Native English speakers ridiculed?

I feel some of the reason learning foreign languages is not common in the Anglo world is because they're subject to so much ridicule from arrogant foreigns on the subject. People commonly say Anglos can't learn languages, and when they do they speak it terribly (when actually they probably don't speak English any better).

When an Anglo does speak a foreign language, the foreigner often speaks to English out of the arrogant believe that his English will be better than the Anglos language skills.

If foreigners want Anglos to start learning foreign languages then I think those greasy foreign cunts are going to have to change their attitude a bit.

Please stop flooding Antimoon with trash.

we don't want you to speak foreign languages..... that way we can gossip about you, in front of you..... L = Losers!

I will tell you something: when I was a child I was genuinely convinced Anglophones (and Francophones for that matter) were technically linguistically handicapped. I have even had a teacher French who claimed: "We Flemish have a gift to learn foreign languages without an accent. Not even Dutch don't have this gift. Francophones on the other hand have problems learning any other language than their own. Learning Dutch is impossible for the majority of them, because Dutch is one of the hardest languages to learn in the world compared to 'easy French'."

Be aware that many of us still think like this. I was 14 years until I realized it was bullshit. That teacher was in her 50s and supposed to be a wise adult.

Another anecdote. I remember a Russian who lives here from his 16th. I remember people who didn't even believe he was Russian (otherwise you wouldn't speak Dutch that well, impossible!). This behaviour is very similar to that of Japanese, who are even amazed when you only know the word 'sugoy'.
I must say, people have become less stupid in this regards, but the belief that Francophones and Anglophones 'struggle with Dutch' is still very deep. It goes this far that when one speaks our language with a French or English accent they'll immediately switch to 'broken French' or 'broken English'.

<<we don't want you to speak foreign languages..... that way we can gossip about you, in front of you..... L = Losers! >>

Why don't you say it to our face? Or are you frightened we'll give you the good old English beat down like we did back in the days of the empire?

Why would any one think Dutch is much harder than French?

Matematik If we did come face to face I would spark you out before you had chance to say anything..!!

<<Please stop flooding Antimoon with trash. >>

Do all Spaniards have the inferiority complex you do?

<<Why would any one think Dutch is much harder than French? >>

I guess French looks more familiar (from an English speaker's point of view.) With Dutch, you have those enormous long words, filled with exotic letters (z, k, ij, aa, etc.).

Examples: Warmostraat, Niewezijdsvoorburgwal, Scheepvartmuseum

http://mx.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060726105124AAx54xa

<<I feel some of the reason learning foreign languages is not common in the Anglo world is because they're subject to so much ridicule from arrogant foreigns on the subject. People commonly say Anglos can't learn languages, and when they do they speak it terribly (when actually they probably don't speak English any better).

When an Anglo does speak a foreign language, the foreigner often speaks to English out of the arrogant believe that his English will be better than the Anglos language skills.

If foreigners want Anglos to start learning foreign languages then I think those greasy foreign cunts are going to have to change their attitude a bit. >>


While I normally tend to agree 100% with Matematik, in this case I have to disagree and say that he should grow a spine.
You should obviously speak whatever language facilitates communication more. If they speak English shitter than you speak their language, tell them that.

It is partly our fault that they assume their English is so good, too. We English speakers need to be more assertive when foreigners learn English. We need to learn to pick at their smallest mistakes, and mock them. We tend to just let their mistakes pass, but this has to stop. I'm sick of their annoying assumption that they've mastered English. For example, next time I meet a Dutch guy with a fucking annoying imitation American accent like that guy in the Bill O'Reilly clip, I am going to laugh out loud and tell him his accent is shit, because it is. In the past when I've encountered these people with self-professed native English they tend to get very defensive about their English.

And the worst thing possible is when these self-professed native speakers begin wield their authority by correcting non-natives INCORRECTLY, or EVEN WORSE, when they correct what isn't wrong in the first place. This pisses the shit out of me.

The Indians are fuckers for doing that.
They have this bizarre belief that their education system is the best in the world and that they can dictate how any language should be spoken.

I am a native English speaker, who speaks German, not perfectly, but well enough. The other day I phoned a company in Germany, and asked, in German, to speak to some one. Said person came on phone and started speaking English, which I totally ignored, and just carried on in German. There was an audible shocked silence, but she then just carried on normally in German.

<<I am a native English speaker, who speaks German, not perfectly, but well enough. The other day I phoned a company in Germany, and asked, in German, to speak to some one. Said person came on phone and started speaking English, which I totally ignored, and just carried on in German. There was an audible shocked silence, but she then just carried on normally in German>>

I'm in a similar position to you, not a perfect German speaker but I know more than enough to speak confidently when in the country. It amuses me when some German people automatically address me in English because they assume I won't know any German. I'll play along for a while then suddenly switch. That usually shocks them, "Oh, you speak German?" "Natuerlich" I reply indifferently, followed by mild concern "Sie nicht?"

That confuses them.

>>I'm in a similar position to you, not a perfect German speaker but I know more than enough to speak confidently when in the country. It amuses me when some German people automatically address me in English because they assume I won't know any German. I'll play along for a while then suddenly switch. That usually shocks them, "Oh, you speak German?" "Natuerlich" I reply indifferently, followed by mild concern "Sie nicht?" <<

LOL

I'm not sure whether it is an arrogance thing with the Germans assuming that their English must be better than your German even if you know some, or whether they just assume you, as an English speaker, are unlikely to know much (fair enough assumption) or whether they just think English is the international language so they're expected to switch to it.

Methinks that Matematik is angry that he isn't capable of learning other languages.