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Politics : Moderate Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: zonder who wrote (620)	4/24/2003 1:25:27 PM
From: Dale Baker	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 20773

If I settled in one place like here permanently and didn't speak the language, I would start learning. When you are a vagabond who moves often, however, and the locals speak excellent English, you can get away with more (except the grocery store where you better learn to read labels in a hurry). The American/British mindset just doesn't seem to have much space for other languages. And that extends almost automatically to other cultures. Americans can't seem to deal with the idea that while so much we have achieved in the US is terrific, we are not the "be all and end all" on the planet. They see culture as a zero-sum game where we must have ours or we are losing something. To a lesser extent, Brits do the same thing with more antiquated notions from when they ruled the waves almost worldwide. In both cases you also have physical separation from other cultures and less chance to experience the languages and peoples firsthand. Weekend excursions to Amsterdam from Luton on Easyjet just aren't the same. Finally, since Americans take little or no foreign language instruction at school, they don't feel comfortable trying to learn foreign languages later in life. Learning another tongue gets harder in direct proportion to age for some reason. I am glad I did most of my language study by the time I was 30. Yes, Amsterdam is a lovely place with lovely people 6-7 months out of the year. But from November-March, you can have it. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. ;<)

To: zonder who wrote (620)	4/24/2003 1:26:03 PM
From: Crocodile	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 20773

Isn't it astonishing just how well almost everybody speaks nearly perfect English in Amsterdam? Yes, very true. Many also speak the languages of other European countries, so the emphasis is not just on English. Most of my Dutch friends often travel to other parts of Europe on their holidays, and prefer to speak the languages of those places while visiting, as they do when they come to see me here. Personally, I think it's important to make an effort to speak the languages of other countries when you're visiting. It demonstrates respect for the people of the land through which you're travelling. It also results in a richer experience and allows one to travel off the beaten track.