Re: "Europeans and their languages" (2024)

On 2024-12-28 19:46:08 +0000, Christian Weisgerber said:

On 2024-12-28, Helmut Richter <hr.usenet@email.de> wrote:
 

https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2979

 I find the numbers hard to believe.

 Well, it's self-reported, so I guess you get the people who think
serving years of foreign language class punishment entitles them
to be classified as speaking that language, as well as the other
end with quasi-native speakers who self-deprecatingly say that
they're not very good at the language.

Exactly: self-reported estimates need to be treated with caution.
I don't think my daughter claims to be a German speaker, but on one occasion 25 years ago (when she was 16) she was able to carry on conversations in German with two German youngsters -- one older, one younger. We took her to a meeting in Hungary that was also attended by a German scientist, who brought his children. We assumed beforehand that they would communicate in English, but no: our daughter's German was better than their English, and they communicated in German.

--

Athel -- French and British, living in Marseilles for 37 years; mainly in England until 1987.