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#1
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So who's made an effort ...
to learn the language of the countries they visit?
I've been to Italy almost a dozen times but haven't learned anything beyond a few phrases. It does seem gradually there's more and more Italians who speak English though. I know there are language schools and such but there are other things I'd rather do than go to class. Definitely not a slow traveler. Maybe typical American arrogance, to expect others to cater to them, including learning English -- though arguably, Southern Europeans would do well to learn English to enhance their marketability in various professions (not limited to tourism trades). |
#2
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So who's made an effort ...
In news
wrote:
Maybe typical American arrogance, to expect others to cater to them Hmm? What language(s) would you suggest that Americans learn for travel? Latin-American style Spanish is the only one that makes any immediate sense for most Americans. International travel is a very expensive proposition for Americans, who can't simply hop in their cars and find themselves across an international border within a few hours, other than those of Canada or Mexico. I can get to Thunder Bay, Ontario in Canada in about 6 hours, and other than adding an "eh" at the end of some sentences, can get away with English as it's spoken here. Driving to the nearest city in Mexico would take me 2 days. Anything else requires air travel, which is neither cheap nor convenient these days. I studied French and German in school, and have had little opportunity to use either. I was able to read signs, menus and the like when I traveled in Austria and Germany, but neither language was of much use in The Netherlands or Norway. -- St. Paul, MN |
#3
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So who's made an effort ...
On Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:19:53 -0700, poldy wrote:
to learn the language of the countries they visit? I've been to Italy almost a dozen times but haven't learned anything beyond a few phrases. It does seem gradually there's more and more Italians who speak English though. The teaching of English in Italian high schools became universal well over a decade ago. By now anyone over about 30 or 35 should have some English. |
#4
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So who's made an effort ...
poldy wrote:
to learn the language of the countries they visit? I learned German many years before I ever had a chance to travel there. I've also mostly visited German- speaking countries. I've visited other countries where they speak other languages as part of a group, so I only learned some basic phrases of those. Maybe typical American arrogance, to expect others to cater to them, including learning English -- though arguably, Southern Europeans would do well to learn English to enhance their marketability in various professions (not limited to tourism trades). When I don't need English, I don't use it because I've seen too much such arrogance and don't like being considered a citizen of their version of my country. -- Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad |
#5
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So who's made an effort ...
poldy wrote: to learn the language of the countries they visit? I've been to Italy almost a dozen times but haven't learned anything beyond a few phrases. It does seem gradually there's more and more Italians who speak English though. I know there are language schools and such but there are other things I'd rather do than go to class. Definitely not a slow traveler. If I planned to spend any time in a country (like France) I made an effort to learn some of the language. Of course, having sung in several, I had a smattering of them (although my phrasing may have been poetic and dated). I always managed at least "please", "thank you", "good morning", "good evening", various menu items and "where are the toilets?". (Except in Hungary - a matter of pronunciation, I guess, since even my "thank you" drew blank stares - although "kava!" with a desperate expression on my face DID produce coffee in a Budapest restaurant.) I once had an amusing experience trying to communicate with a chambermaid in my Vienna hotel - seems she was Slavic, and spoke no more German than I did! |
#6
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So who's made an effort ...
Bert wrote: In news wrote: Maybe typical American arrogance, to expect others to cater to them Hmm? What language(s) would you suggest that Americans learn for travel? Latin-American style Spanish is the only one that makes any immediate sense for most Americans. Not unless you want to GO there! (I prefer Europe, thank you.) I studied French and German in school, and have had little opportunity to use either. Of course, that's true of any language but English, here (except maybe Spanish, in the Southwest). Other than regional accents (which can sometimes be perplexing) the U.S. is such a large piece of real-estate that you seldom encounter any language but English. (And "use it or lose it" is certainly true of foreign languages - even for people who are FROM other countries, but settle here, where English is a "must".) |
#7
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So who's made an effort ...
Bill wrote: On Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:19:53 -0700, poldy wrote: to learn the language of the countries they visit? I've been to Italy almost a dozen times but haven't learned anything beyond a few phrases. It does seem gradually there's more and more Italians who speak English though. The teaching of English in Italian high schools became universal well over a decade ago. By now anyone over about 30 or 35 should have some English. That's probably true, but I always thought it was the height of arrogance to ASSUME everyone spoke English! It seemed only polite to learn - in their language - enough of the foreign tongue to say "I'm sorry, I don't speak language, does anyone speak English?" (Usually just my obvious floundering in their language had them replying in English, if they spoke it.) |
#8
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So who's made an effort ...
On Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:19:24 -0700, EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote in
post : om : Bill wrote: On Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:19:53 -0700, poldy wrote: to learn the language of the countries they visit? I've been to Italy almost a dozen times but haven't learned anything beyond a few phrases. It does seem gradually there's more and more Italians who speak English though. The teaching of English in Italian high schools became universal well over a decade ago. By now anyone over about 30 or 35 should have some English. That's probably true, but I always thought it was the height of arrogance to ASSUME everyone spoke English! It seemed only polite to learn - in their language - enough of the foreign tongue to say "I'm sorry, I don't speak language, does anyone speak English?" (Usually just my obvious floundering in their language had them replying in English, if they spoke it.) +1 That's about as far as my French and Italian takes me... then sign-language. -- Tim C. Linz, Austria. |
#9
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So who's made an effort ...
poldy wrote:
to learn the language of the countries they visit? I've been to Italy almost a dozen times but haven't learned anything beyond a few phrases. I'm OK at those languages I learned at school/college (e.g. French, German, Italian) and speak Spanish with my partner, but I admit to going to many countries where I haven't bothered to learn the most basic phrases. I haven't encountered terrible problems so far, I have to say. I would like to learn Arabic at the moment, as I do like to visit Arabic speaking countries and wonder if the experience wouldn't be enhanced by a little understanding of the language... David -- (*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate www.davidhorne.net (email address on website) "[Do you think the world learned anything from the first world war?] No. They never learn." -Harry Patch (1898-2009) |
#10
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So who's made an effort ...
Am Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:21:36 +0000 (UTC) schrieb Bert:
I studied French and German in school, and have had little opportunity to use either. I was able to read signs, menus and the like when I traveled in Austria and Germany, but neither language was of much use in The Netherlands or Norway. In the Netherlands you can get around with German, the two languages are not so different from each other and most dutch people understand basic German. You will also be able to read menus or roadsigns. Norway is a different story, but most of the people there speak pretty good english (like in most of Scandinavia). Regards, Frank |
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