Why do many Americans not learn to communicate in different languages? 29 Articles

by William Remski

Americans are crippled in the language department because of errors in the school system. Anyone who knows anything about learning language knows that children learn other languages more quickly, easily, and accurately if...read more

by Sarah Bailey

Anywhere I go, there is someone who speaks English. The world's technological language is English. People in foreign countries are scrambling to learn and speak English. With these things in mind, I can easily understand w...read more

by Gina Barr

Because this is an English speaking country and so self satisfied that "culture" is beneath them, when in fact it is evidence of close minded bigotry, which of course wreaks of the lower caste of India where folks wear fli...read more

by Lois Lawrence

I studied German in high school in the sixties and continued those studies for a few years in college. While I remember a few phrases, I do not speak German. In this, I do not believe I am alone. Language instruction in ...read more

by Danette M. Scott

Why do Americans not learn to communicate in different languages? When waves of immigrants first began arriving on the shores of the United States, the inevitable fears many American citizens ad of the newcomers embedded i...read more

by Cat M.

Some Americans do not learn another language because maybe some feel it's pointless, while others just don't have the talent to speak in other languages. I'm sure, if one who didn't know French for example was going to Par...read more

by Lisa De Wal

Being raised in the U.S. and having a great interest in other languages has proved to be very difficult as an American. American high schools usually require two years of a second language such as German, French, or Spanis...read more

by Andrew Spriggs

How many people travel frequently? Well...this answer depends on many factors: is it relatively easy to travel to another country? How close is the one nation to the other? Is there an incentive to cover the trek to the ot...read more

by Joyce D. Sinclair

There is a long-standing linguistic joke that goes: "Q: If bilingual means speaking two languages, and trilingual means speaking three languages, what does monolingual mean? A: American." Every person who came to this...read more

by David Bochito

Speaking of English I am an American, born and raised, and descendant of Native American/Polish heritage: a "mutt," just like nearly every other American. Most people living in the US can't even ...read more

by V. Janice Lee

I think a better title for this article would be, "Why are Americans the least likely to learn to communicate in other languages?" As an American, I have learned to read, write and speak Spanish fluently. But I believe I'...read more

by Sarah Frankton

Myself and my partner recently took a road trip around the western states of America, we drove from Vancouver, Canada, all the way down the beautiful western coast of Washington, Oregon and California to San Diego. We then...read more

by Tristan Moorhen

The reason Americans do not learn to communicate in other languages is two-fold. One is ego, pure and simple. A comedian once said when he goes to another country he says,"What are all these foreigners doing here?" even if...read more

by Sasha

I find this fact very depressing. There are several reasons for this and a few of them might be beyond of our control, but the others we can only hope to fix. First, many don't realize, compared to other countries in the...read more

by Douglas Laliberte

I think of myself as a very open-minded person. Seriously. But there is something that I just really can't understand. I live in South Florida-a very transient place-which sometimes it is easy to see as just another thi...read more

by Gideon MacLeish

It is the boast of the average Euro-snob that Europeans can speak multiple language. Their intent is to belittle and ridicule Americans, many of whom speak only variations of Americans. We live in a culture that's fairl...read more

by Sam Caldwell

Broad statement that I'm sure may be reflected in a great portion but there are numerous ads in papers for employement which call for bilingual employees that pay more than ones that don't have the multi-language skills. A...read more

by Kristin Genoa

America is the "Melting Pot." There are people here from a wider diversity of cultures than anywhere else on Earth. You would think we all these different backgrounds, that we, as Americans, would learn to speak more la...read more

by Sunny Jacobs

I was just getting ready to get off of here...I have been on here for hours looking around and writing. I got other stuff to do and then....I come across this title. I probably wouldn't have even written anything had it no...read more

by Akramah

The problem, I think, is not that Americans do not learn to speak other languages. There is no country in this world with as many multi-lingual citizens as America boasts of. My concern is how some Americans feel uncomfo...read more