Why can't we speak foreign languages?

[Rapt0r]

I pretty sure he means in general and not just here. The main reason we americans don't speak other languages fluently is because there isn't a necessity for it. We don't live surrounded by other countries speaking different languages. If you lived in Europe, you have people speaking different languages all around you so it's good to know them.

[raph666]

If you lived in Europe, you have people speaking different languages all around you so it's good to know them.

Canada has both english and french as official languages. Mexico speaks spanish and we're not even speaking about further south in the Americas. It would be just as good for americans to know other languages. correlation with the time people wasted learning pokemon names?

[vedicardi]

I can speak a good bit of spanish, and I'm planning on learning at least one other language to a more extreme extent.

[anthman852]

I've noticed something kinda funny on here. It seems like the few foreign people we have that come on here and post can talk decent, if not, good english. Yet, most of us english speaking folks can't speak a single sentence of a different language (german, spanish, errrrr........ french). I'm just making a broad generalization and I do realize some of you guys know some foreign languages, but I find that pretty funny.

I'm lazy and can speak a few foregin languages.

Jeg er doven og kan tale et par foregin språk.

Sono pigro e può parlare qualche lingue di foregin.

Я ленив и могу говорить на нескольких foregin языках.

epic fail at using google translator.


I took 9 years of Spanish throughout my life so I can speak it pretty well. I can put together simple phrases and translate some stuff.

[mmsven]

People from other countries want to know English, and we already know the language. The U.S. pumps out the big-budget movies not apparent anywhere else, and most programming languages are English.

English is just the most popular language.

[lsapg09]

No se hablar de lo que tu! Yo puedo hablar espanol perfecly bien, pero mi teclado no tiene todos los que en esa mierda

[Scythe of the wild]

It's not a case of why CANT we, it's a case of why DONT we. Or in my case why we cant be arsed to speak other languages. Basically because i dont need to as i dont plan on leaving england any time soon 'cept maybe to go on holiday, in which case i'll just point at stuff i want or maybe hand gestures. EVERYONE understands hand gestures xD

[hckyfrk2k7]

i want to learn japanese, i just haven't had the time of late... (or i haven't made time... or i haven't been willing to download the software necessary to learn etc)

but i am gonna learn a foreign language starting next year, and i'll have two years of it... dunno what it's gonna be yet (i hope japanese, but i might get stuck with spanish or french)

I wouldn't recommend trying japanese. I mean, hey, if you want to, go for it, but I tried taking a japanese class in my 9th grade year, and that sh*t is hard. Lots of stuff to remember, I think there's like three different alphabets (if I remember correctly)......

The reason why you should not speak in a foreign language is simple: so more people understand you. At one point, when you register to an international forum you know that you will have to use a language that the other members will understand and here, it is english. English is not my first language and even if sometimes it feels akward to write my posts in english when I'm replying to someone known to speak french, I try to remember that when I'm posting here it's not in the sole purpose of replying to one specific member (as I like to say, these boards are not a chatroom) but also so my posts can be useful to someone else. Tolerating topics in other languages would multiply the amount of topics concerning the same topics (and this is already a problem even with english only) when there are already other forums in other languages for people who can't speak english.
And it's also a matter of respect, when you're the one using the foreign language it's not a problem but it can be frustrating for the people who wish they could understand.

Yeah, when I posted this thread, I just thought it was somewhat humorous (no I wasn't trying to be funny). What I thought was humorous is that I've been on foreign forums and seen some guys on here that speak in a foreign language as their native language and some english. They seem to be able to pick up english pretty fast, at least most of them that I've seen. I doesn't seem like most people need to spend 9 years studying the language (like anthman852 did with spanish) to speak in sentences in english.......

[Belisario93]

you know what I think? it shows that us americans are two times lazier than other countries
let me explain:
let's say you take a Japanese man that only knows Japanese. You try to teach him english and it takes him, let's say, a year to learn it fluently. Now let's say instead of english you decided to teach him spanish. it would probably take 6-9 months for him to speak it fluently. Add that in with we don't even try to learn other languages and you have some extremely lazy people.

[hckyfrk2k7]

you know what I think? it shows that us americans are two times lazier than other countries
let me explain:
let's say you take a Japanese man that only knows Japanese. You try to teach him english and it takes him, let's say, a year to learn it fluently. Now let's say instead of english you decided to teach him spanish. it would probably take 6-9 months for him to speak it fluently. Add that in with we don't even try to learn other languages and you have some extremely lazy people.

I AGREE

It's sad to say that we are so lazy......

And people wonder why foreigners don't like the good ol' U.S of A

[drummaniac28]

People from other countries want to know English, and we already know the language. The U.S. pumps out the big-budget movies not apparent anywhere else, and most programming languages are English.

English is just the most popular language.

No it's not. Manderin Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the entire world. So it would be best to learn THAT language( Good thing they teach it at my school )

[raph666]

People from other countries want to know English, and we already know the language. The U.S. pumps out the big-budget movies not apparent anywhere else, and most programming languages are English.

English is just the most popular language.

No it's not. Manderin Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the entire world. So it would be best to learn THAT language( Good thing they teach it at my school )

Mandarin surely is the most talked language as a first language but English is clearly the strongest international language right now as you will be understood in English in a lot more places in the world than in Mandarin. Give China a couple more years and things might change but predominance of English in sectors of activity like technology and information is enough for me to consider it as the "most ""popular"" language".

[mikpige]

2 words : linguistic imperialism
thanks to ..crosoft

Learn and understand English is not hard for us (European), but the opposite is, French is hard even for Frenchy (I am).
why ? in English, I can say something with different way if
my vocabulary is not enough but it's more difficult with french IMO or we use 2nd degree..but I think you don't know what it is

English is not necessary but useful, i only "speak" english for FOF

[Electro Tomato]

I've noticed something kinda funny on here. It seems like the few foreign people we have that come on here and post can talk decent, if not, good english. Yet, most of us english speaking folks can't speak a single sentence of a different language (german, spanish, errrrr........ french). I'm just making a broad generalization and I do realize some of you guys know some foreign languages, but I find that pretty funny.

I'm lazy and can speak a few foregin languages.

Jeg er doven og kan tale et par foregin språk.

Sono pigro e può parlare qualche lingue di foregin.

Я ленив и могу говорить на нескольких foregin языках.

epic fail at using google translator.


I took 9 years of Spanish throughout my life so I can speak it pretty well. I can put together simple phrases and translate some stuff.

I only used it for the Russian, not the Norwegian or the Italian.

[fofgh3]

Tsisay alledcay iglatipay!