British/American Adversity to Learning Languages

[Case Sensitive]

Is it because the people just don't want to? Or is it because the authorities don't really let them? I briefly attended a school in Muntscherschwaben before we moved to SH and there the curriculum was German (obviously), English, Latin, Ancient Greek, French/Spanish (your choice, French is more common) and the optional Italian. It was a (for Brits) public (for Americans) private school.

Thoughts?

[Ruinel]

Je parle francaise, mais non bon. Votre pretention est erronee. Il est en raison de un manque(?) pratique.

Most high schools (9th - 12th) and most universities require a language course.

In Europe, there is a better chance to practice french, italian, german, etc. as you travel from one connected country to another.

En los Estados Unidos, no hay mucha practica.

[sun-star]

I don't know about America, but it is true that in Britain people often don't learn other languages - possibly because so many people speak English anyway that they don't see the need. Although I learn German, most of the German people I've met speak such impeccable English that it's much easier to hold a conversation in that language than in German (unless I insist on practising!). Also, English is now used for so much - the Internet is a perfect example of this. So learning languages is an optional extra, rather than an imperative (which is a pity, in my opinion).

[azalea]

Originally posted by Ruinel
Je parle francaise, mais non bon.

Moi aussi.
Most high schools in the US require 2 years of a foreign language, and colleges usually require a semester or two at least.
That's just it, on this entire contenent and Central America, there are only two major official languages: English and Spanish (the only other is French but that's just in Quebec). At the elementary school where I used to work all the students took Spanish. Most Americans never run into a situation where they need to use anything but English, unless they travel abroad.
I love languages and would love to learn more -- actually there is an existing thread in this forum about languages.

[Hanza]

My school recently became a language college. Thi means not a lot really. but i do german, english, latin and japanese and i learnt french for 5 years but was still rubbish so gave it up at gcse's. I only took latin up this year but its great fun and we are trying to do a 4 year course in two years!
i like learning lots of languages but i warn you now DONT ATTEMPT JAPANESE!!!!! It is sooo hard!! I cant understand much at all. However i can say

watashi wakarimasen - I don't understand

i figured this is all i really need to know.

[Ruinel]

Originally posted by azalea
Moi aussi.

Ok, I've heard this a couple of times. So, now I feel I have to correct it.

(the only other is French but that's just in Quebec). [/B]

I have French Canadian relatives. Some live in Quebec. Some do not. They all speak french. So, officially the language in Canada is set by the province and thus Quebec's official language is french. But people also speak french in the other provinces.

[Sween]

I know i didnt startb to learn any lanuages till i reached secondary school (age 11 that is for non brits)! to be honest i have a very slight grasp of the english language so learning frech was a bit of a waste of time for me !

I know enought to be a polite tourist though. The dutch from my experience have an excellent grasp of english in fact much more so than english people.

i dont want to make excusses but it may have to do with england having many more regional dialects and words than most other places most people do not speak as it is known 'the queens english', if we cannot get our own language right what hope do we have?

[Insidious Rex]

I was shocked when I really started talking to people internationally and realized how many languages they knew. 14 and 15 years old and they speak 3, 4, 5, 6 languages! god. thats astounding. of course the subset i talk to by definition is speaking to me in a second language to begin with so i guess its not a proper indicator of the "average" non american. i speak a little spanish and even less russian and whenever i TRY to talk to spanish/russian speakers they basically say bloody american speak english so i can understand you. so so much for practice....

[Artanis]

Originally posted by azalea
Moi aussi.

Et moi. Je panse, c'est une belle langue.
But it's impossible to get the prononciation right. I tried to speak some French when I was in France last summer, but people just 'ed and spoke English back to me.

Insidious Rex, that's your advantage isn't it. Almost everyone speaks English/American. You don't need a foreign language.

[Ruinel]

Originally posted by Artanis
Et moi. Je panse, c'est une belle langue.
But it's impossible to get the prononciation right. I tried to speak some French when I was in France last summer, but people just 'ed and spoke English back to me.

