I personally don’t think it’s a bad thing that the world is moving closer to having a universal language, and resisting a clear and obvious trend that serves an obvious public good is simply being obstinate and anti American just for the sake of being anti American.
If there’s ever a universal language, why should it be English? Why not Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese? Those are also language spoken by many people. Is it because many (though not all) Americans can’t be bothered to learn about other languages and cultures? If anything, it should be a conlang, such that it benefits no one. Or at least no one is currently raised on it. I for one would vote Interlingua, seeing as it is supposedly easier for and based off European languages like Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, but also English, German, and Russian (or so I hear)
Edit: let us not also forget of the cultural aspects of languages currently existing
That whole clear and obvious trend I mentioned is a good place to start, but as far as the language nobody currently speaks the last thing you want to say when trying to get everyone to adopt something is that it won’t benefit anyone.
As far as Chinese, Spanish, Hindi, etc. yes those could be a good option but they are simply not the best option.
Well, tbh I do be sometimes annoyed at how prevalent Murican culture is. Especially when you consume content on this lingua franca of sorts. But also, I mentioned Interlingua, which afaik is based on and easier for those speaking many Latin-based languages such as Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, plus something about English, German, Russian. Which would perhaps benefit many (though not all) equally
English started becoming the lingua franca before American cultural dominance even. It happened because of British naval superiority and dominance over trade
Of course as people pointed out, this is far from a uniquely American thing. Also, I’m sure by American they mean the USA, but “Americans” are inclusive of north, central and south America. Here in Europe, we also expect people to speak English as it is the universal language.
As a side note, it is also often commented that Americans (USA Americans) can only speak English. This is a narrow view that primarily broadly looks at white Americans and ignores the fact that the US is a huge melting pot of cultures and for many US citizens English is their second or third language.
It goes without being said, the contents of the picture should never have a reason to be written. Don’t be a dick to people trying to help you.
Probably because if your business is based around profiting from American tourists, you’re probably going to need to know some English. It seems to me like when money is involved people tend to find a way to communicate what they need to regardless of what languages they share, though. And obviously this does not excuse rude tourists.
Or tourists in general. I’m Estonian. Loads of Estonians go to Thailand. I doubt any of them speak Thai. Most speak English to some degree.
I’m an American living in Chicagoland, the 3rd largest metropolitan area in the country. I can drive for over 900 miles in any direction and everyone still speaks English, though some jerks Quebec wouldn’t admit it at gunpoint. Even foreign born immigrants who never took a class can usually manage enough pidgin English to get by, even if it’s just a hundred words or less.
America also has the largest English speaking pop globally. More than the next 3 countries combined. England is 5th on that list.
America had been the dominant global source of money, technology and education since WW2. Though it’s in it’s slow decline arc, good luck explaining that to uncritical people who were spoon fed the doctrine of American Exceptionalism since infancy.
Why do many, if not most Americans assume everybody else speaks English? Why the hell wouldn’t we?
Europeans and Brits go on vacation abroad and it’s usually elsewhere in Europe. Huge swathes of the world had to learn English when the British Empire was large and in charge. The US picked up where the Brits left off. It’s been that way for literally centuries.
There’s a dozen or two languages they might need to be at least passingly familiar with, on top of English which is needed for business, industry, education, flying/air traffic control, and gawd knows what else. It’s the lingua franca of the modern age, and if they have no other language in common, two people with a passing knowledge of English can communicate at a basic level.
Americans go on vacation and travel three time zones over without leaving the continental US. A small town is basically the same in New York and California. You can go anywhere in America or Canada (or most major foreign cities) and find at least a few things you know and are familiar with, from chains like Hilton and McDonald’s to independently owned clones like Motels and Diners. Our country, a third of the continent (more or less) is larger than all of continental Europe.
So yeah, that’s why. Don’t worry, the planet will probably kill us off within a generation or two, assuming the Orange Idiot or some foreign despot like Putin decides to end it all early with nuclear hellfire. So if it’s a problem for you, at least it’s a problem that will solve itself.
