The average American speaks just one language, while the average non American speaks about 2 to 3 languages.?

Question

Do you think we're behind the power curve or are we as Americans justified for not being multilingual?

If you're an American and you're multilingual, CONGRATS! You're the exception to the rule! :)

Mariaone is right! :)

Answer 1

Do you know why?! Because average Americans ( which is a large number of you guys, simply because most of you settle for mediocrity ), are too stubborn to know more about everything that's surrounding your BIG POWERFUL Country...you just settle with the fact that since yours is a universal language, you're better, more advanced and superior in everything... So, you just feel content in all the things that was already prearranged for you...not ever wanting to learn about the cultures of the other half of your so-called-world..

Without even knowing that most people in the other parts of the world speaks your language more fluently and more effectively than you do...It's even a shame how most of you doesn't even know how to speak or spell simple words that came from your language in the first place...

This is not to offend you in anyway, it's quite fascinating how you as an American even thought of learning how to speak other language, it simply means you want to rise above the standard way of living that most Americans already succumb to, GOOD FOR YOU! =)

Answer 2

I personally am bilingual, butr I think America is justified for not beign multilingual because we live in such a large country that we don't need to speak any other languages. Everyone speaks English. In Europe on the other hand, the countries are much smaller and closer together, so they can drive an hour and be in a whole different language-speaking area. So they need to speak more languages so that can communicate with the people around them.

Answer 3

Few things to consider here: one, the US is bigger than the combined size of many European countries. When we travel to another region, English is still spoken (despite the claim of some who think that dialects are a distinct and separate language).Two, the opportunity to engage with other cultures is hampered by the fact we have only one non-English speaking country (to the south) and it is Spanish-speaking (ok, Canada has Quebec which is French-speaking, but this region is still a fair distance away). Spanish is one of the most common second languages for the US. Typically, those in Europe travel quite a bit because of closer proximity to other cultures and this is certainly an advantage.
A better question to ask would be, would we improve our ability to communicate with others if we were more than mono-lingual?

Answer 4

besides the fact that we have a lot of immigrants who learn english along with their own, other countries in Europe place more emphasis on learning a second language, whether it is French, German,..you get the drift. Although there is some justification for Americans to not being multilingual, ( we are a pretty powerful country, and there is a strong basis for learning English in other countries), international relations with other countries are growing more and more everyday. From a business perspective, it is imperative to know other languages, and one day it's all going to catch up to us. We wont stay on top forever..

Answer 5

Most countries are situated next to another country which has a different official language. Like in Europe for instance, so it makes sense to learn the languages of your neighbours for business, travel, that sort of thing. But the US is a huge country and it's neighbouring states and Canada, my country, are all predominately English. So there is less need to acquire a second language; you can get anywhere and do anything in the US just speaking English. Canada would be the same, if it weren't for Québec, and French being an official language along with English. I speak English and French.

Answer 6

No we are not by any means justified. We are considered a "melting pot", a multi-cultural society and the majority of us only speak one language... English. I constantly hear people say "Your in America, speak American." That phrase sums up the ignorance of our community. I think that school should be more proactive in teaching a second language early on in education. It not only opens the mind to make learning easier but it makes Americans seem a little less, as you said, behind the power curve.

Answer 7

From what I've seen, British people as a group are also very monolingual.

So much of the rest of the world speaks English, that many Americans don't really see the need to learn other languages.

BTW, I'm naturally bilingual; in fact I don't remember speaking English at all until I started going to school at around age 5 or 6.

At home, at church, and pretty much everywhere we went in the neighborhood, we always spoke Spanish.

Answer 8

It is not a matter of our intelligence. Americans tend to believe themselves to be at the center of the universe and that everyone should speak English. Unfortunately, the feedback that I have gotten from numerous foreign friends is that most Americans that go overseas expect them to speak English to thm and actually get annoyed when they don't. We have a terrible reputation away from the US. I personally speak four languages and I was born and raised in New York State. We can do it...we just choose not to. Frankly, it is a shame that there are so many cultures out there that most Americans are not experiencing.

Answer 9

We are justified in not being mulitlingual. If you look at from a geographic standpoint, the US has one neighbor that speaks Spanish (as in Mexico) and another that has a French-speaking province (Canada) but whose main language is the same as our own.

If you take Europe as a model, most countries in the EU border at least two countries that speak entirely different languages. That necessitates the learning of those languages for travel and business. I have traveled a great deal, and because of our influence on business and tourism, you can get by in most places by using English.

Answer 10

I am not American and I speak 3 languages, my mother speaks 4 and my sister speaks 2. Really it's not a question of being justified or ignorant or whatever if you only speak one language, you're just putting yourself at a disadvantage when you enter the workforce.