[legulere]

In the EU you usually have to learn two additional languages to your native language. It's not hard to find German, French or Spanish speakers outside their respective countries.

It's not like English is the only useful language.

[curtis]

> It's not like English is the only useful language.

True, but in most of the U.S. the number two language isn't all that useful. Also I should add it's not just a matter of utility, it's also a matter of opportunity. I mean sure, if you go looking for speakers of another language you can find them, but it's not ambient. I hear many different languages spoken here in Seattle, but almost all of these speakers speak English well.

Also I should add that I'm not arguing against bilingualism, I'm just saying there are practical reasons why it is not so common here in the U.S.

[seanmcdirmid]

Ya, and if you try speaking Chinese as a white guy in Seattle, it can get awkward really fast. It's like, what's the point of you speaking Chinese if we can all speak English!

[gumby]

Is that true? I know my son had to learn English and French in his urban German school, but my in laws out in the German countryside don't speak anything but German -- in fact there's hardly anyone in the village who understands anything other than German.

Even in tourist-soaked countries like France, good luck speaking anything but French out in the boondocks.

[dgut]

The EU? You mean NL, Germany, and Scandinavia, anything south for that and even English is rare. Though, even in those countries, any program to learn any other language than English is too lazy, besides people seeing little value and getting too little exposure to these languages.