Where are the regions of the world where English is the most foreign, ie where are you least likely to find people who can communicate in English?
Where do people speak English less?
I would guess that the place where English is most foreign would have to be in Africa. Some tribal lands out there are almost completely cut off from everywhere but their immediate neighbors, and if those neighbors don't speak English, then English is irrelevant to them. Just about everywhere else, English has at least some importance for political and economic reasons. Africa does have plenty of economically-developing cities, but I don't know how common it would be for the average person to speak English. Probably still less common than elsewhere in the world, except in certain regions such as South Africa, where many people speak English natively.
Outside of Africa, I would guess North Korea or possibly Vietnam, because the languages are very different (though modern Vietnamese does use Roman letters), they're geographically isolated from English-speaking countries, and they're politically opposed to the United States and, to a lesser extent, other English-speaking countries. Considering how those governments are run, I can imagine not being looked upon favorably if you were learning English...
- Kef
Outside of Africa, I would guess North Korea or possibly Vietnam, because the languages are very different (though modern Vietnamese does use Roman letters), they're geographically isolated from English-speaking countries, and they're politically opposed to the United States and, to a lesser extent, other English-speaking countries. Considering how those governments are run, I can imagine not being looked upon favorably if you were learning English...
- Kef
I was under the impressions that english is widely spoken in Afrika. It seems africans are very multilingual, of course there are some backward tribes there too, but who really cares about them. What I am asking is about the majority of people, the kind of people you meet walking along the streets of a reasonable sized city. Sorry for the lack of clarification.
My impression was that relatively few people speak english in south america and japan. What do you think of this?
Europe-wise, it would probably be the southern countries like italy and spain or serbia. Do you agree?
Europe-wise, it would probably be the southern countries like italy and spain or serbia. Do you agree?
Africa is a really big continent, so you can't really generalize about Africa on the whole anyway...
English has a lot of influence in Japan, even though a lot of people there don't actually speak it. Any word that they don't have a concept for, either they take it directly from English, or if there's not an exact English word for it, they take one anyway and adapt it to that purpose. I'd wager that more Japanese per capita are studying English than Chinese, and almost certainly than North Koreans or Vietnamese. Although the number of people who actually get anywhere with it is much less than the number of people who study it, just as it is in any country. :)
- Kef
English has a lot of influence in Japan, even though a lot of people there don't actually speak it. Any word that they don't have a concept for, either they take it directly from English, or if there's not an exact English word for it, they take one anyway and adapt it to that purpose. I'd wager that more Japanese per capita are studying English than Chinese, and almost certainly than North Koreans or Vietnamese. Although the number of people who actually get anywhere with it is much less than the number of people who study it, just as it is in any country. :)
- Kef
The matter about Japan is that while everyone there is taught English, they are really only taught written English and are taught it in a fashion that puts a very strong weight on memorization and very little emphasis on being able to speak English naturally. Consequently, few people in Japan today can actually *speak* English despite everyone in Japan today being taught English.
<<My impression was that relatively few people speak english in south america and japan. What do you think of this?
Europe-wise, it would probably be the southern countries like italy and spain or serbia. Do you agree? >>
Pulemet, see this map (English language skills of European Union citizens)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Knowledge_English_EU_map.png
By hoping to have helped you
Europe-wise, it would probably be the southern countries like italy and spain or serbia. Do you agree? >>
Pulemet, see this map (English language skills of European Union citizens)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Knowledge_English_EU_map.png
By hoping to have helped you
I wisited the most european countryes where I comunicate with people in english and I can say that englis is lass spoken in Italy, I met just few people who could say a basic englis sentances
Greeks and Serbs are bad in english too but much better than Italians
Greeks and Serbs are bad in english too but much better than Italians
''The matter about Japan is that while everyone there is taught English, they are really only taught written English and are taught it in a fashion that puts a very strong weight on memorization and very little emphasis on being able to speak English naturally. Consequently, few people in Japan today can actually *speak* English despite everyone in Japan today being taught English.''
The same is true of Brazil. Furthermore, they are taught very outdated grammar...they memorize 101 rules ''how to use SHALL'' and 101 rules ''When to use WILL''; why not to use ''IT'S ME'' (in favor of It is I), and 101 when to use WHOM and 101 rules when to use WHO...They hava a strict 19century grammarian approach w/o any realistic view of the language AS IT IS SPOKEN (but they do the same with their language: teaching obsolete 19th century Portuguese grammar no one in Brazil uses anymore).
In some countries (BRAZIL, JAPAN) there is a wrong vision of the language: ''what imports is the written language, oral language has no value''. It's a sad thing :(
The same is true of Brazil. Furthermore, they are taught very outdated grammar...they memorize 101 rules ''how to use SHALL'' and 101 rules ''When to use WILL''; why not to use ''IT'S ME'' (in favor of It is I), and 101 when to use WHOM and 101 rules when to use WHO...They hava a strict 19century grammarian approach w/o any realistic view of the language AS IT IS SPOKEN (but they do the same with their language: teaching obsolete 19th century Portuguese grammar no one in Brazil uses anymore).
In some countries (BRAZIL, JAPAN) there is a wrong vision of the language: ''what imports is the written language, oral language has no value''. It's a sad thing :(
Written is more important than oral. Especial for most people who don't leave theyre country, because you need english for the internet, movies, science, but don't actually talk in it, just need to understand. etcetera
French and spanish people(Madrid). When I went to Barcelona mostly all of them could speak english.
<<The matter about Japan is that while everyone there is taught English, they are really only taught written English and are taught it in a fashion that puts a very strong weight on memorization and very little emphasis on being able to speak English naturally. Consequently, few people in Japan today can actually *speak* English despite everyone in Japan today being taught English.>>
Erm...no, Travis. Lots of Japanese people *can* actually speak English. Their accents are extremely hard to understand, though.
Erm...no, Travis. Lots of Japanese people *can* actually speak English. Their accents are extremely hard to understand, though.
The less... not sure, but the worse in Barcelona, that's for sure. They are so busy learning their stupid catalan, good for nothing that don't have time to learn English or any other more practical language.