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Subject:Re: Speaking English Elsewhere From:Beverly Parks <bparks -at- HUACHUCA-EMH1 -dot- ARMY -dot- MIL> Date:Fri, 10 Mar 1995 11:44:49 MST
Nancy Paisner <nancy -at- HI -dot- COM> wrote--
[snipped lots of good stuff]
(Maybe you're thinking of the French, not the Japanese. French people
in France are more than willing to speak in English if they know any,
but only *after* you've made your best effort to speak to them in
French. In Europe, politeness dictates that one use the language of the
host country, if one possibly can. Otherwise, whatever language
is common to the group is fine.)
======
I've never traveled outside the U.S. (except briefly as a
tourist to border towns in Mexico and Canada). What Nancy said
about the French interested me because several people I have
known that have lived in Germany said the same thing about the
Germans: that they will gladly speak to you in English, but only
after you've made your best effort to speak to them in German.
Is this maybe the case in most European countries?
Just curious.
=*= Beverly Parks =*= bparks -at- huachuca-emh1 -dot- army -dot- mil =*=
=*= "Unless otherwise stated, all comments are my own. =*=
=*= I am not representing my employer in any way." =*=
