I'm surprised on the continent how many people speak English, it seems to me a hell of a lot more French people speak English than English people speak French, on a recent visit I made to Amsterdam a Dutch lady I met who had an English degree from Amsterdam University , told me Dutch children learn English from the age of five.
For non English Europeans, the choice of English as a second language is fairly logical as they probably hear and/or see some English language every day.
For us in the UK, the choice of a second language is wide with French, Spanish German and Italian being the main choices.
French was traditionally the second language taught in UK schools but my son has just started high school and is learning Japanese. Something which was not an option for me 30 years ago.
The English used to be very arrogant. They had all the reasons to be so since after the Spanish Armada, they have become the top power in the world for some 300 or so years. In the WWII they won the war and liberated France and defeated the German (all because they had the Americans on their side). So everyone else should speak English. Things have changed since then and the English are beginning to learn more foreign languages. On the other hand, in many parts of Europe where I have been to, many people spoke English to a respectable standard.
English would probably get by in most towns in western Europe. But not quite in more remote villages. I once went to a village in Austria and no one spoke English. Ordering food from a pure German menu was surprisingly difficult, even with sign language. That was the reason why I decided to stick my finger out and learned enough in French, German and Italian so as to be able to understand most ordinary menus and to read bus and train timetables and to rent a room in hotels. Beyond these....Well....No comment!
For non English Europeans, the choice of English as a second language is fairly logical as they probably hear and/or see some English language every day.
For us in the UK, the choice of a second language is wide with French, Spanish German and Italian being the main choices.
French was traditionally the second language taught in UK schools but my son has just started high school and is learning Japanese. Something which was not an option for me 30 years ago.
Steve.
Does your son go to Eton? I don't know many schools where Japanese is taught.
Does your son go to Eton? I don't know many schools where Japanese is taught.
You'd be surprised these days. Some of the more differently thinking schools, especially those who want to become an academy, or those that have a 6th form, often teach Unusual languages. Theres one in the Midlands that teaches Chinese.
I think if you're in a European country, the urge for the locals is to try English as it is the most widely spoken "Second" Language.
English evolved for exactly that purpose.
Lass I went to college with was learning degree level German, and went to Germany for a year. She found that if her accent slipped a little, she would never get the chance to use the language she was learning, as the locals wanted to practice their English on her!
Trouble is that in English she spoke with a BROAD Brummie Accent.
I just have this picture in my mind of an outpost of Germany where the locals sound like Jasper Carrot when they try English
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The English used to be very arrogant. They had all the reasons to be so since after the Spanish Armada, they have become the top power in the world for some 300 or so years. In the WWII they won the war and liberated France and defeated the German (all because they had the Americans on their side). So everyone else should speak English. Things have changed since then and the English are beginning to learn more foreign languages. On the other hand, in many parts of Europe where I have been to, many people spoke English to a respectable standard.
English would probably get by in most towns in western Europe. But not quite in more remote villages. I once went to a village in Austria and no one spoke English. Ordering food from a pure German menu was surprisingly difficult, even with sign language. That was the reason why I decided to stick my finger out and learned enough in French, German and Italian so as to be able to understand most ordinary menus and to read bus and train timetables and to rent a room in hotels. Beyond these....Well....No comment!
We British, when confronted by johnny foreigner, used to speak very slowly and loudly and expect them to understand.
I hope not. I don't think I could afford the uniform!
It's just a standard county owned high school. However, a lot of our high schools our now also called colleges. My son's is a language college and the one my wife works at is a sports college. They still provide the full prospectus but if you can choose a school if you want to take a particular subject a bit further.
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