A couple of years ago, I decided to study Spanish. This decision was the result of several factors, including my time spent studying abroad in Europe, my experience growing up and living in the US, and the fact that Spanish is the second most widely spoken language internationally.
Another factor was the fact that it frustrated me to no end that Americans have a reputation for being arrogant and closed-minded in that we expect everyone else to speak English to accommodate us.
And then I went on the World Race.
In Europe, many people speak multiple languages, due to the fact that they live so closely to nations where the official language is different from their own mother tongue. Can you imagine living in Tallahassee, speaking Floridian at home, and living just across the border from family and friends who grow up speaking Georgian? Of course you would learn Georgian. But in the US, the predominant language is English (although we have no official national language). As the population of hispanohablantes continues to grow, it is prudent for many Americans to learn Spanish, but the need is not nearly so critical as the need in Europe to learn secondary and tertiary languages.
Also, thanks to British Colonialism in the 18th century (“the sun never sets on the Union Jack”), English became a global language. English still is spoken by many former British colonies (including the US), which means that there are many nations around the world that speak English. In addition, because of the British expansion, English has been the lingua franca for the last 300 years. This means that speaking English becomes a valuable skill in nations where English is not the Mother Tongue, but which want to engage in international business.
English truly became ubiquitous as the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century and the Information Revolution of the late 20th century catalyzed globalization, created a true “Global Economy,” and enabled massive international corporations to dominate the marketplace.
So far this year, I have traveled to a dozen countries on four continents. In my experience, the folks who spoke English were those who had opportunity or need – those who lived in the cities and/or those who had the financial resources to get an education beyond a basic level. Outside of the cities and in impoverished areas, English became much less common.
What I’m getting at is that bilingualism is much more dependent upon circumstances and necessity than simply choice. Many Europeans speak multiple languages because it makes sense. Many people in the developed world speak English because it makes sense. Many Americans speak only English because it makes sense.
That doesn’t mean that there are not folks who choose to learn additional languages that are not logical necessarily, nor does it mean that folks shouldn’t learn a secondary language to expand their sphere of influence.
