Re: The Truth is out about the Irish, Welsh, Scotch, Mamx, Cornish, and Bretons

Whilst perusing Usenet on Fri, 2 Mar 2007 13:02:35 -0000, I read these
words from "Westprog" <westprog@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> :
>"allan connochie" <allan@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>news:45e52e34@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>...
>> > On a pro rate population basis, I'll wager that more
>> > Spaniards, Italians, ****tuguese, Greeks and Poles
>> > have attempted to learn to speak a second language
>> > compared to the English !
>
>Why say English here? Why not say British?

Because I meant *nglish !
>
>I noticed the same thing a while
>back when there was criticism of "English" cooking,
>as if Welsh, Scottish or Irish

They all have a first/second languge to start with.
Many of them speak 'Gaelic' (of whatever flavour)
and *nglish. That gives them a head start !

Perhaps because of that influence on the culture,
there isn't the same reticence to attempt to converse
in another language.

Shouting LOUDER rarely helps !
(even, as I have witnessed, in Auchan in Calais) 
>
>If you speak the default language for world commerce,
>you're less likely to learn another language.
>How many Germans learn a second language that
>_isn't_ English?

Not the question in hand, is it ?

How many 'Europeans' learn a second language . . . ?
vis
How many *nglish learn a second language . . . ?

BTW I am not even speaking of achieving *fluency* in
another language, just making the attempt to master the
simple  phrases needed on a day to day basis.

Excuse me
Thank you
How much is this ?
I don't speak <. . .> very well 
Can you help me ?
Numbers 1 - 10 (for the beers)
Ich bin nicht *nglisch, ich bin Schottisch
Je ne suis pas *nglais, je suis Ecossais
No soy *nglés, yo soy Escocés

-- jjj