Why are educated Americans not bilingual?

Question

In many countries, most folk can speak many languages. If they are educated, they can really speak another language. When a foreigner viisits the USA, we talk with him/her in English and expects him/her to understand. Even when it is obvious that the person does not understand, we continue to speak as though he/she does. In other words, we are ethnocentric in our view on the world. In essence, we are saying everyone should speak English, and he/she is stupid if he/she cannot. We live in America. America is NOT the USA; it is Canada all the way down to the tip of Argentina. America's languages are English, Spanish, French and a few others.
When foreigners from Europe and Asia come here, they assume that educated folk speak more than one language. Why are we not bilingual, at lease in English/Spanish.

No hate please!!! A black is asking the question, not hispanic. Do not respond with anti-Mexican rhetoric. I am anticipating serious responses.

Answer 1

The problem is that the US is a one language country (official). The other is that they are taught in that one language and that language has also become the main international language (english).

Canada has two official languages but you still have many who only speak one.

Other countries are teaching their students other languages as they know to get along in business that interacts with foreigners you have to have another language and there are 3 used internationally, english, french and spanish. However this is different in eastern asia as chinese is more common. Africa (middle and south) swahili is a common amoung most tribes from many countries.

Unfortunately many americans do expect the visitors and people they deal with to speak english. Comes from the education system teaching america is the biggest and best and such as well as the lack of teaching about other countries history, religions, languages etc.

Saw many americans in europe having language problems and not understanding that they were the foreigners.

In this new emerging global economic world we will become more one or two language world. It has to come that the globe must have one communications language in order to acheive better solutions and business and medical care etc.

Answer 2

I'm an ESL teacher and most of us speak at least one other language. I have some degree of fluency in three other (European) languages, but this doesn't help my students who come from Asia or the middle east, as I don't speak any of those languages. Because nobody can be expected to know every language, we need a common language, and people travelling to the US need to know that the common language here is English (and, in many states, also Spanish). English is also the so-called 'global language' -- for example, when I was in Spain, I heard many Germans and Scandinavians speaking in English with the ticket clerks at train stations because the Spanish clerks didn't speak German and the Germans didn't speak Spanish; however, they did both have some knowledge of English. In an ideal world, everyone would speak every language! But since it isn't easy to learn languages once you're past a certain age, we have to come up with some other solution. Yes, Americans are ethnocentric, and yes, I have heard many times where foreigners try to ask a question in English, don't understand the response, and then the Americans just speak louder, thinking that this will help the foreigner to understand! As for being bilingual in English/Spanish, yes, we should be, all of us, and I wish we could start tomorrow, but still that would not help the non-Spanish speakers who live here (Vietnamese, Haitian, etc.) Lastly, when conversing in English with foreigners, we should speak more slowly (not more loudly!) and avoid slang, idiomatic language, and references that require culture-specific background knowledge.
I hope you get some good answers and I'll check back to see!

Answer 3

I think that a lot of people who are citizens in the USA assume that since the USA is the most powerful country in the world ( or at least it is believed by many people) they don't really need/have to learn another language.
this is a misconception or an excuse for a lot of people who most likely tried to learn a foreign language but since it's hard they just give up.
personally I have met a lot of people who can speak more than just language.
also remember not because they went to school necessarily means that they have a good education or sometimes people are just not interested in learning a foreign language.
In general what I have seen is people who are not really educated are the ones who think everybody should speak english when they don't even know about geography.

I hope I explained my self and sorry when I made it general

Answer 4

I have travel to Europe and my answer is geographical ubication. I'm mexican and I don't "hate" usa citizen (they are not americans, americans are all of us). Continuing the idea, europeans (even if they are not highly educated), they need to learn at least 1 more language because schools obligate them (force them). And also theay can make "stages" that are interships in other parts of Europe including "America".

But going back to the geographical situtation: I've lived in France and I met people from Germany, Italy, France, Spain, India, etc. and they answer me the same question. Little money to travel around Europe and they are realy interested in other cultures so they at least have to learn some words, and people dont get mad if they are correct.

In america for "practicing" there are few languages and it is a bit expensive for Latin America to travel around. The main languages talked in our Continent are: english, spanish, portugueses and french. I know there are others but this are the main ones.

