Depends, of course, but if you could only use 1 language before setting off on an around the world trip, would it be English, or another language?

Even though I’m bilingual since 6 yrs old, I did learn spanish in my very late 20′s so it’s possible for everyone to learn enough to get your thoughts across and look that you took the time to learn that language.

BUT the reason why Swedes, Netherlands ( & perhaps Turkey and other countries) are more motivated ( and have motivated parents that want the kids to be at least bilingual) is because they have native tongues that are not dominant languages today.

A person in the UK/US can do more with their one language. A person in Spain, or Mexico or South America can do international business and go far without ever learning another language. I imagine this is true for Mandarin speakers and others, but no less about them.

A person in France or Portugal can also do international business without learning a second language. It is just as easy to go from German to English, but one finds MUCH less who do it in Germany than Scandinavia or Netherlands. I don’t think it is the schooling as much as the motivation and size of the countries.

So need and motivation plays a huge role from what I have observed. Scandinavians see that English is a great advantage to them, but they are still much more comfortable in their native tongue and they usually will not talk in English unless they have to.( Typical of all people….we are most comfortable in our most used language).

Most Dutch, speak English well, but are always so happy to speak in Dutch. We have Dutch plates on our RV so we see this constantly as they always come up to us speaking Dutch. Often times, they speak several languages well, partially by the location of their country.

My Swedish friend bought all the Harry Potter books in English because she could not wait until they were translated and she speaks English well. BUT, she also bought them in Swedish as soon as they were translated and enjoyed them more that way.

If one has a native tongue that is not a dominant language, one is much more motivated to really learn a language in depth because it often brings more success and opens more doors.

As you can see, I could talk about languages for ever. Now back to packing for our 7 months of traveling!

And thank you for adding and making for an enlightening conversation about language!

It also depends on how the language is taught (i.e. the teaching methods) and of course the student.

I completely agree. I am curious to see how English permeates (or doesn’t) further into different societies over the next few decades. English may not remain dominant, but it has the huge advantage of being the language of business and the Internet.

And you’re right that you must speak a language to effectively learn and retain it. I’m finding it difficult to keep up with my French, but am confident that I’d pick it up and get the flow of speaking if immersed in it again.

That’s why I find immersion classes, Pimsleur, and Rosetta Stone so effective. They force you to speak the language and not just memorize words. Learning the culture helps you to learn the language and learning the language helps you to understand the culture.

But I do think that if you were an alien and could only learn one language before your visit to Earth, it would have to be English. That’s what makes it universal. Although, as I’ve mentioned, languages are integral to the cultures they are used by and change based on them and visa-versa.