[quote=briansd1]
. . .
I believe that in America, people are English centric to their detriment. It’s like it’s a point of pride not to speak any foreign language (it should be shameful, in my opinion).
In Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, etc, people are all bilingual in their native tongues and English.[/quote]
I am very much in favor of learning one (or more) languages other than the one you grew up speaking. As a friend once said, I speak “enough French to be annoying” and I would like to learn more Spanish.
On the other hand, I think Americans get a bad rap when it comes to being English-centric. Most Americans have very little exposure to foreign languages (compared to Europeans, for example) during the course of the day. The Germans, Dutch, Belgians, etc. that you speak of are not bilingual entirely by choice – it makes economic sense. In other words, my guess is that it is more common for a European to speak English as a second language than, for example, Welsh. As the economists say, it’s all a matter of incentives.