That is what happened to me when I visited Germany. I would go into a shop or bar and start speaking the german that I had so painstakingly learned and they would just smile and say, "It's ok, I speak english." *sigh* I guess my accent was really bad, and I worked so hard on it.

[Artanis]

Accents come with practice, but no one wants to speak to you before you've got the accent right.
My German pronunciation is far better than my French. The German accent is more like Norwegian. But the grammar is horrible.
An, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor und zwischen.

[Wayfarer]

Why would they bother learning other languages when they can hardly speak their own correctly? ]:-|

[Varda Oiolosseo]

I found that when i went to Germany on a school trip, they knew that we were English and people wouldn't answer back in German to us instead they spoke English.

At school I learn German and i used to learn French (which i found really hard), I speak a small amount of Italian and Spanish.
I can get the German accent and pronunciation perfect but that is after loads of practise!!
German grammer is horrible!

[Coney]

The British don't need to learn any foriegn languages.........if we are misunderstood in our native tongue



WE REPEAT IT VERY LOUDLY AND VERY SLOWLY BECAUSE WE ARE CONVINCED THAT YOU WILL UNDERSTAND US!

Usually works as well, a translator is found just to get rid of the annoying tourist

[Aralyn]

I read somewhere that English is the hardest language to learn. Even above Chinese and Japanese.
I have to know Spanish or my parents will say something about me I can't understand.
My dad's family grew up in Bolivia and Venezuela. They knew English and Spanish and a little bit of German by the time they were each six years old.
Mi padre habla espanol todo al tiempo. En la iglesia y en la casa.
But his grammar is not so good. He speaks a lot of slang.

[Ruinel]

Originally posted by Aralyn
Mi padre habla espanol todo al tiempo. En la iglesia y en la casa.

If he speaks spanish all the time, even at home and church, then I suppose you had better learn it.
That's why I had to learn french: survival skills. We would go visit family, and no one would speak english, so I had to learn french or starve. Ok, that's an exaggeration.

[azalea]

Originally posted by Ruinel


Ok, I've heard this a couple of times. So, now I feel I have to correct it.

I have French Canadian relatives. Some live in Quebec. Some do not. They all speak french. So, officially the language in Canada is set by the province and thus Quebec's official language is french. But people also speak french in the other provinces.

Oh, yes, I didn't mean no one outside of Quebec speaks French, just that other than French being the official language of Quebec, there are only two official languages on this entire continent, whereas in Europe there are so many.

So yes, I think we can blame it all on the Europeans -- they won't let us practice! (just kidding of course!) The native Spanish-speakers I've met are always enthusiastic (or at least patient) about English-speakers practicing Spanish w/ them, but those who speak French act like they'd rather not be bothered, so I have never once been able to use my French to speak to a "real" French speaker. So unfortunately I don't really speak it anymore because of the "use it or lose it" thing.

[Sween]

Standard british english lets get this stright because it is slightly different from american english is much more complex with lots of silent letter and many things not spelt phonetically.

[Ruinel]

Originally posted by azalea
Oh, yes, I didn't mean no one outside of Quebec speaks French, just that other than French being the official language of Quebec, there are only two official languages on this entire continent, whereas in Europe there are so many.

[Aralyn]

Originally posted by Ruinel
If he speaks spanish all the time, even at home and church, then I suppose you had better learn it.
That's why I had to learn french: survival skills. We would go visit family, and no one would speak english, so I had to learn french or starve. Ok, that's an exaggeration.

Yeah all our family speaks it. So when we have reunions(sp?) everyone is babbling in Espanol and I'm going what?
I should learn it but I'm too lazy. HE can speak like six languages and it freakin annoying. He reads it and knows it. That easy. I have to work. Darn
I know enough to comment though

I have friends who say it's not important to learn another language since everyone wants to learn English (not true) but it's good to know how to get around.

What all do you speak Ruinel?