Wich country has the best english speakers?

That last post was Canadian Adam.

I honestly believe that the British Government should seriously think of importing people from certain Contintental countries into England so that they can teach a very large percentage of English school kids how to speak their own language properly. Have you any idea how so many of them speak it? It's quite sad really when groups of Continental students come over to the UK on an exchange basis and you hear them speak a better standard of English than their British counterparts.

<<I honestly believe that the British Government should seriously think of importing people from certain Contintental countries into England so that they can teach a very large percentage of English school kids how to speak their own language properly. Have you any idea how so many of them speak it? It's quite sad really when groups of Continental students come over to the UK on an exchange basis and you hear them speak a better standard of English than their British counterparts>>

Don't you think you're exaggerating a little bit. I mean every country has it's share of dumb, illiterate drug addicts, don't you think? The United Kingdom has a lot higher literacy rate than some other developed countries, such as Spain, Portugal and Italy to name a few. Just check out the following link if you don't believe me:

http://www.undp.org/hdr2003/indicator/indic_2_1_1.html

Damian loves beating up on the UK. It's his pet hobby. Maybe he thinks every Briton should speak like Hugh Grant... oh wait, he hates RP as well. How about accepting the way natives choose to speak their dialect?

Hey guys , got news ! The flemings ( Belgians , not the Dutch ) are the best when it comes to math and languages ( including English of course) according to global research . I think you're glad to hear that, aren't you , Tiste ? :p lol

Yeah, I've read it too ! :p:p:p

>>Tiffany Monday, January 10, 2005, 23:32 GMT
A very good point Ved. <<

Thanks.


>>Sanja Tuesday, January 11, 2005, 18:04 GMT
from all around the world all the time and I always come to the same conclusion: Europeans have MUCH better general knowledge than Americans. <<

But do you mean "knowledge of the world" or "knowledge of Europe"?

An average American has no more need to know what the capital of Belgium is than you need to know the name of the capital of Nevada.

Do you know what I mean?

I would

I would say the the capital of Belgium has a little more world importance than the the capital of Nevada. That is like comparing Washington, D.C. to a Brazilian provincial capital like Olinda, it just doesn't make any sense.

The point is significance to the person, not to the world. Why would most Americans need to know the capital of Belgium?

Why would most Americans need to know the capital of Nevada? The more a person knows about the world around him or her the more they are likely to understand it, or at least show some tolerance for it.

People seem to find us Scandinavian very good at English, but I think the Icelanders are the best. Because in their language, they still have the THe and THink sounds that are essential to English, but lacking or forgotten in most other European languages. For example the French and German speak very bad English, because they say z in stead of th!

That's like asking why Belgians would need to know the capital of Estonia. The answer: to know the region around them where they live, like Nevada is to an American. Yes it is relative. Those who think Belgium is so important are Eurocentric. They don't know the world any better than the average person because they couldn't tell you many of the capitals of Asian or African nations.

Adam, I know the capital of both Belgium and Nevada. I like knowing this. But I cannot explain to anyone else why they should know it other than to better their geography skills. But this is not the real point. The real point id Ved's point - people learn a very narrow amount depending on where they are from.

In my American High School, you can bet a lot of history was focused on the history of America. World History consisted of learning about Sumeria, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome etc. The point was that it really covered nothing. But my American History class was indepth. I learned about the beginnings of America, the Native Americans (various tribes), the Pilgrams, Thanksgiving, The Boston Tea Party, Slavery - and I'm just naming a few topics here! I did also take European History, but it was an elective.

Europeans know more about Europe and then whichever country they are from than Americans. Americans on the other hand know more about America. This does not say that Europeans (or Americans!) have better general knowledge. This says they each have better general knowledge of where they are FROM. On the same note, you, being from Canada, know more about Canada than either an American or a European.

Why should an American know more about Carson City than Brussels? Brussels affects them way more than Carson City, whether they know it or not. I think people should be knowledgable enough to be able to know that Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkino Faso (for example).