Almost two in three Britons are unable to speak a language other than English, in effect the worst record in Europe, a survey for the European Commission has found. Sixty-two per cent of respondents from the United Kingdom admitted they could not speak any language other than their mother tongue. This compared with an average of 44 per cent across the EU and just 1 per cent in Luxembourg, the top-ranking country. Only Ireland, with 66 per cent, outdid Britain, but the situation is complicated there because 11 per cent of the population count Irish as their mother tongue - and virtually all of those can also speak English. About 700 people were interviewed in every EU country in November and December last year for the report, Europeans and their Languages.The survey monitored progress towards the EU target for all citizens to speak two languages in addition to their mother tongue. But the study found only 38 per cent of Britons spoke at least one foreign language, 18 per cent at least two, and 6 per cent at least three. This compared with an EU average of 56 per cent speaking at least one foreign language, 28 per cent at least two, and 11 per cent at least three. The UK was one of just six EU countries - with Ireland, Italy, Hungary, Portugal and Spain - where the majority of citizens did not speak any language other than their mother tongue.
This compared with an average of 44 per cent across the EU and just 1 per cent in Luxembourg, the top-ranking country.
Only Ireland, with 66 per cent, outdid Britain, but the situation is complicated there because 11 per cent of the population count Irish as their mother tongue - and virtually all of those can also speak English.
About 700 people were interviewed in every EU country in November and December last year for the report, Europeans and their Languages.The survey monitored progress towards the EU target for all citizens to speak two languages in addition to their mother tongue. But the study found only 38 per cent of Britons spoke at least one foreign language, 18 per cent at least two, and 6 per cent at least three. This compared with an EU average of 56 per cent speaking at least one foreign language, 28 per cent at least two, and 11 per cent at least three.
The UK was one of just six EU countries - with Ireland, Italy, Hungary, Portugal and Spain - where the majority of citizens did not speak any language other than their mother tongue.
Dommage. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
The problem is that there is no incentive to learn another language when you already speak the trade tongue natively and never need to deal with people who don't speak English - which covers most people in Britain and Ireland. I haven't needed to speak anything except English for years. And that's travelling fairly widely. On top of that, what language would one learn? French was pretty much the only language offered in most schools when I was going through. You might get Spanish and German now.
Only time we had a problem was in deepest, darkest Germany, near the Austrian border. Oh, and Japan.
virtually all of those can also speak English
which leads us to the logical conclusion that there are some Gaelic-speakers who don't speak English.
*Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
(That's my French integrationist "mes ancêtres les gaulois" reflexes kicking in)
Note: "mes ancêtres les gaulois" is in reference to the fact that even in the African colonies, schoolchildren, being a part of France, were taught about their ancesters being Gauls. Same thing for immigrants then and now. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Only 92% of people in Germany listed German as their mother language, and 7% listed it as a foregn language.
How many, but how many people emigrated from southern Europe to Germany during the 50's and 60's? They are still alive. And the mother tongue is not what they teach you at school, but what you learn from your parents, even if the French school system believes otherwise.
Same thing with Spanish immigrants in Spain.
Question for you to ponder: why does Spanish appear third on the list of second languages in Spain?
That's my French integrationist "mes ancêtres les gaulois" reflexes kicking in
Spanish immigrants in Spain
Tscha.
Sidenote to Migeru: this is another part of why nations are unreal for me. "Mes ancêtres les gaulois" may be 'obviously' surreal when taught to a bunch of blacks or Berbers, because of the color of the skin; but other nationalisms do the same. They do it at schools filled by a lot of children with assimilated ancestors - and in the heads of individuals. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
As surreal as the white criollos in Latin America using nativist rhetoric to stay in power so they can keep exploiting the indigenous populations.
I really need to write that diary about the supression of the Spanish nationalities. If it were not for our first Bourbon king we wouldn't be in the mess we are re: Catalonia. guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
I think even a French integrationist can distinguish mother tongue and national identity.
Also, these polls concern residents, not citizens. A lot of German immigrants are still not nationalised. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Jerome calls it "integrationist reflex" but it almost looks like "integrationist blinders". guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
Why not? *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Even if you're an immigrant, the language of the country you live in should not really count - it's not relevant information
The way the questions are framed, there is actually a lot more information than you would allow. For instance: 8% of German residents are not native German speakers, and 7% of those 8% do speak german fluently.
You are also completely missing the reality of multilingual states. Care to look at the "foreign" languages spoken in Belgium? French and German! But aren't those official languages of Belgium? How come they qualify? Well, this actually tells you that the Wallons are more likely to speak German than Flemish, and sheds some light on the internal language politics of the country. guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
The respective 25% and 20% figures give you an idea of the amount of internal migration and mixing between the two linguistic communities before the partition. Note also that that happened 15 years ago... The corresponding figures were higher back then as more and more people who grew up in the 1980s or later become "adults". guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
My girlfriend works as a translator and, though she will translate from Slovak she doesn't dare translate into it.
Language proximity can make it very difficult to speak the other language "properly". When Spaniards say they can speak Italian fluently they're usually full of shit. The initial learning of the language is easy, but learning the nuances and the flase friends is actually harder. With widely disparate languages, the opposite is true. guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
There is one earlier table in the "Eurobarometer" on "Europeans and Languages" where it lists the mother tongues by country. You must compare the number of people whose mother tongue is not German. guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
I think we are beyond the self-delusions of the Kohl era, even if the CDU rules again. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Up until the Kohl era, the myth was that foreigners who came to work in Germany will one day return home, and Germany is not an immigration country. So (all) foreigners in Germany were called Gastarbeiter, whether in truth they wanted to settle or not. The Schröder government broke with that radically, and though all parts of the CDU are anti-immigration in some form (Kinder statt Inder, anti-double-citizenship petition, torpedoing the citizenship law in the Bundesrat), they now argue for a requirement of full integration rather than deny the fact of immigration outright. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
I see German is still ahead in Hungary and the Czech Republic and at level with English in Slovakia. But Russian is first in more new members. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
What is your definition of North/South?
Or should we just classify countries by their year of EU accession? guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
I suggest you just list the countries North to South. You'll see that the ten new members fit into the series perfectly, despite less than 50% of their Western counterparts' GDP. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
But the Sun could have played a role, yes: one reason may be tourism - the Northerners go to Mediterranean beaches in droves, no similar moves in the opposite direction. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Anyway, was just a first partial hypothesis. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
The few percent in Ireland who are not fluent in English are probably not Gaelic speakers, but asylum seekers. guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
