Brits don't speak foreign languages

here she comes with her americans
Duh.

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" a écrit dans le message de groupe de
discussion : ...



Markku Grönroos wrote:
A recently published study tells that 64% of all the Britons can speak
only English.
I suspect that is true of an even higher percentage of U.S born
Americans! (Despite the resurgence of racism, we are still a country of
immigrants.)

here in the US.
every single topic comes back to the US with that granny.
Duh.

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" a écrit dans le message de groupe de
discussion : ...



William Black wrote:
On 29/11/11 16:21, Markku Grönroos wrote:
A recently published study tells that 64% of all the Britons can speak
only English.

Well about 10% of the population wasn't born here, so that means that
only 26% of the people born in the UK can speak a foreign language.

As every child who passes through the British school system receives
lessons in at least one foreign language I beg leave to doubt that survey.

"Lessons in a foreign language" and "ablilty to speak" one are not the
same thing! For one thing, aptitudes vary - even within the same
family, judging by a couple of Hungarian families I knew, here in the
U.S.. (One daughter spoke fluent English, with scarcely any foreign
accent - the other had a very limited vocabulary and sounded like Zsa
Zsa Gabor, even though she was the younger, so had attended American
schools for a longer period of time.)

In David Hatunen
wrote:

On Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:35:31 +0000, Bert wrote:

Why? Languages other than English are taught in the public schools,
although many Americans never have need or opportunity to speak
anything other than English.

Not quite: *most* Americans never have need or opportunity to speak
anything other than English.

Our European friends forget how far most of us have to travel before
getting to a country where English isn't the national language.

--
St. Paul, MN

On 11/29/2011 5:42 PM, Martin wrote:
On Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:21:27 +0200, Markku Grönroos
wrote:

A recently published study tells that 64% of all the Britons can speak
only English.

So few?

How about the Britons who don't speak English? There are many I can't
understand immediately but I won't get into a flame war by listing them :-)

--


James Silverton, Potomac

I'm *not*

Bert wrote:
In Erilar
wrote:

Markku Grönroos wrote:
A recently published study tells that 64% of all the Britons can
speak only English.

Does it offer figures for us here in the US? Other than the newly-
arrived, I'd guess it's pretty sad 8-)

Why? Languages other than English are taught in the public schools,
although many Americans never have need or opportunity to speak anything
other than English.

I taught one for decades: German. But even my best students who'd had
several years with me had a tendency to ask me for help when we were in
Germany 8-)

--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad

David Hatunen writes:
Not quite: *most* Americans never have need or opportunity to speak
anything other than English.

Bert (in St. Paul, Minnesota) writes:
Our European friends forget how far most of us have to travel before
getting to a country where English isn't the national language.

In your case that'd be about 250 miles (400 km). (Hint: The key word
is "the".)

And, for that matter, the US doesn't have a national language.

But that's more a point of language politics than language usage,
and I probably shouldn't've mentioned it here.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto "... pure English is de rigueur"
-- Guardian Weekly

My text in this article is in the public domain.

On 29/11/2011 11:21 AM, Markku Grönroos wrote:
A recently published study tells that 64% of all the Britons can speak
only English.

And the rest of them are immigrants?

On 29/11/2011 4:39 PM, Wolfgang Schwanke wrote:
Markku wrote
in :

A recently published study tells that 64% of all the Britons can speak
only English.

Years ago on a German newsgroup someone suggested: "Everyone in the
world should speak at least four languages: The regional language, the
national language, one national language of a neighbouring country, and
English." An Englishman chipped in: "That's all very fine, but in my
case that would be English, English, English and English." They're just
applying the suggestion.

That would work for me to. English is an official language. It is the
language of the region I live in and the language of my neighbouring
country. If I were to drive across Europe for as long as it takes me to
drive through my province, I could drive through at least a half dozen
countries with their own languages. Yet, driving through those same
European countries, I would be able to get just about anything I want or
need using English. I could fall back on my limited abilities to speak
French or German.

On 29/11/11 22:11, EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote:

here in the U.S..

Isn't what we're talking about.

--
William Black

Free men have open minds
If you want loyalty, buy a dog...

On 29/11/2011 5:04 PM, EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote:


Markku Grönroos wrote:
A recently published study tells that 64% of all the Britons can speak
only English.
I suspect that is true of an even higher percentage of U.S born
Americans! (Despite the resurgence of racism, we are still a country of
immigrants.)


Some immigrants assimilate more readily than others. My wife's
grandfather immigrated from the Netherlands to the US with his parents
in the 1890s. Shortly after their settling into their new home his
father announced that they were now Americans and would speak only
English. My neighbours OTOH, came to Canada in 1951 and they sound like
they just arrived. Both of them have such strong accents and limited
vocabulary that it is difficult to understand them.