do you think that while speaking to an american one must know good english?

Question

i think that no one has caused so much damage to english as americans have

Answer 1

i think that's a gross generalization

Answer 2

No they haven't. They haven't caused damage to English itself, because English is still English. Always has been, always will be. Maybe they "damage" English for foreigners, if "damage" is the correct word (and by using the word "foreigners", i mean it in the most considerate way possible). Im assuming you mean by speaking with slang? You know, half the people out there don't create slang, they adapt to it. It's just another means of communication between people who are familiar with one another. Take me for example, I have a job..and I have friends. At work im totally professional. But with my friends, I'll throw out a couple slang terms here and there..but it's no big deal, it's just how we communicate. If we were speaking to someone who needed assistance or directions or was new to the Country, we'd speak in a proper manner. Our "damaged" English, for most people, is used in a certain time and place. Some people speak regular English but just have a local accent that is hard to decipher. But no, you do not need to know good English to speak to an American...but you need to at least know some basics to be able to communicate. Even though people have their own slang, it doesn't mean they won't understand you if you try to speak "non-damaged" english to them. I mean, if your statement was the case, then we might as well call it "Damaged English" instead of "English", because it seems as if we all physically understand eachother fine. This was kind of an unnecessary generalization, because you can't make that statement unless you've spoken to every single American in the world. But oh well, your opinion is what it is.

Answer 3

Yes,we should know how to speak English and I also agree that the Americans have damaged English the most.

Answer 4

Maybe we Americans have caused damage to the English language, but don't you think that the language should grow and change with the times? To go out and party with the people and not sit all dusty in a closed room?

Answer 5

Genrally the common International Language globally accepted is English,so it is obvious if you do know the technical terms of english to understand and conversate,it would be easier to communicate.
As per as language damage thats a liguistic issue,every individual when opts to speak it on its correct diction will help resolve the issue of your question mentioned above.

Answer 6

The English language has evolved and morphed into peculiar versions in the Englsih-speaking world apart from North America - you wouldn't recognize it's the "English languge" when you listen to it. Americans by and large speak good English.

Answer 7

I think that if you do not like the new American slang, then do not speak it. You can also spell things like the english if you wish to be wierd. Yes the English started the language, but when we kicked their butt we assumed the right to redefine the language. Also, we can just call it American and they can have their language.

Answer 8

What do you think about you?... Are you sure that you can read and write a full paragraph in your mother tongue?.... First learn your mother tongue correctly... Later you can discuss about foreign languages... I never seen any American professor saying Why are you rotating around the corridor.... But I saw an Engineering college professor saying like this to his student... Till today I dont know Its meaning... May be he asked why are you wandering in the corridor.... AMERICANS AND ALL THE PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD>>>> NEVER FEEL BAD TO ASK THOSE INDIANS SPEAK ANYTHING WRONG ABOUT YOUR LANGUAGE, This question.... FIRST CAN YOU WRITE A COMPLETE PARAGRAPH WITH YOUR MOTHER TONGUE, WITHOUT MISTAKES?.... NEVER feel bad to ask this question... Because most stupid indians love to say... Sorry I don't know my mother tongue... I speak only english.... I apologies to Americans.. for this ignorent INDIAn who asked this question.......

Answer 9

Not really, I do wish some foreign doctors working here spoke better English.

We tend to think just about everyone should speak English, but I would imagine people in foreign countries they get just as frustrated when trying to talk to us.

Answer 10

Speaking is different from writing questions in Yahoo Answers. How you ask questions or how yu answer them is the only criteria we have to judge the intelligence (or lack thereof) in the person asking questions.
If you dont ask in correct, understandable English how are we supposed to answer intelligently?

I am an American. I speak English, German, Russian and Im learning Spanish. I lived in Germany for 2 years in apartment in Lengfeld Bavaria. I shopped in German grocery stores, drove on German streets and paid my rent to German landlords. In ALL cases, I spoke German. I did not expect them to speak English in deferrence ot me. In fact, I insisted we speak something other than English so I could work on my language skills. When I was corrected for speaking or writing incorrectly, I didn;t sulk and whine about it, as you are doing, I LEARNED and tried very hard not to make that mistake again. Maybe you should RE-think your attitude about fully learning a language you insist on using poorly.

I live in Arizona now, We have a LOT of Mexicans here who speak little or no English. While I do like speaking Spanish (its just a beautiful SOUNDING language), I insist anyone who works with me speaks English, or at least tries to learn it. How intelligent you appear to others is directly related to how well you speak to them. Or, in the case of Yahoo Answers, how well you write to them. Answerers get so caught up in correcting your English so they can understand your questions, the answers get completely forgotten.

If I were to ask a question on Yahoo Answers RUSSIA (for example) I would phrase my question in Russian, paying attention to spelling, grammar and verb agreement. Otherwise I cannot reasonably expect Russians to do anything but chide me on my poor Russian. It's like insisting you belong on a Major League Baseball team even though you dont know which end of abat to hold. It doesn't wash and you get no respect for trying to defend your poor language skills.

Answer 11

yes I think that we must know good english because when we speak wrongly then we are the persons who are made fun off.
so good english along with correct pronunciation is very important.