4 ms·

Yes and it is kinda annoying if there's only one country which doesn't want to adopt English, forcing everyone to learn their language ;-) So it is just a matt

Yes and it is kinda annoying if there's only one country which doesn't want to adopt English, forcing everyone to learn their language ;-) So it is just a matter of perspective. I wonder how the chinese see that picture.

cassandrajam 8y ago
> only one country which doesn't want to adopt English What? You've never been to Europe have you? Try travelling here and speaking English in any country other than the obvious champions like Norway / Sweden / Danemark and you'll come to the crazy realization that people like speaking their own language.
- frockington 8y ago
  I've never had that experience traveling. Just knowing a few basic greetings and pleasantries is enough, smile a little bit and most people are forgiving
  - cassandrajam 8y ago
    Exactly! Weird how people aren't asshats when you show them you're trying.
- arendtio 8y ago
  In fact, I am German. I had both English and French as foreign languages in school. I know that Germans aren't that good at English either but the French people are by far the most resistant I have met when it comes to learning English. Yes, they are also the most forgiving when it comes to trying to understand someone who is trying to speak their language but that does not change the first issue. But hey, on the positive side of things I have a feeling that the younger generations depend less on their own language and have better English skills.
Jaxan 8y ago
Since English is only third most spoken language, why would they adopt English?
- arendtio 8y ago
  I think the head count is not as imporant as the number of affected countries and the attractivesness of doing business with the people in those countries. Another factor might be the difficulty of learning the language, as English is considered one of the easier lagnuages.
- oblio 8y ago
  Because there's a ton of business to be had with English speakers: buying, selling stuff, tourism. Also many of the English speaking countries are very cool to visit or even move to. There's not that many Spanish, Chinese or even French speaking countries you'd want to move to, as someone from a developed country.
hluska 8y ago
If you're going to immigrate, learn the local language and do your best to adopt the local accent. It's tough, but it's the best investment you'll make in your new home.
- arendtio 8y ago
  Yes, when you are coming to a foreign country you should adapt to that country and not vice versa, the but that wasn't the point of my critique. I critizied that the people in France are known for their hostility against English. So I just wish they would embrace the international nature of English a bit more.
  - hluska 8y ago
    I'm not saying you're wrong because honestly, I don't know. I haven't lived enough places to be able to judge anyone on how welcoming they are to foreign language speakers. One thing I'll tell you is that in my experience, every culture has its own way of expressing annoyance. When those ways clash, it can make people seem way more hostile than they mean. As an example, if I start a sentence with "Sorry, but..." I'm pretty annoyed, but in some parts of the world, that would be endearing. In other parts, it would be so polite as to be annoying. One thing I'll tell you is that my country isn't particularly patient with people who don't try to learn English, or with people whose English is poor. We have a reputation for being very polite and welcoming, but I think that's more a function of people just not picking up on cues that we're annoyed.
  - matt_the_bass 8y ago
    And Americans are known for their hostility against all other languages. Yet they speak English. Do you know the joke: “What do you call someone who speaks 3 languages? Trilingual What do you call someone who speaks 2 languages? Bilingual What do you call someone who’s speaks one language? American” I’d be willing to bet that a greater percentage of French population have basic communication skills in a foreign language than Americans. FYI until relatively recently, French was the Lingua Franca of the world, not English. In fact that was one reason I wanted to learn French, to help me in travels around the world. Yes English is more prevalent now, yet I’ve found French to be more helpful than English in some non native French speaking countries.
baud147258 8y ago
Or, on the other hand, English-speaking people who never do any effort to learn any other language, assuming that English will be spoken everywhere. :o
chupasaurus 8y ago
Citizen of the ⅐ part of the land. Most of the IT workers here have an A2 or lower level of English.

cassandrajam 8y ago

> only one country which doesn't want to adopt English What? You've never been to Europe have you? Try travelling here and speaking English in any country other than the obvious champions like Norway / Sweden / Danemark and you'll come to the crazy realization that people like speaking their own language.

frockington 8y ago
I've never had that experience traveling. Just knowing a few basic greetings and pleasantries is enough, smile a little bit and most people are forgiving
- cassandrajam 8y ago
  Exactly! Weird how people aren't asshats when you show them you're trying.
arendtio 8y ago
In fact, I am German. I had both English and French as foreign languages in school. I know that Germans aren't that good at English either but the French people are by far the most resistant I have met when it comes to learning English. Yes, they are also the most forgiving when it comes to trying to understand someone who is trying to speak their language but that does not change the first issue. But hey, on the positive side of things I have a feeling that the younger generations depend less on their own language and have better English skills.

Jaxan 8y ago

Since English is only third most spoken language, why would they adopt English?

arendtio 8y ago
I think the head count is not as imporant as the number of affected countries and the attractivesness of doing business with the people in those countries. Another factor might be the difficulty of learning the language, as English is considered one of the easier lagnuages.
oblio 8y ago
Because there's a ton of business to be had with English speakers: buying, selling stuff, tourism. Also many of the English speaking countries are very cool to visit or even move to. There's not that many Spanish, Chinese or even French speaking countries you'd want to move to, as someone from a developed country.

hluska 8y ago

If you're going to immigrate, learn the local language and do your best to adopt the local accent. It's tough, but it's the best investment you'll make in your new home.

arendtio 8y ago
Yes, when you are coming to a foreign country you should adapt to that country and not vice versa, the but that wasn't the point of my critique. I critizied that the people in France are known for their hostility against English. So I just wish they would embrace the international nature of English a bit more.
- hluska 8y ago
  I'm not saying you're wrong because honestly, I don't know. I haven't lived enough places to be able to judge anyone on how welcoming they are to foreign language speakers. One thing I'll tell you is that in my experience, every culture has its own way of expressing annoyance. When those ways clash, it can make people seem way more hostile than they mean. As an example, if I start a sentence with "Sorry, but..." I'm pretty annoyed, but in some parts of the world, that would be endearing. In other parts, it would be so polite as to be annoying. One thing I'll tell you is that my country isn't particularly patient with people who don't try to learn English, or with people whose English is poor. We have a reputation for being very polite and welcoming, but I think that's more a function of people just not picking up on cues that we're annoyed.
- matt_the_bass 8y ago
  And Americans are known for their hostility against all other languages. Yet they speak English. Do you know the joke: “What do you call someone who speaks 3 languages? Trilingual What do you call someone who speaks 2 languages? Bilingual What do you call someone who’s speaks one language? American” I’d be willing to bet that a greater percentage of French population have basic communication skills in a foreign language than Americans. FYI until relatively recently, French was the Lingua Franca of the world, not English. In fact that was one reason I wanted to learn French, to help me in travels around the world. Yes English is more prevalent now, yet I’ve found French to be more helpful than English in some non native French speaking countries.

baud147258 8y ago

Or, on the other hand, English-speaking people who never do any effort to learn any other language, assuming that English will be spoken everywhere. :o

chupasaurus 8y ago

Citizen of the ⅐ part of the land. Most of the IT workers here have an A2 or lower level of English.