So I hope this helps.!!!!!

Answer 5

Public education doing a us another great disservice. In stead of learning a second language early on when our minds are open to it, we are teaching SOL crap and how not to spell properly or add without a calculator.
This all contributes to our lazy demeanor. It is sad.

Now there are a considerable number of educated people who are bilingual. I even know a man who did not even finish high school, and now 40 years later he has Spanish and English.

Just my opinion.

Answer 6

Think about Europe: you can travel from one country and easily enter another one within a short amount of time! And on top of that, that country can be completely different and have a different language. You CAN'T compare Europe to the US because it is not similar geographically. We have Canada to the North, and the provinces that border us (not including Quebec) speak English. And to the South, people in the Southwestern states have a very influenced English from Spanish; I've met Anglo-american children in LA who speak Spanish fluently. To generalize based on trying to compare this country to others can't really cut it because I can travel from NC for hours and still be in the same country that speaks the same language. Learning a second language doesn´t seem that really essential especially if you never plan to leave the country. Driving to NC from NY seems like an adventure, rather than just traveling to another American city, if you rarely do it. :D

Secondly, the word "America" has long been used as an adjective for people of the US in many languages, including English. (To Hispanics: en inglés, no PUEDES decir que eres americano también. Claro que en español "American" se puede referir a toda la gente del continente. However, the only time Hispanics make this argument is when they want to argue with Americans over the term American. To the Mexican lady who responded: NUNCA vas a decir que eres americana a alguien. Vas a decir que eres mexicana primero! You will only say you are "American" for the sake of your argument)

I speak Thai (*shock* and I am American) because my family is from there, and in Thai if you say "ameriga" it refers to those from the US. Geographically, yes, we live in the "American continent" or more specifically "North America"... but you can't play word games and say we aren't Americans. Speaking of nationality, we ARE. Why am I going to go to Europe and say "Well, I'm North American"? I bet you don't. And an Argentinian isn't going to go to a Chilean and say: "Oh, you are American? Me too!" They only say we (Americans) shouldn't use the term "American" as it shows how "ethnocentric" we are and how much we try to put claim onto the word.

Also, we aren't more or less ethnocentric than any other country. I lived in Spain for a year, and when most spoke to me in Spanish they NEVER slowed down or simplified their Spanish for me to understand: either I got the message or I didn't. How does that compare to the argument that you said that Americans do that? Heck, all people do it in all countries. Yet again, you generalize because not once have I spoken to a foreign person in this country and not altered my English for them to understand.


However, I DO agree with the lady who posted right above me: we have a terrible education system in the US. (Don't worry, I am not as conservative as what I said seems. I am actually VERY liberal... so, I know our country can suck majorly) Unfortunately, our schools aren't equipped for educating students properly in languages. However, I know of several schools in my state that have bilingual education now (for English speakers), and I think that is definitely a step up. :)

I was only trying to say, all in all, is that it is understandable how some Europeans can speak another language. (Trust me, we should also specify WHERE in Europe. Hehe. In Germany, I know they have a fantastic ESL program and all the Germans I know spoke English fluently. However, in Spain, it makes you wonder WHAT HAPPENED in the language department. A lot of Spanish people can't speak another language adequately.. much like Americans)

Answer 7

At my age I am trying to learn Spanish. Rosetta Stone is a pretty good way. They should make it manditory in school but they don't. My parents were German and Polish, and believed that they should only speak English when in America. They didn't teach me to speak either language. It's too bad, but that attitude still prevails.

Answer 8

i agree. educated ppl should be bilingual. i am hispanic, and have been speaking both since i was about 8, but it would be so valuable to your knowledge to be able to speak more than one. it is really a great privliage to be able to. those who think that english is the top language, they really have no idea of the other richly cultured languages out there.
:)

Answer 9

Many Americans do know a second language. The main reason that so many foreigners learn English is that to maintain an adequate way of life in the USA you simply need to know it. The USA offers many opportunities other countries cannot. That's why so many different types of people live in the USA. Most welcome them in and its the immigrant who decides to learn English.

Answer 10

Well, I think you answered your own question. You people really are ethnocentric in your view of the world.
There is nothing else that I cann add. You are right