically are taught English? "
I thought that, too, but when you travel there you'll probably find people remember as much english as the typical American remembers of the spanish they took in middle school. I was just in Germany last year and was surprised how many people didn't speak english, including waiters which I would assume would be motivated to make tourists comfortable. I tried to go on two ghost tours because it was Halloween time and both were german only so I had to pass. I stayed in Darmstadt and the young guy who checked me in to the hotel could barely say/understand any english. |
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lauriloo
Female, 40-49, Midwest US
888 Posts
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Monday, March 04, 2013 8:19:02 PM
Proximity to another country certainly creates necessity. I would bet Americans in the states bordering Mexico are far more likely to know Spanish than people in Minnesota. Plus, we already know the almost universal language of world commerce so why would we learn another language and if we did, which one would we choose? I've learned bits and pieces of german, italian, french and spanish just because I've travelled there and didn't want to be completely helpless. |
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 bordo
Male, 50-59, Western US
407 Posts
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Monday, March 04, 2013 4:59:07 PM
So 0.3 of all Americans are mute (3 in 10), being unable to speak even one language? |
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 Plangkye
Female, 18-29, Eastern US
220 Posts
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Monday, March 04, 2013 2:07:13 PM
I'm going to guess this was made either by a Brit or a really, really cynical American. |
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 auburnjunky
Male, 30-39, Southern US
8770 Posts
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Monday, March 04, 2013 12:13:21 PM
"I was under the impression many foreign countries automatically are taught English?"
They are. It is the world's most widely taught language. |
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 EVILLECUTTER
Male, 18-29, Midwest US
198 Posts
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Monday, March 04, 2013 9:42:59 AM
CAUSE WE DONT HAVE TO |
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 edana42
Female, 40-49, Eastern US
2408 Posts
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Monday, March 04, 2013 8:47:23 AM
I was under the impression many foreign countries automatically are taught English?
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 chicagojay
Male, 40-49, Midwest US
881 Posts
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Monday, March 04, 2013 8:11:51 AM
Well, duh. The lower folks must learn the language of the best if they want to better themselves. |
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auburnjunky
Male, 30-39, Southern US
8770 Posts
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Monday, March 04, 2013 4:08:09 AM
Thanks Mr. Peabody. I never knew that.
English is still the world language though hehe. |
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 MrPeabody
Male, 30-39, Eastern US
1502 Posts
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Monday, March 04, 2013 1:41:01 AM
@auburnjunky
Chinese know two languages by default (Chinese/Mandarin), so 1.9 means they're REALLY stupid as far as this graphic is concerned.
Chinese is not a language just like American is not a language. When people say they know Chinese it means for the most part they know Mandarin because it is the national language. Just like English is in America. The are many regional dialects in China, such as Cantonese and Shanghaiese, which local people people speak as well as the national language. The are some older people (~60's and older) who never learned Mandarin in school though, so they are not very good with it, and rely on their local dialect. Also all school children take English. So that .1% could be older people, or people who did not even go to school. |
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 Modwain
Male, 30-39, Europe
158 Posts
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Monday, March 04, 2013 1:40:51 AM
why speaking more languagase is good for you
so yeah, even if english or the american version of english is your main language ,a second, third and god forbide a fourth languagte can not only improve your economic situation, it also is better for your health and development |
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 handimanner
Male, 50-59, Western US
1358 Posts
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Sunday, March 03, 2013 11:08:01 PM
Isn't "cabbie" a language? |
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auburnjunky
Male, 30-39, Southern US
8770 Posts
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Sunday, March 03, 2013 10:19:34 PM
Hmmm. Let's see.
We border an equal country that speaks English, and a lesser country (yes, I said it) that speaks Spanish.
Chinese know two languages by default (Chinese/Mandarin), so 1.9 means they're REALLY stupid as far as this graphic is concerned.
Spaniards HAVE to travel through France to get anywhere on their own continent, sooooo.
Sweden? Do they speak Swedish, Finnish, or Norwegian there? Flip a coin.
Fact is, we don't HAVE to learn a second language, because English is the world language. Bitches. |
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 defendors87
Male, 18-29, Southern US
613 Posts
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Sunday, March 03, 2013 6:16:38 PM
fluent in English as a first language and Spanish as a second. |
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MrPeabody
Male, 30-39, Eastern US
1502 Posts
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Sunday, March 03, 2013 5:32:57 PM
I have taken 4 years of French in high school and 1 semester of Chinese in junior college, but I have never used either enough to become fluent. I just remember the basics of both due to disuse.
Many countries (Japan, India, China etc.) receive English education from grade school because it has become the common language of business, and to a lesser extent education. There are a lot of students from non-English native countries attending English universities.
People who live in a country that does not speak English have more of a chance to learn and practice English because it is everywhere and they have been (in most cases) taught since they were young. To get that same opportunity in an English speaking country, you have to have almost continuous exposure to that second language. Then there is the question of which language to learn. It's an easy choice for non-English speakers, but not so easy for most English speakers. |
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 5Cats
Male, 40-49, Canada
17496 Posts
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Sunday, March 03, 2013 4:37:10 PM
Cheap shot.
Also a cheap shot at the Japanese. afaik they almost all study English in school, as well as learn either Korean or Chinese along the way.
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 fancythat
Male, 30-39, Eastern US
1467 Posts
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Sunday, March 03, 2013 3:29:30 PM
Define "American" |
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bataleon27
Male, 18-29, Europe
1135 Posts
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Sunday, March 03, 2013 3:26:40 PM
Fwoggie2 - unfortunately, you don't understand the meaning of the word 'average' |
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 Langer
Male, 18-29, Europe
321 Posts
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Sunday, March 03, 2013 3:25:54 PM
Apparently, Americans are only able to master 70% of the English language.
that or else they were asked what languages they speak, and American wasn't accepted as an actual language |
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kvetcher
Male, 50-59, Europe
54 Posts
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Sunday, March 03, 2013 2:50:38 PM
Handwriting's continental European. UK figure seems high, given our general educational standards. French too - after Americans, the least travelled people in the developed world, and the most chauvinistic about their language. Just another pop at the Yanks, I guess. |
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 Fwoggie2
Male, 30-39, Europe
1188 Posts
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Sunday, March 03, 2013 2:43:17 PM
Ich Spreche Deutsche et mon Francais est comme ci, comme ca.
So I ruin the Brit stat. Ja. |
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 MeGrendel
Male, 40-49, Southern US
2410 Posts
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Sunday, March 03, 2013 2:05:37 PM
Andrew155-"Apparently, Americans are only able to master 70% of the English language."
There are many who are lucky if they've mastered 20% of the English langauge. |
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 spanerbulb
Male, 30-39, Europe
889 Posts
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Sunday, March 03, 2013 1:55:50 PM
Naitsirhc88, if this was actually serious, your argument would makes no sense at all based on this chart. |
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 ferdyfred
Male, 40-49, Europe
5961 Posts
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Sunday, March 03, 2013 1:42:45 PM
Dunno, come round my neighborhood
and its rather like stone age times
barely get a grunt out of most
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