Thread: Pipe of the Day

I can understand where you're coming from Tom. As much as any non European dweller can anyway. Don't most Europeans already learn English anyway? Or is there a large degree who don't. French and Spanish are also fairly common aren't they?


Mick

Originally Posted by eTom

That's no prob...
I'm still learning.
I think we need in Europe one language/ we have to share one language. This one language should only be English!

Considering the fact that about less than half of the European people do not speak English at all that would be really long term target. There are countries where you have no use of English at all, or very little.

My wife is one of them. Probably the only words she understands are 'Pepsi' and 'Tina Turner' lol. Making the rest of Europeans learn Finnish is more realistic that making her learn English.

Howevers, with Swedish you can get along in any country in Scandinavia and with Finnish you can make yourself understood in Estonia too, and vice versa. With German you'll survive in Lithuania and Poland.

Makes this all difficult, but as someone who lives in bilingual country i would say that learning second (or third) language is easy.

I speak Finnish and Swedish naturally, Estonian too (that is almost the same as the dialect we speak here in SW). Somewhat ok with English and German.

By my mind English would be the best answer.
Most of the people have the chance to learn EN in the school. Most of the Scandinaviens are able to speak fluent English. In the most countries of the world you'll find a lot of people who can speak and understand English.
Only the French think they hold sway over the world.

Be proud of your language,your soveigrnty,and your culture...there is absolutly nothing wrong with that. German is a fine and beautiful language.If everyone were the same there would be no point in living as everything would be dull and the same and the same and the same and the............Yeeech !

Originally Posted by eTom

By my mind English would be the best answer.
Most of the people have the chance to learn EN in the school. Most of the Scandinaviens are able to speak fluent English. In the most countries of the world you'll find a lot of people who can speak and understand English.
Only the French think they hold sway over the world.

English is the correct answer of course, but as said, that will be really long term target.
All people here learn at least 1 or 2 (eng + russia/german/spanish) different languages + our mother languages (Fin/Swe).

I can see some difficulties too. Making one language as an 'official' European language might face some political resistance too.
Languages are difficult. Even in Finland there are folks who think we bilinguals who live in the coast are sort of a danger to the national identity, that we are rather Swedes than Finns. Swedish conquerors and whatever bs, although Swedish was our one and only official language for more than 600 years.
Personally i think they are idiots, but they have their rights to their opinions off course.

But as said, English probably will be the official EU language some day and that is the way it should go.

Before I went to America (so many years ago now), I put some time into learning some everyday Spanish, it being the next most common language in the US. Of the 14 people I was travelling with, I was the only one who spoke any Spanish. It came in handy at some local shops (Yes they spoke english, but they appreciated my effort), but it really came to the fore when we crossed over to Mexico. I was given much more respect than my fellow travellers, offered bigger discounts shopping and generally treated more as an equal, than as a Gringo tourist.
I can see how a universal language would work , but I still think a basic knowledge (at least) of the language of the country you're visiting is a must.


Mick

I like this discussion. In this forum all we learned a lot of things about our friends and their countries all over the world...and the basic language of this forum is the English language.
Over the years I found a lot of new friends...some of this friends I already visited...Max in Vegas, Alex at the Golan Heights.
It is amazing.

Mick, you're right!

Originally Posted by MickR

Before I went to America (so many years ago now), I put some time into learning some everyday Spanish, it being the next most common language in the US. Of the 14 people I was travelling with, I was the only one who spoke any Spanish. It came in handy at some local shops (Yes they spoke english, but they appreciated my effort), but it really came to the fore when we crossed over to Mexico. I was given much more respect than my fellow travellers, offered bigger discounts shopping and generally treated more as an equal, than as a Gringo tourist.
I can see how a universal language would work , but I still think a basic knowledge (at least) of the language of the country you're visiting is a must.


Mick

I've noticed while traveling, local people usually appreciate if you at least try to communicate with their language at least with few words.
Therefore you get at least a smile if not even better service if you say 'dzieki' in the pub in Poland or 'aitäh' in Estonian restaurant as it is not always obvious that they would understand English. At least outside tourist areas.
Probably it will change in time.

Originally Posted by eTom

I like this discussion. In this forum all we learned a lot of things about our friends and their countries all over the world...and the basic language of this forum is the English language.
Over the years I found a lot of new friends...some of this friends I already visited...Max in Vegas, Alex at the Golan Heights.
It is amazing.

Mick, you're right!

I think it's a good discussion too, and it s in the Englsih language as that is the language of the country where this forum originated, America. If it was a German site I'd be having a very hard time right now . Credit too you Tom for being bi-lingual .


Mick

спасибо!
Some years I also learned Russian...