English not spoken

stealercage   Fri Oct 09, 2009 7:48 pm GMT
English is such a popular language to know and learn. So I'm wondering:

Which countries/cities have the least amount/percentage of English speakers/ learners?

In other words, which countries don't use English at all?
Guest   Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:36 am GMT
The question is interesting.

In my opinion, English is not very useful in China (but Shanghai and Hong-Kong), Latin America, former USSR, all African countries where English is not official, and Mediterranean Europe (France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, out of the touristic places).
Guest   Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:53 am GMT
In European Union, the least percentage of English speakers are in Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia) and Southern Europe (Spain, Italy, Portugal and France).

So, if you go to Eastern Europe or Southern Europe, out of the touristic places, you can have some problem to understand people.
Speaker   Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:18 am GMT
The continent where English is least spoken is Antarctica. There are at most only 1000 English speakers there. Only 1000 on the entire continent! That means the population density of English speakers is a staggering 0.007 English speakers per square kilometer. That's not a lot of English speakers! For comparison, sparsely populated Canada has about 3 English speakers per square kilometer. That means there are about 430 times less English speakers per square kilometer in Antarctica compared to in Canada! Wow! That's staggering! I don't think English will be very useful for you on Antarctica!
A.M.   Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:21 am GMT
Well, if there are 1000 people in Antarctica that speak English, it is likely the most useful language there.

English and Spanish are really the lingua franca in Antarctica, according to Wikipedia.
HANKS WILLIAMS JR   Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:46 pm GMT
The preacher man says it’s the end of time
And the Mississippi River she’s a goin’ dry
The interest is up and the Stock Markets down
And you only get mugged
If you go down town

I live back in the woods, you see
A woman and the kids, and the dogs and me
I got a shotgun rifle and a 4-wheel drive
And a country boy can survive
Country folks can survive

I can plow a field all day long
I can catch catfish from dusk till dawn
We make our own whiskey and our own smoke too
Ain’t too many things these ole boys can’t do
We grow good ole tomatoes and homemade wine
And a country boy can survive
Country folks can survive

Because you can’t starve us out
And you cant makes us run
Cause one-of- ‘em old boys raisin ole shotgun
And we say grace and we say Ma’am
And if you ain’t into that we don’t give a damn

We came from the West Virginia coalmines
And the Rocky Mountains and the and the western skies
And we can skin a buck; we can run a trot-line
And a country boy can survive
Country folks can survive

I had a good friend in New York City
He never called me by my name, just hillbilly
My grandpa taught me how to live off the land
And his taught him to be a businessman
He used to send me pictures of the Broadway nights
And I’d send him some homemade wine

But he was killed by a man with a switchblade knife
For 43 dollars my friend lost his life
Id love to spit some beechnut in that dudes eyes
And shoot him with my old 45
Cause a country boy can survive
Country folks can survive

Cause you can’t starve us out and you can’t make us run
Cause one-of- ‘em old boys raisin ole shotgun
And we say grace and we say Ma’am
And if you ain’t into that we don’t give a damn

We’re from North California and south Alabam
And little towns all around this land
And we can skin a buck; we can run a trot-line
And a country boy can survive
Country folks can survive
K. T.   Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:56 pm GMT
"I don't think English will be very useful for you on Antarctica!"

It's the lingua franca there afaik. You may find a Spanish speaker, a Norwegian or a German there, but you need English.
Armada   Mon Oct 12, 2009 8:06 pm GMT
Talking about the lingua franca of Antarctica is nonsense.
K. T.   Mon Oct 12, 2009 8:35 pm GMT
Not if you plan to go there. It's largely a place for researchers afaik and those who assist them (for example, those who transport them and provide other services)...

They use English to communicate. Don't take my word for it, though, contact some people who have been there recently.
The real K. T.   Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:59 pm GMT
Disregard the previous poster. That was not me.