What are the minority language policies in your country?

Dear Easterner,
In hotels, all over the world, the National language/s and English are a must amongst all the staff. They will be willing to interpret for you if you're a monolingual English speaker with problems. Very often, in Europe at least, several languages are spoken in the Tourist and Travel Industry. You don't get a well-paid job in that trade if you don't and even the maids are expected to know basic English.
Regarding French linguistic policies we already spoke about that in another thread. Some private schools have been opened by parents in some regions with historical languages (Occitan, Catalan, Breton, Flemish- Alsatian (German), Corsican (Italian), Franco-Provençal). Officialy they have the same statute as foreign-language schools, which decide to open in France (i.e. International English Schools for example). They get no Government grants at all although they must ask for a permission to open. The Catalan community in Spain is supporting --150 Catalan Local Councils and over 1.000 citizens, I should know because I'm a paying member-- the Catalan language primary school network on the French side. We do that because they come and ask us. After all, for many French we are still the poor neighbours to the south although they start to complain about "how expensive" Spain is. I will not carry on because the linguistic situation in France is revolting for any civilised human being and I know more and more French people will agree with me on this issue.
For the rest, France has also many accomplishments like any other country in the world.

Dear Jordi,

Thank you for your explanation. By the way, the hotel was an example, and maybe not the best one, but it could happen anywhere in the street. As a matter of fact, when in Italy once, the only place I could find people speaking English was at a hotel. And in Hungary, perhaps the receptionists are the only people who are certain to be speaking languages at a hotel, maybe some maids also, but that is not typical. Actually, foreigners are quite badly off in Hungary when in sudden emergency: when somebody happens to have a health problem of some kind in the street, it may take a while when somebody is found who can speak to that person in trouble. So I wondered how it is in France. I guess they are a little better off with foreign languages than in my country - at any rate, all French people I have met have been able to speak good English. In Hungary, it is about one in five persons

Just a correction: one in five persons can speak ANY foreign language, whether English or another, at least in the countryside. It is a little better in bigger cities.

When I was in Hungary, I stayed in Siofok and I have to say that almost no one could speak English, including those at the hotel and post office, but many people spoke German. Situation was much better in Budapest, where I could find persons who spoke English as well.
When I was in Turkey (Istanbul), a lot of people were able to communicate in basic English, but they were far from fluent. (Of course, I didn't talk with regular people on the streets, only those at shops, restaurants, hotel etc.).
My sister spent 2 months in Norway and she says that almost 100% of Norwegians she met were quite fluent in English.
Here in Bosnia situation with foreign languages is very bad, but nowadays it's maybe getting better, especially with young people. Almost no one from my parents' generation can speak a foreign language unless it's his/her profession. From my generation many educated people from bigger towns are able to communicate in a foreign language to some extent, usually in English, but most of them can't really call themselves bilingual. (I also noticed that people who learnt French, German or Russian in school can't really use it now that well, whereas those who learnt English are much more fluent in it.) But the youngest generation seems to have a much better education when it comes to foreign languages. I was surprised when I saw a few 10-year-old kids at an Internet Cafe, they were all able to read and understand some English. So let's hope it gets better.

Dear Easterner,
In Spain, at least on the Mediterranean coast, the local central police stations have an "interpreter department" and the same happens in the local hospital in tourist areas, the same as banks. English is always a must in those departments. All cities and towns usually have a Tourist Office where people tend to be quite fluent in English, French and German and, in some cases, other languages. Always go to the local Toruist Office if you're in trouble. They even open on week-ends. Spain is more and more foreing-language oriented although you are expected to learn Spanish and even Catalan if you decide to live here.
In all those establishments, it is part of the requirements to have a knowledge of English and a basic knowledge of some other foreign language (usually French or German)
I would say the situation in Spain is similar in many ways to what you mention for Eastern Countries. The difference is our dictator Franco died in 1975 and you opened to the rest of the world in the late 80s and 90s. I would say less than 10% of people over 50 know a foreign language. Those who do speak foreing languages are usually Spanish people who migrated to other European countries during the Franco regime (French and German, basically). There are, of course, the happy educated few over that age who are usually more fluent in French than English. French was our international language of culture until the 1970s and it has now almost disappeared from school curriculums, except as a second optional choice. It has been replaced by English.
I would say most university graduates in Spain now have an intermediate level of English. You will, of course, find language specialists who speak several languages. It will depend on regions but since Spain is a major tourist destination it is easier to find people who know languages well along the coasts than inland. Another factor would be major cities, people in all major cities are more likely to have an intermediate level of English but they are still a minority, growing in younger generations. English helps a lot but it is false to assume you can have normal long conversations in English when travelling in non-English speaking European countries. Anyway, the Spanish are different to our neighbours to the north. We haven't been a world power for quite a few centuries now. If you speak English to a policeman he will try to practice his few sentences with you. If he can't manage even that he will try sign language and usually begin to shout and smile at you. People who speak foreign languages are perhaps assumed to be deaf and that would be the reason why they can't understand you. Since they are slightly retarded, they must be helped, of course ;-) I trust my Catalan sense of humour will get through.

As regards the linguistic situations and practices in Spain and France, I find that today's Spain is much more tolerant and accepting of its minorities than it used to be under Franco. France, on the other hand, obviously follows a revolting official policy of gallicizing its minorities and trumping their rights left, right and centre, while they find it appropriate to lecture other countries on human rights. And nobody even challenges this.

