[Sca-cooks] Re: Languages

[Sandra Kisner]

>>As far as Americans not learning languages... I think it's another aspect of
>>the "ugly American" syndrome. We're so self-absorbed and self-important that
>>our educational system doesn't recognize the benefit in learning other
>>languages.
>
>I can only smile at that statement :-)

       Or perceived UA syndrome.  I remember hearing about a bunch of international students standing around speaking in German.  When an American joined them, they switched to English (and when he left raved about those "unilingual Americans").  Now maybe they actually knew he didn't speak German.  But why should they assume that because he didn't speak German he knew no other foreign language at all?

>>The fact that less than 25% of our border is shared with a
>>country that speaks another language doesn't help, either. (Yeah, I know
>>about Quebec - they don't count, the official government language of the
>>nation is still English).
>
>I hate to point this out, but the official language of government in Quebec
>is French.  The official languageS of government in Canada is *both* French
>and English...

     Theoretically, anyway.  :-)   When I was in Quebec, I don't recall seeing many signs in both French and English.  They were pretty much all in French only (the staff usually could speak some English, which is helpful for people like me who studied other languages).  There's a famous/notorious bookstore named "Boooks" (or "Boooks <something>") that got to keep it's (large) sign because it isn't an English word, so it couldn't be required to provide a translation to French.

Sandra