Chinese (and other) pilots unable to speak English pose danger for air travel (CNN)

Robert M. Gary wrote:

Actually in my travels around the world on business I've never found a
country where I couldn't find an English speaker. All you need to do
is find someone under the age of 15. I would guess that 75% of the
world's population under the age of 15 speaks some English (especially
in Asia ,South America, and Europe).

In parts of the US, you wouldn't be able to find 75 percent of the
population under 15 speaking English. If you believe that 75 percent of
the world's population under 15 speak English, you haven't traveled
enough.

NotABushSupporter writes:

In parts of the US, you wouldn't be able to find 75 percent of the
population under 15 speaking English.

Many countries understand the utility of English better than the United States
does.

If you believe that 75 percent of the world's population under 15
speak English, you haven't traveled enough.

I'll agree that this is quite an exaggeration. Most of the world's population
does not speak English. However, English is more widely spoken than any other
language.

"NotABushSupporter" wrote in message
. ..
Robert M. Gary wrote:

Actually in my travels around the world on business I've never found a
country where I couldn't find an English speaker. All you need to do
is find someone under the age of 15. I would guess that 75% of the
world's population under the age of 15 speaks some English (especially
in Asia ,South America, and Europe).

In parts of the US, you wouldn't be able to find 75 percent of the
population under 15 speaking English. If you believe that 75 percent of
the world's population under 15 speak English, you haven't traveled
enough.

While our definitions of "English" mat vary, otherwise your statement is
hogwash. Even here in Central Texas, with more than our share of
"illegals", and a 25% Hispanic population, there are very few illegals under
15. In Laredo, with a 97% Hispanic population, kids are "workably"
bilingual, and in San Antonio, 60% Hispanic, the choice of language varies
with the location and nature of the conversation. One of the great cultural
crises of the moment involves complaints by older Mexican Americans that too
few of their kids/grandkids speak Spanish (or speak it well). The same kids
I hear almost daily conversing in "Spanglish" are usually quite able to
speak English (although often one might question their literacy levels.

Perhaps they simply don't want to speak English to/with you......

About the only non-English speakers I encounter are very elderly or recently
arrived illegals, many of whom cling to the "No spik Ingles" defense long
after being able to understand the language (or the marketplace versions,
"Spanglish" and "Post Hole Spanish").

TMO

On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 11:13:48 -0500, "TMOliver"
wrote:

Perhaps they simply don't want to speak English to/with you......

There's a lot of that going on. I was stationed in France when I was
in the army, and it was my impression that most Parisians preferred to
oblige the foreigner to speak French even if they were fluent in it.

In Saigon some years ago I fell into conversation with Andre Le Bon, a
one-legged war correspondent. (He left the other leg at Dienbienphu.)
We had these excruciating (for me and I suspect for him) talks about
military strategy on the part of the French and on the part of the
Americans. If I couldn't think of the French phrase, I'd said it in
English: "Regimental Combat Team" and Andre would supply "Groupe
Mobile" and we would rattle on till the next crisis. Clearly his
English was far better than my French, but we never spoke English.

After I graduated from college, I chased a girl to Montreal and hung
around there for a week. If I asked a question in French, the other
person invariably answered in English. But some years later I went
back and I found the situation had reversed: if I asked a question in
English, the other person invariably answered in French. (I.e.,
Montrealers had become Parisians.)



Blue skies! -- Dan Ford

Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941-1942
forthcoming from HarperCollins www.flyingtigersbook.com

"Craig Welch" wrote

My experience of that it that it depends on the Parisian's perception of
where the English speaker is from. Often I have been met with a lack of
comprehension of my English until it dawned that I was a native of
neither the UK or the US.

Yet these are the two primary nations that saved them from all speaking German.

Sad.
--
Jim in NC

Morgans writes:

Yet these are the two primary nations that saved them from all speaking German.

And they are the nation that prevented the United States from remaining a
group of British colonies.

"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...
Morgans writes:

Yet these are the two primary nations that saved them from all speaking
German.

And they are the nation that prevented the United States from remaining a
group of British colonies.


So!
--

JohnT

Craig Welch writes:

My experience of that it that it depends on the Parisian's perception of
where the English speaker is from.

Much has changed in the forty years since the U.S. military was last present
in France in any significant number.