Re: "Europeans and their languages" (2024)

On Fri, 27 Dec 2024, Christian Weisgerber wrote:

A news item make me look up the language skills in a particular
European country, which in turn led me to discover that there is a
whole new 2024 edition of the "Europeans and their languages"
Eurobarometer survey.
 
https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2979
 
  Abstract
  The Eurobarometer survey on Europeans and their languages provides
  information on citizens' language skills, use of languages and
  attitude to language learning within the European Union. It also
  allows us to see the evolution over time, as results are compared
  with the previous language survey conducted in 2012.

I find the numbers hard to believe. One in six people who live in Germany
speaks enough French to have a conversation in French? I think I have
only met the five others. One in nine Europeans has four languages at his
disposal for talking with other people? I have never met one of these.

--
Helmut Richter