I was not suspecting this amount of cope. But here we are.
We know WHY you do it. We just aren’t very happy with it.
Also, I find it hilarious how US Americans can seamlessly switch between “we’re so very united, everywhere is the same, same food, same culture, same language” and “we’re really 50 separate countries that each do their own thing, don’t judge all of us for the bullshit legislation some of us choose to have”.
Chi!
Is this sign in the US or Thailand? If it’s US there is no excuse. If it’s Thailand then speak Thai or stfu.
Judging by the foliage I’d guess Thailand over the US
So here’s something wild I learned.
To Canadians, when I speak French, I have a very thick American accent. However, when I speak English to Canadians, they really can’t tell my accent (presumably because I live in a bordering state?).
I always respect anyone who knows just enough English to communicate something simple/frequent. Because there is no fucking way they’d understand what I was trying to say in their language.
Man that’s crazy, I speak French with an undertone of a Belgian accent, but pretty close to French general accent (I know every dept has their accent, chill!), but Canadians have an extremely heavy and weird non standard accent compared to other people.
Language is strange man
Incredible our brains can make sense of any of it sometimes
I can’t wait for us to start exploring the galaxy and giving aliens shit for not speaking English lol
I’m sawwry, I don’t speak ‘at squeaky squacky, beep boop shit. Why don’t you try talking like an American?! You’re in American space space!
Because they often do. And most non native speakers really work at it too. Love them for it
Because western imperialism from English speaking countries has been around for at least 500 years and it’s given lots of countries time to learn it.
But also I make sure to know how to introduce myself and ask if they speak English in basically every language I interact with as to not start with it. And then I have conversational understanding of about 7 languages.
I would say the English language supremacy started around 300 years ago, before that the preferred language was french
And Dutch. But let’s be honest it was a revolving door of Western Europe and they all new each other.
I’m enjoying hearing the stories about African slag infiltrating France and how the olds there are freaking out.
Can only import so much of a workforce before they start becoming part of the culture.
Historical though, the French had many colonies in Africa. That’s why many parts of Africa already speak French, or at least their own dialectic of it.
I am aware. It’s true for portions of Asia as well and is part of the reason for the Caribbean islands being a mess.
Man, that bugs me how many Americans are out there giving the rest of us a bad name. I don’t travel, but if I did, I’d be grateful a non-native English speaker knew any English at all. And not learning enough of their language to at least get you by for the trip just sounds like poor planning in general. Some people are just incapable of looking before they leap, and for some reason a bunch of those people travel.
I’ve been to a few other countries. The people (especially retail workers) are extremely patient. All it takes is a smile and “excuse me” and they will try as hard as they can to build a communication bridge. I don’t know why we Americans have no patience
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I think you should go take a nice walk. Could do wonders for you
I got confused, I was replying to daniskarma below this op
I’m American and I am continually shocked and grateful how commonly I’m catered to internationally. I mean it’s not fair in a sense but also there does need to be a global language and the English happened to be the right kind of assholes to win that honor.
It’s not necessarily just for Americans. English is the most spoken language in the world when you include people’s second language. That German tourist probably isn’t going to know Thai and that Thai cafe probably isn’t going to know German, but they can muddle though with English.
Right. I was addressing the title of the post. I am assuming Americans are among the worst among presuming English should be spoken everywhere, but I don’t fall into that category. I marvel at the fact that it’s so widely spoken.
It’s always so foreign to me that anglophones never need to switch to English to communicate internationally, that’s just their everyday language
Yeah, it’s pretty crazy to me and I’m an anglophone who barely knows other languages. It’s a marvel.
Because we have to if they don’t speak our language
Why do you presume this is about Americans?
American tourists are much less common in Thailand than English or Australians.
Besides people speaking bad English to you are braver and more engaging than the average person in general. Id speak bad English with just about anyone before talking to most of my family lol.
Thanks for the examples
