Why are white americans less conversant in second and third languages ?

Question

than almost any other nation and are vulnerable to language barriers and being taken advantage of in business and political dealings

Answer 1

Why did you confine this question to white Americans?

Are blacks any more likely to be bi-lingual?

Just asking.

Americans don't need other languages the way some others do.

English is the predominant international language today - and it's ours.

You can't swing a cat in Europe without being in another country where they speak another language so it's easy to pick one up.

We border Canada which is largely English-speaking.

Few Americans ever visit Mexico.

We are otherwise separated by oceans from speakers of other languages.

Only about 15% of Americans hold passports and most use them for business travel or to visit relatives in the "old country." The majority of Americans don't travel internationally which is the same as it is for other countries.

I grew up speaking French because my family is French however outside of my family it was a pretty useless language in the US.

Why would I need it?

I also speak Spanish. My kids and many of my friends do too.

This isn't a difficult thing.  We need Spanish. We learned it.

Big deal.

Americans cope.

We are much better at it than most countries.

If you don't think so, you haven't been around much.

Answer 2

Because fewer of them are compelled culturally to learn second and third languages.  I am not one of them, and it's because I was raised in Europe.

I have LONG laughed at my fellow Americans who mock people who speak with a foreign accent in their English.  I often ask them, So, is your Spanish better than his English?  Let's hear it!

They always give me a dirty look.  LMAO...

Answer 3

Americans are less likely to speak another language because they don't NEED to speak another language by in large.  

Europeans often speak a second language because they learn the country's language AND English.  Also, its common for them to speak the language of a neighboring country.

You find this in Asia and Africa as well.

Answer 4

You provide no proof.  What are we supposed to do take you at your word?  By the way, just as anectodal evidence I'm a white American and I speak two languages fluently, English and German.    

Answer 5

funny question .. sounds ambiguously racist and your "facts" are flawed ....

Answer 6

It's just that in America people don't like learning languages generally because we don't NEED to learn it.  

I only know Chinese because I am half asian and my mother taught it to me.  Otherwise, I have no use for another language.  

A lot of people don't care to learn another language because of this.  

Answer 7

You spout false info, USA has the higest population of bilingual and tri- lingual speaking people in the world because we are the most traveled people in the world. Your whole post is a lie.  

Answer 8

Because we used to be a nation that had pride in English as it's official language and up until a very short time ago, we didn't "need" to know Spanish as a second language... not to mention, there is now this huge emphasis placed on how chic it is to be bilingual...

Sorry, I'm just a ignant white girl and only speak English... I'm the American who would embarass Barack when I go to France and would only know how to say, "mayor-cee bo-koo". Ironically, not once did he speak the language of the nation he was in, but I'm sure there's an excuse for that.

Answer 9

Proof? That'd be a BUENO place to start...

...Why does every Mexican name have a "Garcia" in it?

Answer 10

actually we are faced with less barriers since many foreign nations require its people to learn english as a second language

Answer 11

I took 7 years of Spanish....semi fluent....28 years old....YOUR POINT?

Quebarbaridad.................

I got hired for my job to speak Spanish/Mexican (it's different)....I talk to a non speaking English person maybe once per year.  Ellos compran nada..............

Answer 12

Because we only have two neighboring countries.

A dense question requires an equally dense answer.  

Answer 13

Because English is the language of business. Do you think we don't know that foreigners would s***w us at every chance? It is their way of treating everyone. If you are a fool at business, you will everybodys fool.

Answer 14

My sense is that it is true that Americans (not sure about the white part) tend to be monolingual.  I think that is just because there is little need for the average guy to know anything except English.  I worked in international business for many years, and felt no disadvantage that I did not speak the languages.  The companies I worked for had resident sales people in every country I worked in.  You wouldn't survive in international business any other way.  But I also admired Europeans who spoke many languages, at least a little.  I remember a Swiss professor friend of mine who I visited there.  He met me at the door to his building, and I heard him speak to people in French, German, Dutch, and Italian before we got back to his office, where he conversed easily with me in English.  

So I don't think there is anything to your question other than necessity, or rather lack of it.

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My vote for best answer goes to "Due 11/29 with number 4".  That phonetic spelling is a hoot.