Why do you think many Americans can only commuincate in one language?

Question

I know that many Americans can speak mutiple languages. I myself can speak English and German, but why do you think that a good portion of American citizens can only speak English? Not enough time? too busy? don't care? What would you say the long term effects are, if there are any?

Answer 1

I, like you, speak more than one language...my mother was french, my father american, and I live in Spain... my husband is spanish.
This same question can apply to more than one country.
Not only americans, but people in most countries are limited to one language. And it's a shame! They will never know how much they are missing!
Most people don't learn a second language, some out of lack of interest, some because the classes they had in a high school level were so elemental that they never really learned more than enough to not flunk exams... And the teachers didn't really give them enough incentives to keep up their interest in learning a second language. Once out of school most couldn't even hold a minimal conversation in the second language...
Learning languages should be started young, a child of five or six is a real sponge when it comes to languages. The older we get the harder it is to learn another language.
Some people are born with a "gift" and learn languages very easily (like others have the gift of music). My mother spoke five languages: french, english, german, italian and spanish , my dad three.
On the other hand there are people who cannot learn a second language no matter how hard they try... I have a neighbour who is british, she has lived in Spain several years and can still barely say more than a few phrases...Her problem is dyslexia, she has trouble with written english, and finds it impossible to even try remembering much spanish. Of course that's a different story.
I have another close friend who is swiss, she learned three languages in grade school, as Switzerland has 3 official languages that the children are taught as soon as they start school (that would be wonderful for everyone...by age 12 we could all be fairly fluent in several!) Once you've started to learn languages, it's easier to keep on doing so... my swiss friend now speaks five languages.
The long term effects? At some point the world will realize how good it is to be able to inter-communicate with people of many countries, and language studies will be improved and extended.
At least that is my personal (and hopeful) opinion.
Just hope we're still around to see it!

Answer 2

Spooky and Vince have it down.

most elementary schools in the U.S. don't offer a course in a secondary language the way a lot of the other countries in the world do - major factor. If a child has been exposed to another language other than his/her own native language at a young age, the chances of that child becoming fluent in the secondary language are greater.

Of course I can't speak for everyone in the U.S., but pride may be a contributing factor for some people. laziness, too. When some people visit other countries, they expect the natives to at least speak a hint of English in order that they may find their way around and as is usually the case, their wish is granted.

but, for example, if someone from a different country (let's say Russia) were to visit the states and finds him/herself unable to reach a certain destination, the chances of him/her receiving help from an American who knows Russian are slim to none.

as far as the long-term effects are concerned... I wouldn't know. The number of various ethnicities evident in the U.S. are steadily increasing. Although they carry their own languages with them, they are also assimilated to the American culture which basically revolves around the English language.

Additionally, if you know a second language or a couple more, you're bound to get a higher paying job, studies show. For instance, if you were to work at an international company, you'd most likely be placed in a position where you can effectively communicate with other countries through the languages you carry with you. this means more $. so it's a win-win situation.

Answer 3

If you know that many Americans can speak multiple languages and a good portion can only speak English then that means most of them do speak multiple languages! I can speak, English, German, French some Italian and Gaelic. I don't brag about it because not everyone has the same privileges,education or travel experience!!!!!

Answer 4

Biggest reason is that the US is a VERY large country. Most people learn one language, from their parents and families, and, since all their neighbors speak English, there is little need to learn another.

In Europe, South America and some regions of Africa, there are many, smaller nations, many of them with their own languages, some native, and some imported. With neighboring nations so close to each other, it is much more practical to be familiar with another tongue. A German may find it very handy to know French, Swedish, Russian, Polish or any of several others.

In PARTS of the US, the same thing applies. Spanish if very handy in the southwestern part of the country. Canadians in certain parts of THEIR nation speak French as easily as they do English.

The long term effects are that someone who speaks more than one language simply has more knowledge than one who does not. Knowledge is power.

Answer 5

I think alot of it has to do with the education system. When I went to school, there was no such thing as a secondary language. Not needed, hence not there. Spanish is starting to become more predominant in schools as a second language. I think having secondary languages is driven out of necessity, and in the past, it hasn't been necessary for Americans on a mass scale to learn a second language, so why do it? I think things are changing though, Americans are beginning to realize how important it is to be able to communicate with the outside world. Shifting global economy, immigration... we'll be left behind.

Answer 6

Because there is no need for most Americans to speak another language. It is very time consuming to learn the language to begin with, and then having to find opportunities to use is are few and far between. Unless you learn spanish and live near a spanish speaking community, you will not have the opportunity to practice speaking in the language that you learned.

Answer 7

Spoke english at home with my entire family and at school (still do). My family also spoke Italian, when my grandparents came here they learned how to speak English because it was always the main language in America. Other languages were spoke at home mostly. I don't believe there to be long term effects, it doesn't hurt me one bit that I do not speak other languages it might be nice but there is no effects to my life thanks for asking.

Answer 8

Americans don't feel the necessity to truly learn a language. Most feel that, in order to go to college, they will need the three/four years for a language and, as such, are willing to sit in a class for their high school years memorizing enough to pass the tests and then discarding it all.
The American education system is extremely focused on "what you can remember right at this moment" as opposed to "what you can remember a few years down the line". As such, school children memorize to pass the test, but since it's all a last-minute cram, they forget it all.
In my Japanese class, for instance, a few words from previous years accidentally appeared on a quiz. (They were very basic words, as well, such as "sleepy" and "diary") but out of a class of thirteen only two or three--myself included--actually remembered the words. The rest complained bitterly at it appearing on there even though it wasn't on the study sheet and, therefore, should become extra credit.

Many have the mentality that because they speak English and because most countries teach English as a second language, learning another one is not needed. They can spent their lives happily living in America (after all, it has fifty states! Living in each one of those is obviously just like living all over Europe!) and when they do go off to a foreign country for vacation or work, surely everyone will be accommodating to the Great American and be able to communicate with them in English.

Answer 9

There is a colossal change among British and American Sign Language. British Sign Language is extra of a 2 passed approach and is extra awkward than American Sign that is practically one passed and hence ASL is far quicker.

Answer 10

Yeah, I find it hard to commuincate in mutiple languages like you!

How many years have you been taking English lessons?