The Brits & English speakers are linguistically disabled

Vladimir   Fri Jul 21, 2006 9:42 pm GMT
I was reading few articles from this forum and I have a question for you people. I am a Ukrainian from Tenerife (Canary Island) and I’ve been living here for 7 years. From what I witnessed here, it looks like the Brits living here in the Canarias don’t have any language skills, I know at least 10 Brits here that don’t speak a word of Spanish, except some very basic words and they have been living here for years.

When I first arrived in Tenerife, I worked in a “Fish and chips” take away shop in Las Americas. All the personnel from there, 3 waitresses, one chef and manager, 5 in total were incapable of speaking Spanish after living there for about 4 years at least. There are quite few Brits living there permanently, is like a small community. I must tell you that the English are one of the worst learners on earth. Ask any Spaniard! I must tell you that the native Spaniards in Canary Island don’t speak English too well to facilitate those Brits in everyday life. So both sides are struggling in understanding each other. I have greatly improved my English working with them for two years, and communicating at work in English while speaking Spanish in everyday life.

To me it looks like the Brits are really handicapped when learning a language. There are other communities here in Canaria like the Ukrainians, Polish, Romanians, Italians, Scandinavians, etc and most of them are speaking Spanish ok, except the British.

I just can’t sort it out why they have this handicap, maybe you fellows can help me understand why.

Cheers!

Vladimir
j   Fri Jul 21, 2006 10:01 pm GMT
May I asked you two question, Vladimir:
1. Where did you work in your country before the immigration?
2. What's your education, are you a college graduate, an university graduate?

thank you
Uriel   Fri Jul 21, 2006 11:02 pm GMT
I'm sure the British are just as capable of learning other languages as any other human beings. The ones you've encountered just either haven't HAD to, or haven't wanted to.

This can occur anywhere, you know. MY great-grandparents came to the US as young adults and died of old age having never learned a word of English.
Guest   Fri Jul 21, 2006 11:30 pm GMT
I think that a lot of those people you're speaking about think they don't need to learn a foreign language because they have been raised with the idea that English would be the universal language. This attitude is quite spread among anglophones communities around the mediterranean, and is seen as a deeply arrogant, almost colonist attitude.
euro   Fri Jul 21, 2006 11:50 pm GMT
Vladimir is 100% correct!.

http://www.worldofproperty.co.uk/news-54.htm

The real estate agencies reveal the BRITISH HANDICAP

The majority of British are renowned throughout Europe for their inability to speak foreign languages, despite holidaying, buying holiday homes and even living in countries like Spain, France and Italy for decades.

read more

http://www.worldofproperty.co.uk/news-54.htm

Doctors in areas with a large British population are refusing to treat Brits who cannot speak Spanish and have no interpreters, due to the risks of misdiagnosis.


read more

http://www.worldofproperty.co.uk/news-54.htm
Tiffany   Fri Jul 21, 2006 11:57 pm GMT
To define "arrogant", I think you have to look at everything around a person and then the person. The "Anglophones" get a lot of flack for being essentially "monolingual", but many people of other nationalities and ethnicities are as essentially monolingual. However, ask yourself the circumstances. Most people aren't like those on Antimoon and won't learn another language for pleasure. They learn out of need.

There are many communities in Miami that are essentially monolingual in Spanish. If you go into a supermarket there, you better speak Spanish. Why have they not learned English? Because they is no great need for them. They can get everything they need by speaking only Spanish.

First generation of Cubans to be raised and schooled in Miami tend to be bilingual mainly because the schools are required to teach in English (although there are bilingual schools). They HAVE to learn it. And yes, many of the children arrive speaking only Spanish. It's easy when "hablan español" everywhere.

Now, to the post at hand, this assumption is as common as it is ridiculous. Because some British people have not found the need to learn Spanish, the British must be "dumb" - "handicapped". Right...

I know of plenty of Britons who speak another language. I can sureyou that as a population their intelligence is on par with everyone else.
euro   Fri Jul 21, 2006 11:57 pm GMT
{Pamela Heywood, 48, who has been resident in the Canary Islands for 13 years

"the majority of the British they encounter, most of whom still don't speak Spanish, even after 20 years and, dare I say it, don't give a shit either as long as the sun shines."

The following is translated from my interview, which appears in the Canaries edition of ABC both in print and online today}

read more

http://tucats.blogspot.com/2005/12/english-woman-who-adores-potaje-and.html


A NATION OF IGNORANTS as long as the sun shines in Spain!
Tiffany   Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:04 am GMT
<<Doctors in areas with a large British population are refusing to treat Brits who cannot speak Spanish and have no interpreters, due to the risks of misdiagnosis. >>

This cannot be attributed to a handicap, no matter how matter how much you'd like to believe it. Arrogance maybe, but the question of need remains. The British have a few paths they can choose here, because the refusal of medical help is a big thing. In my estimation, they can either learn Spanish, or bring in more English doctors that can practice in Spain.

