Should German count as only one language?

[Tetro Kornbluth]

On the other hand, sometimes it seems a bit arrogant, as if I was one of those continental European idiots who go abroad without knowing English and expect everyone to know French/Italian/Russian etc.

There's always the classic British idiot abroad method as well: SPEAK ENG-LISH LOUD-LY AND SLOW-LY.

Ha, yes. I'd say though that one can often expect people to know English. I got pissed at the airport security in Brussels when they didn't (I know enough French to get by anyway but I found it unprofessional).

But if you're like, Italian, what do you expect?

Don't go to Spain then.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

On the other hand, sometimes it seems a bit arrogant, as if I was one of those continental European idiots who go abroad without knowing English and expect everyone to know French/Italian/Russian etc.

There's always the classic British idiot abroad method as well: SPEAK ENG-LISH LOUD-LY AND SLOW-LY.

Ha, yes. I'd say though that one can often expect people to know English. I got pissed at the airport security in Brussels when they didn't (I know enough French to get by anyway but I found it unprofessional).

But if you're like, Italian, what do you expect?

Don't go to Spain then.

I've been to Barcelona. Loved the Gaudi architecture. It fits my bourgeois taste.

lulz. My point is, don't expect English when travelling through airport security in Spain. I was lucky in that most of my "incidents" involving security took place after spending a year there.. but not all. Fun times.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_Not

A bit extreme as an example, as that's not even an issue of dialects. But even in England (and other English speaking areas) the idea that there is a correct form of English and that dialects were corruptions of something pure was a major part of the education system until quite recently. It's not uncommon to find people (usually over fifty) who switch their accents and grammar when talking to someone in a formal setting. And, obviously, it hasn't totally disappeared.

Wow. That's crazy. Didn't know about that. But I remember something vaguely similar from my high school French class about how the French government used to ban the Breton language in schools or something like that. The various American dialects are all pretty similar though. Nothing like in the UK and certainly not like in Germany. Maybe it's easier to hold the standard up as golden when everybody is so close to begin with.

Far from the worst - just off the top of my head:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francoist_Spain#Nationalism (Under the bit that says "Franco also used language policies". It's the reason why today in Catalonia practically everyone speaks Catalan (as the language of the house) but a lot of olds can't write it. The examples are infinite though, America is actually one of the better countries (historically).

[Tetro Kornbluth]

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Oh no, not this again...

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Of course, English is the lingua franca.

Essentially this (though there are some stubborn holdouts - like French in the Western Maghreb).

In Western Europe, at least, most people would have attained a certain level of command of English, yeah. English really is crucial to fully participate in popular culture and to further one's career.

Not in Spain... (well, the thing about career is true but it is still a relatively recent development. In Madrid it was very rare to meet someone over the age of 30 who spoke English well or even at all - and I include quite professional people in this list, like civil engineers).