Is English REALLY the "Universal Language"? Please come in and read the whole question.?

Question

Please only answer this if you've actually visited a country where English is not the native language.

I visited Germany once. Before I left a friend told me that all people in Germany study English in school so I would have no problem. While I could use English in the airport, car rental shop, and my hotel. I found that when I got outside the big cities, I had a hard time getting along with just English. The people didn't understand and I was reduced to the "Dumb American" point and grunt routine.

Many people on this forum have made the statement recently that English is the "Universal Language", but my experience doesn't support this statement.

Please tell me about your experiences, and think about whether you got outside the tourism main-stream and tried to talk to the average citizen or not..

Thanks.

Answer 1

your question exactly tells what's in my mind!I'm now in czech republic as an exchange student studying at the department of English language teaching.before coming here,I thought I'd be improving my English speaking abilities more and more as a prospective English teacher but what I get has been a disappointment because the number of people with whom I can speak english is limited.I have to tell what I'd like to say through body language which sometimes seems funny.
from my experience I cannot say english is a universal language but on the way of becoming.
thank you for asking this question and I'm also looking forward to the answers!

Answer 2

Yes, it is the universal language. However, that does not mean that everyone speaks it! It does mean, though, that more people around the world are likely to speak English as a second language than, say, Chinese or Arabic. So, in people who speak more than one language, the second language is typically English (if it's not their first). Outside large cities, people may learn English in school, but because they don't have the opportunity to practice it, they either lose it or are afraid to use it when they meet an English-speaker. I live in Israel, and most stores have at least one English-speaker, but not all, and not all the time. Still, I'm much better off than my friend, a French-speaker, who cannot get help anywhere unless she uses the small bit of Hebrew she has learned.

Answer 3

Cheesy but true - the universal language for anyone visiting a country where they don't know the native language is respect. When I went to France a while back, my friend and I were a bit worried about the reception we would receive as Americans, since the French are perceived by many here as being really rude to Tourists. That was not the case when we were there, because we tried really hard to at least start out our questions/conversations in French. It became quite clear that we were lousy French speakers and the people we spoke with graciously switched over to English, but it was also clear that they appreciated our efforts and didn't just expect them to know our language.

Answer 4

Here is my experience. When I went to France, I knew very little French. But I used what I had, and I tried very hard to speak my awful French. When the French people saw that I was at least trying, they would speak perfect English to me. English is the Universal language. We speakers of English need to realize that just about everyone can speak English, but they do not have to. They also have a native language that they wish to have respected, and it's unfair for us to demand they speak our language if we can't speak theirs.

Answer 5

Actually English IS the 'Universal Language', the point is that there are too many people who are not aware of it and therefore don't study it;)

Answer 6

You should watch the Amazing Race Season 10 and some of their destinations included european countries......and the poor contestants had problems comunicating with the locals......Trust me...you'll enjoy it and realize that it's not all that bad afterall.....