What will they do?

No idea.

But whatever path they choose, none of it can be attributed to a deficiency in intelligence.

Only if they did not solve the problem, then perhaps speculation can begin on stupidity. But I trust they will solve. Survival is a strong instinct no?
Uriel   Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:08 am GMT
My great-grandparents who never learned English were Portuguese. Surely the Portuguese are not arrogant or stupid, euro? Plenty of people around here exist all their lives speaking only Spanish, despite being in the US. Does that make Mexicans arrogant or stupid, euro? And monolingualism can't be an "anglophone thing" if it's practiced by these other ethnicities and language groups as well ... can it?
Guest   Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:12 am GMT
"Doctors in areas with a large British population are refusing to treat Brits who cannot speak Spanish and have no interpreters, due to the risks of misdiagnosis"

Tiffany >because the refusal of medical help is a big thing.

The Brits are so stupid, they risking their lives. A Doctor can not put a diagnostic and prescribe medicine without knowing your medical history, allergies, hypertension, diabetes, etc. It is better to not take any medicine at all than taking some medicine and having allergies, hypertension, diabetes, etc, and misleading the doctor because your stupidity, and language barrier.
Latino   Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:30 am GMT
Uriel

"Does that make Mexicans arrogant or stupid, euro? And monolingualism can't be an "anglophone thing" if it's practiced by these other ethnicities and language groups as well ... can it?"

Mexicans can live ok in America coz they need les English. Spanish in America is second spok language, and what polyglot write is corect.

"How many times has anyone called a business in the US and heard:
"For English press one, Para Español oprima el dos"? Statistically 87%. Unless you live in IDAHO"

I dont now if in Spain is Para Inglés oprima el dos. I dont think so. And Florida, New Mexico and California was Hispanic before American, people there can continue speak only Spanish if they want to like in Puerto Rico.
Uriel   Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:33 am GMT
They just need to import a Walgreen's. Their pharmacies will translate your medication labels and information pamphlet into dozens of languages, at no extra charge.

Seriously, we have a large Spanish-speaking population here in New Mexico, and doctors treat 'em all the time. It behooves the medical practitioners around here to keep Spanish-speakers on staff at all times, or speak it themselves. It's called adapting to your client base.
US citizen   Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:40 am GMT
<<<You are probably right. To some extent, Americans and British are very reluctant to learn foreign languages. Historically both peoples have always considered it unpatriotic for their citizens to speak anything other than English and the legacy still endures. >>>>

Come on Brennus,
give me a break.Now it's because of patrotism....Why is that you Americans don't admit that YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO LEARN a foreign language. You all believe taht you ahve money and power and buy off everything on Earth. You Americans believe that money makes you smart.
You are brainwashed and that's all you are.You believe everything you see ot hear on TV and are not able to see the truth.
I even look at some foreign languages courses sold in the US and they are terible. They believe that one can learn another language by memorizing sentences.These books teach you just sentences, no grammar , no words by themselves.
Guest   Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:51 am GMT
"They just need to import a Walgreen's. Their pharmacies will translate your medication labels and information pamphlet into dozens of languages, at no extra charge. "

why ? Are you crazy ? British are not the first minority in Spain !!!!!!!! like the Latinos are in the US. Just because the Brits are stupid and Lazy! they dont deserve any help from the Spaniards.

Should Spain have Pharmacies in Mozambican, Arabic, Ukrainean, Russian, Bulgarian, Marocan, Somalian, etc ?

Anyway most medicine labels in Europe are translated in at least 10 languages as standard, but the stuff from Pharmacies are only symptomatic medicine, without prescription. To cure something you need PRESCRIBED MEDICINE.
greg   Sat Jul 22, 2006 6:51 am GMT
Brennus : « To some extent, Americans and British are very reluctant to learn foreign languages. »

Oui, *to some extent* vraiment ; car on ne peut leur faire le reproche de n'avoir pas parfaitement assimilé l'ancien français et le médiolatin...







Brennus : « Historically both peoples have always considered it unpatriotic for their citizens to speak anything other than English and the legacy still endures. »

La combinaison du "historically" avec "always" est on ne peut plus malheureuse dans la mesure où elle est totalement fausse, du moins pour les Îles britanniques au moyen-âge. Pendant très longtemps il était *IMPENSABLE* pour un patriote anglais anglophone de s'exprimer autrement qu'en ancien français ou en médiolatin pour toutes les affaires importantes du royaume d'Angleterre, en particulier celles qui nécessitaient une quelconque consignation par écrit.