General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI'm so impresssed, by English language facility we hear among
Ukraine people.
3catwoman3
(23,820 posts)...language (maybe even 3rd or 4th) put native English speakers to shame.
Not just from Ukraine, but from all over the planet.
mitch96
(13,821 posts)3catwoman3
(23,820 posts)...and sat near a mother and daughter from one of the western European countries (it's been so long I can't remember which one), who told us they spoke 7 languages. Pretty humbling.
highplainsdem
(48,731 posts)as the common language for policymakers.
https://forbes.com/sites/davekeating/2020/02/06/despite-brexit-english-remains-the-eus-most-spoken-language-by-far/
And not just Europe. England is the most common second language in 55 countries. No other language is close.
moonscape
(4,664 posts)spoke 6 languages, 5 fluently. Most of my extended family in Eastern Europe speaks English.
Rhiannon12866
(203,034 posts)And most people born after the WWII generation spoke English. The exception was a girl about my age who I sat next to when we saw an opera at the Kirov. We chatted during the intermission and she was not fluent in English. She was on holiday from Moscow so obviously spoke Russian, and she was also fluent in French and Italian, but apologized to me because she "didn't finish her English."
The point of the trip was to visit the peace group's "sister town" high in the Caucasus Mountains and when we visited the small school there, we spent time with the English class, comprised of fairly young kids.
It is true that in other countries, it's not uncommon for people to speak more than one language. We, as Americans, expect everyone to speak English, and chances are that they do.
DFW
(54,056 posts)Id be an idiot if I didnt. I use most of them at least once a week for work, personal matters, or both. If you travel a lot here, youre at a huge disadvantage if you dont. Sure, most Europeans know some English. But theres a huge difference between someone taking your order in a restaurant and having a meal in a restaurant with four people who all speak a language among themselves that isnt English.
From the nearest airport to me, if I take a flight of two hours or less, I can be in Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Switzerland, Croatia, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic or even in Kyiv. That list isnt even complete. If you live here and get around at all, you have to learn other languages because its almost a sure thing that your life will involve people who speak them.
elleng
(130,156 posts)My brother may travel for business again soon, but he's not as devoted to Europe as I am; brother may travel to Georgia soon, among other places. Maybe Ethiopia.
We studied French in high school, but I don't know that he's familiar with many others.
DFW
(54,056 posts)elleng
(130,156 posts)Bucky
(53,795 posts)her accent makes her English almost unintelligible. English as a global lingua franca doesn't guarantee that everyone who appreciates our democratic values is able to speak impressively in our tongue.