I have a good friend who lives in the Basque country, in Gipuzkoa. Most signs there are written in Basque (euskera) and Castilian (castellano). Many, many people are bilingual. In her cuadrilla (circle of friends), they usually alternate between the two languages. When somebody who only speaks one of the two languages is present, they speak only that language. So, when I'm around, they never use more than just a few Basque sentences here and there, while otherwise we all speak castellano.

Every now and then somebody will come along who actually speaks English and will want to practice it with me, and I'll oblige, so long as everybody else approves of this. Sadly, only three members of my friend's cuadrilla speak English at all, one of them being my friend herself. However, the English they speak is quite amazing.

Jordi said: >>People who speak foreign languages are perhaps assumed to be deaf and that would be the reason why they can't understand you. Since they are slightly retarded, they must be helped, of course ;-) I trust my Catalan sense of humour will get through.<<

Dear Jordi,

Yes, it has got through, at least for me. :-) Much the same here, actually in some places they may look at you as somebody from another planet if you are a foreigner, and you may as well feel like being "challenged" in some way or other, because hardly anybody understands you. I guess it must be a pain in the neck... In Hungary, natives who come from a bilingual family or at least come from a multi-ethnic town or village are generally better at foreign languages as well. However, the number of those who don't have any access to proper education in general, let alone foreign languages, is growing in an alarming number. This is because education in Hungary is becoming polarised, mainly because exceptionally talented pupils are picked out and encouraged to go to elite schools, while the rest have to thrive in an unmotivating atmosphere, being taught by unmotivated teachers. This is especially true for Gypsies, although they are the only ethnic group whose number is actually growing, but on the other hand they are becoming very marginalised, except for a small group who live in towns. That may even result in a collective outburst, similar to the one that occurred in Slovakia earlier this year.

Dear Trevis,


We all know what France is abble to do! French should speak english, that's the point ! English is an international language, why don't they want to speak english?

Jordi,


I have been in public school for many years and it was possible to learn occitan without any problem. You can learn regional language in many french public schools and it's because of the government, you don't especially need to go in private for that.

I am 33 years old and it was possible when i was 15 years old.

Yes, of course, about 1 hour per week and preferably Christmas Carols in the winter term and as an option.
How many Maths, Geography or Natural Sciences classes can you have in Occitan in the French public network?
Things are as they are but for most of the French it is difficult to understand that French historical languages can be used for other things apart from folklore and a look into the past. Except French, of course. It's all right if it's about the past but never if it's about the future because everybody in France is expected to speak French first even if these languages have been spoken on French soil for centuries.
We speak of the right people have to choose the historical language of a country, the language in which they want to be educated notwithstanding the fact they have to learn to speak French in France or international languages as well. That is what Occitan "calandretas", Catalan "Bressolas", Basque "ikastolas" or Breton "diwan" primary schools are all about in France and although those parents pay taxes to the French Government they get nothing in return as if they were schooling their children in some "elite" school. The fact is the parents have to pay for their children's education if they decide to follow programmes in their own "French" languages. Much more in the Internet should you want to find out about what really goes on in France regarding this subject.

That's true, it was 1 hour per a week and it was not an obligation, i have never been to these lessons.

I don't say it's not interesting to know the language my grand parents and parents used, but today i don't see the point about that. I think it's better all the french speak french.

I personnaly think it's better having only one language in France. If you want to learn some other languages like spanish, english, german... you can do it at school. About regional languages, i don't see why the government (me and my neighboors) have to pay for that. My knowledge of occitan is poor like most of the people. I think it's too late now for a change and i prefer people speaking all the same language, French in France.

I think it's our duty to learn English ( or another widley used language )

Dear Antimooners,
600 primary school children in the French Rousillon are now learning Catalan as their primary language. They finish their primary school speaking perfect French and Catalan, their native language. We, of course, remember how the French forbade Catalan -at a time when everybody what Catalan monlingual- when Roussillon passed to France in 1659 but we can't understand how that can still be going on. There are no border lines any longer and villages on both side of the border, speak the same language which isn't Spanish or French. I was in Subotica, in the Vojvodina, near Easterner, and I had the same feeling I was still in Hungary, from a cultural point of view.
Demand in Roussillon is over 2.000 families right now and growing, meaning that 1.400 children are left out of this possibility. We are speaking of 2.000 French families in a small region with 300.000 inhabitants. We, the Catalans on the other side of the border, will continue to subsidize them although these families pay taxes in France and not in Spain. If you don't do it, we'll do it. Isn't that what France would do for a small French-speaking community in some God forgotten island in the Pacific? And, of course, I never forget the other languages spoken in France...
There isn't much more to say apart that I'm glad French is no longer "the" international world language. As a matter of fact, French authorities expect French to be the Latin counterpart of English as a world language when Spanish is much more spoken. There's a word for that in French and it's "grandeur" or "greatness". If that isn't nationalism, of the worst kind, please tell me what is...
Et le reste c'est de la littérature...

everybody was
monolingual
dear Easterner
please tell me what it is

I should edit.

In china the chinese is offical language .we have 55 minorities except for Han.not all of them speak their minority language .but there have a lot of minorities language.for chinese we donot understant minority language.because it is to difficult to understand.
Nowdays lots of people begin to learn English to adapt the social
Now more and more multinational entry chinese market and the English is a international language,people must to learn English to get good job.But for most chinese it is difficult to learn English,for there are all chinese people arround us and we have no chance to speak English.Although I have studied english for more than 12 years,but I canot speak very fluency.We called it "mute english"