French vs Italian vs Spanish vs Portuguese vs Chinese

Well said, Guest.

<<Anyway, I was talking PRESENT days: people who CAN choose where to live. In this case immigration from US to Europe is far greater.>>

I think your wrong here however. Most americans don't even know Europe exists, let alone to make the courage to travel there. They would fear learning a new language, unless they go to Britain. But even if they have terrible life in America, they will still think its better than in Europe due to all of the propoganda that they are fed their whole formative years, everywhere you hear "land of the free", "the greatest nation on earth" blah blah, so why would they want to leave, because for them they don't know that its actually not free and not the greatest country on earth.

It's true what you say, Franco. I remember being taught that all other countries were inferior to America in elementary school and that we were very lucky to be in America in elementary school. I used to believe that, too.

You mean, that the United States was better than any other country on earth? including countries in America? ok... no wander u people have mental problems.

<<I cannot expect you can ever understand what is a culture richness.>>

Yes, I do actually understand cultural richness.

<<This “wasting money” is called culture preservation and it is typical in Europe. I know you want to create a coarse and flat globality, maybe with English as sole language just for convenience uh?>>

No, but I don't think all 22 languages in Europe need to have official status. Maybe stick with three or four of the most common. Personally I'd recommend English, French, and German, as these are the ones which already have special status as "working languages" of the EU.


<<Your materialistic mentality is without hope, in Europe languages with less than 50 speakers are preserved and everyone is proud and don’t think such a rubbish.>>

I commend you for that.

<<I know for your mentality spend money for culture, welfare and social acticities is a blasphemy.>>

No, in terms of social activities and culture, some spending is okay, but you guys spend far too much. As for welfare, simple economics show that in the long term, capitalism works far better for poor people than socialism and welfare.

<<Europe won’t ever have an “official” langauge because no country is the official one.
Please stop this “langauge issue” because it is an idiocy, CERTAINLY it is not one of the problems of Europe and nobody think about it there, it’s only your problem and it's the first time I've heard about it.>>

That's fine, you do things your way, and we'll do things our way. Don't tell us that we need to accept Spanish or any other language that will threaten our unity.

<<Secondly, explain me (since you are a good economist) a thing: I have to understand what job all the very skillful European translators (that’s to say people with an enormous professionality/education and a huge training everone is proud) have to do!>>

Find more productive lines of work, perhaps?

<<The European bureaucracy is heavy and bad, but it’s logical, Europe is a union of many different countries, how can you compare to US that are a single nation? Don’t you understand it’s a very different thing? The European union is already a miracle….>>

We agree on this point.

<<Finally it’s better you think of your “wasting money”: in your case is throwing bombs everywhere and almost being on the rocks to make wars. Great.>>

Yep, I agree, the money we spend on wars is pretty outrageous. People in the United States are sick of the Iraq war and that's why we threw the Republicans out of power in 2006. Unfortunately we're stuck with Bush until 2008, but after he's gone things should be better here.

<<But in what way you think????? By percentages and hit parades?
You HAVE TO live in countries to talk about them, the percentages say nothing. I’m not talking after read wikipedia, but for practical experience. I have been in US and in other countries. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN in EUROPE? If not, you can’t talk.>>

You're right, which is why I don't think you can pass judgment on the United States, if you haven't lived here. Personally I think things are pretty darn good here. Could it be better? Of course. But I'm not complaining too much.

<<Are you talking about quality life? Evidently you don’t know Scandinavian countries have the highest rate of suicides, Benelux and Switzerland has decent standards but they are big like an hankerchief, with very few other EU countries can offer.>>

Are you saying they are too small to be counted?

<<Yes, talking about poors (the LARGEST class in US)…>>

Poors are not the largest class in the United States. Where did you come up with that non-sense?

<<No, in Europe NOBODY die because have no money and nobody refuse medical treatments to people without insurance. That’s the difference.>>

That's simply not true.

<<HUH??? I have been in US and I have NEVER seen anyone having a vacation!! Unless you call holiday the week-end. Oh, I forgot: in US holidays are NOT paid.>>

Some holidays are paid, some are not.

<<Furthermore you are contraddcting yourself: you said you are hard workers bla bla and now you says you are PLENTY of holidays and vacations? Weren't Europeans the pussies?
Ohhh you are so tough!>>

Yes, we do work longer hours than Europeans, as we have 40-hour work weeks. And since our productivity is higher than just about every other country in the world, these extra few hours a week do result in tangible economic benefits. But we also do have vacation time. These two ideas are not imcompatible.

