Why do people from the UK generally only speak English?

So, it is really that simple. English seems to be the 2nd language of choice when it is not their first language, and it seems its started at a young age.

Its a bit of a mish mash in UK schools also. One of my daughters does French(she has also just started German too), the other German. They have friends that also do Latin????!!!!

And me? Well I know some French but never go to France. So, which do I make my second language? Have i got the time or even brain power (things don't stick in the memory like they used to) to start learning a new language?

I was a little apprehensive about going to Madrid last week. It turned out that there were some who could speak almost faultless English (hotel reception x 2 and a tour guide), but certain people ie the waiter (at Taberna Real opposite the Opera) just did not want to help? If i was working in that environment then I would make sure I could communicate with foreign visitors, on the flip side, why should he?
 
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deepseadiver said:
I was a little apprehensive about going to Madrid last week. It turned out that there were some who could speak almost faultless English (hotel reception x 2 and a tour guide), but certain people ie the waiter (at Taberna Real opposite the Opera) just did not want to help? If i was working in that environment then I would make sure I could communicate with foreign visitors, on the flip side, why should he?
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If you are being polite, making a wee bit of an effort with your basic spanish, and some guy is being a total plank towards you, then I would get up and walk out tbh.
 
Whilst we're on the subject... http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/night/2015/02/feature-sankeys-ibiza-2015

Horrible experience, obviously, and wish him a speedy recovery. Didn't help he felt poorly treated, I don't suppose. But anybody else feel Dave Vincent's remarks about the hospital staff not speaking much English a bit wide of the mark???

He should have known better re: insurance. And surprised he has not grasped the basic local lingo since he is based in Ibiza 4-months a year, runs a successful business there, and evidently spends time there at other points throughout the year.
 
generally you'd be surprised how many people (referring mainly to the british here, but not just them) have been living on the island for MUCH longer than david vincent (as an example) and still hardly speak ANY spanish at all.

we made it clear in the interview, it's of course his personal opinion about how it went down. but they do have a bit of a hard time at can misses right now, basically they're slowly slowly opening the new hospital, but you can't just transfer everything over in one day. that's why currently there is effectively a shortage on free beds, it was in yesterday's diario (the newspaper) again.
 
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fatphilb said:
If you are being polite, making a wee bit of an effort with your basic spanish, and some guy is being a total plank towards you, then I would get up and walk out tbh.
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I know, I know. We were tired, thirsty, and they had a lovely heated terrace overlooking the square. Plus, it was wine oclock and the missus was getting tetchy.
 
He's also claimed on Facebook that he was purposely poisioned by his Brazillian model fiancee, while she's countered that that's rubbish and he beat her, so who get down to Salinas for a massive pinch of salty goodness.

Who knows?
 
deepseadiver said:
I know, I know. We were tired, thirsty, and they had a lovely heated terrace overlooking the square. Plus, it was wine oclock and the missus was getting tetchy.
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Tbh honest I know what you mean. Made a bit of a cultural faux pas in Vienna a few years ago. Spent hours looking for Kaffee Alt Wien as it was described online as the kind of place revolutions were plotted! Eventually found it, went in found a seat and I popped up to the bar and grabbed a couple of pints. After half an hour we noticed that the guy serving the tables around us hadn't sat anyone next to us for a while, putting new customers over the other side of the room so we're effectively isolated on one side of the room on our own. When our beer was done, we asked for another couple pints and the guy sniffed at us - zis is not Mcdonalds before turning on his heel and walking away leaving us a bit bemused! Realised he was raging at us but having spent so long looking for the place we moved to the bar and had a laugh with the guy there for a couple of hours about his snooty colleague. I made sure the boy at the bar was heavily tipped for the rest of rhe night - he kept looking over to his colleague smiling as if to say, you f***ed up there mate :lol:
 
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Buckley said:
He's also claimed on Facebook that he was purposely poisioned by his Brazillian model fiancee, while she's countered that that's rubbish and he beat her, so who get down to Salinas for a massive pinch of salty goodness
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I assumed he was gay! whoops! my bad. I guess a biography would be essential reading for me. :rolleyes:
 
Myron Gaines said:
A couple of schools I know of here in Northern Ireland have removed German from their curriculum in favour of Irish. Irish!
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We've got the same thing where I stay. Schools are removing foreign languages for Gaelic. It's a money thing- they get some extra funding from the scottish exec if they teach Gaelic. No incentive for other languages.
 
Americans are much worse. I see Americans in Europe get angry when people can't speak English, hence the term ugly American. I can fumble my way in Deutsch, Portuguese, Spanish, and British English.
 
I always try out my Spanish on Ibiza, problem being is your accent is recognized and you are replied back in English, same as most places and takes away a bit of the fun of being abroad. Also when you are replied back in Spanish it can be so fast so not understandable. I learned spanish from a teacher from Uruguay who's Spanish is completely different as well.
 
fatphilb said:
Tbh honest I know what you mean. Made a bit of a cultural faux pas in Vienna a few years ago. Spent hours looking for Kaffee Alt Wien as it was described online as the kind of place revolutions were plotted! Eventually found it, went in found a seat and I popped up to the bar and grabbed a couple of pints. After half an hour we noticed that the guy serving the tables around us hadn't sat anyone next to us for a while, putting new customers over the other side of the room so we're effectively isolated on one side of the room on our own. When our beer was done, we asked for another couple pints and the guy sniffed at us - zis is not Mcdonalds before turning on his heel and walking away leaving us a bit bemused! Realised he was raging at us but having spent so long looking for the place we moved to the bar and had a laugh with the guy there for a couple of hours about his snooty colleague. I made sure the boy at the bar was heavily tipped for the rest of rhe night - he kept looking over to his colleague smiling as if to say, you f***ed up there mate :lol:
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What did you do to upset him?
 
Traveling in central Asia where Russian is predominate, you learn basic Russian or you suffer.

Some people (mostly under 25) will help you out but that's not guaranteed at all. They may understand you well enough but communicating back is much harder for them (mostly out of embarrassment).

So, part of the issue traveling in many parts of the world as an English speaker trying to learn a different language is they ALL speak better English than your (Spanish/German/Latvian/Polish/Whateverthef***) and it's quicker and easier for them to talk to you like that.

I also believe that most people who have learned English feel some pride in their skill (which generally comes from a lot of hard work) and enjoy showing off their competency.

... Always makes me feel a bit retarded but they only had to learn one language to impress strangers.. . I would be well served only if I could get conversational in 3 different ones at once.

The key is to keep forcing it. When they reply in perfect English to your wretched Spanglish. Bully on and impose on them to help you. It may frustrate some but it is a quick way to earn some respect for trying.
 
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