A Tangled Web

Speaka de Lingo!?

 

Can there be anything more embarrassing than observing the habits of British people abroad?  If the caveman elements are not storming up and down the streets of Spanish resorts gorging themselves on fish and chips wrapped in greaseproof paper, the supposedly more sophisticated examples of British society are shouting at the locals - apparently believing that increasing the vocal volume by several decibels will help the natives improve their understanding of the English language.



When I was travelling in North Africa earlier this year, myself and my friends continued our age old tradition of crossing the street if we thought we were going to be approached by a fellow countryman.   As the countries we visited tended to use French as their second language, we took the opportunity to brush up on our limited Francophonic skills.  There is no substitute for the look of appreciation on a person's face when you, as a holidaymaker, have done them the courtesy of addressing them in a native tongue.



To this end, I have highlighted the latest BBC survey, which confirms the very sad fact that most Britons are appallingly slow when it comes to learning a foreign dialect.  We all know English is the most widely spoken language in the world (the principal language of 27 countries, and the second language of a good deal more).  However, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish are actually spoken by more people.  Spanish overtook English as the second most used language in 1999 due to the rapid demographic growth in many Latin American countries.  The United Kingdom is situated on the periphery of a continent with over 30 languages.  Isn't it about time we Britons went beyond examples of Del Boy phrases such as: 'Garcon la petit pois.  Danke schon.'?