<<First: Obvious US have many immigrants from everywhere, it’s the land of the immigrants! What a discovery. In which way do you think US was populated?>>

You're repeating what I said.

<<They were all poors, oucasted with NO CHOICE, nobody left happily and voluntarily his own country to go to US and making a dreary life.>>

Thank you again for repeating what I said.

<<Second: US wanted people because you NEEDED them, you forgot this small detail.>>

This comment is ridiculous.

<<Anyway, I was talking PRESENT days: people who CAN choose where to live. In this case immigration from US to Europe is far greater.>>

Can you please back this up with some evidence? All you do is make statements without backing them up. My intuition tells me that you're completely wrong here. I'd love to see a report or some data that shows you know what you're talking about.

<<They would fear learning a new language, unless they go to Britain.>>

Why would it matter when such a large percentage of Europeans speak English as a second language?

<<But even if they have terrible life in America, they will still think its better than in Europe due to all of the propoganda that they are fed their whole formative years, everywhere you hear "land of the free", "the greatest nation on earth" blah blah, so why would they want to leave, because for them they don't know that its actually not free and not the greatest country on earth.>>

Here in the United States, we know things are great. Are we the greatest country on Earth? Perhaps, one can make the argument, as we are at or near the top in several very important categories. But if we want to find out for sure, at least we have access to information to make the decision on our own. As well, we are not fed propaganda about being free, because that's really how the country works.

<<It's true what you say, Franco. I remember being taught that all other countries were inferior to America in elementary school and that we were very lucky to be in America in elementary school. I used to believe that, too.>>

Do you really think people are going to believe that you're an American when you speak English like that? Get real!

<<You mean, that the United States was better than any other country on earth? including countries in America? ok... no wander u people have mental problems.>>

To us, there is only one America, and that is the United States. The rest is either North America, South America, or Central America in some cases. We know our geography.

What I see here is a lot of people who have a fundamental misunderstanding about the United States, probably fueled by their pre-conceived opinion about the country.

<<Do you really think people are going to believe that you're an American when you speak English like that? Get real!>>

Point out the mistakes in it.

<<Why would it matter when such a large percentage of Europeans speak English as a second language? >>

Would you want to live in a country you dont understand the language? They may BE ABLE to speak english, but they wont SPEAK it all the time. You wont have many friends. FOr many americans learning another language is seen as an impossibility, like something which could never be done. They even dont consider that it is even a option.

<<Point out the mistakes in it.>>

The second sentence is a very repetitive, run-on sentence.

<<Would you want to live in a country you dont understand the language? They may BE ABLE to speak english, but they wont SPEAK it all the time. You wont have many friends. FOr many americans learning another language is seen as an impossibility, like something which could never be done. They even dont consider that it is even a option.>>

First of all, I thought we were talking about visiting other countries? The point is that if Americans want to go to Europe, we can get around in most places using only English. Futhermore, you're sort of right on your second comment. Learning languages is not emphasized in this country, which I think is a shame.

<<The second sentence is a very repetitive, run-on sentence.>>

LOL! You're one of those idiots who doesn't understand the actual meaning of "run-on sentence". Look it up in a dictionary and come back. I assure you that the second sentence in that post was not a run-on sentence.

Ha ha , The American, do you really think all Americans have perfect grammar, so that if not they are foreigners. I think you are over-estimating your countrie's educatoin system.

Btw, we were talking about if more Europeans or Americans move to the other, and I was stating that the answer is that Americans do not leave america, because of the reasons I said, I did not mean to imply about travelling.

lets all be honest, and regardless of who may become the world´s next superpower, the united states is dominant culturally, linguistically, economically, and politically. sorry but the us is just better. and as far for the english language, it is the most important to know. twice as many people may speak chinese, but it is extremely centralized, and not to mention it sounds like the nasal barking of dogs. french is going to die, which is a shame because although its a very exclusive elitist language, its also very beautiful. italian will also die, which is terrible, terrible, terrible. english will remain the most widely spoken and useful language, sorry to dissapoint any anti-anglos outthere.

Dominant does not equal better. Stalin was dominat over Eastern Europe, but was it better such? Hitler was dominant over his territory, was he better?

It's the same, i would compare USA with Nazi Germany.

French won't die. The day French dies is the day that everyone in the world speaks English.

French is here to stay. Even oif the rest of the world speak English the French speakers in France, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, DOM-TOM, Francophone Africa will tenaciously adhere to their language and culture and not give in to the pressure to speak English.