Rather than saying "those from other countries" we say "foreigner". Shortcut shorthand right? One word not 4. Do you find it offensive?

I am offended by nationalism populism racism FASCISM. You can be a national if you wish. I AM AN ARMENIAN AMERICAN UNITED STATES CITIZEN.

It is the term the news uses.

Have you traveled to countries whose language you do not speak? I suppose everywhere you go some folks speak English. Thank you for your reply Durdle and Happy Saturday to thee and thine! :)

Yes - those two!

Well, I dredged up a smattering of basic tourist phrase-book French remembered from school (where I never thought I'd ever visit the country). We were in quite rural areas where probably fewer people speak English, as most of the other tourists were themselves French.

Norway was a bit easier as most we met had at least some English, but one of our group had learnt a lot of their language so acted as interpreter and diplomat. They did appreciate it though when any of us managed a few of their words, in shops or cafes.

We did have an interesting discussiomn once with a group of locals, on learning each other's language. These Norwegians all had at least some English, and one or two were quite fluent. They asked why hardly any Britons do not know Scandinavian languages, and we had to explain that British schools normally teach only French, possibly also German or Italian in some cases.

It also became clear that our educational experiences differed in that the Norwegians learnt English as a living language by which people live their daily lives. Well, so is French but for us, it seemed taught much more as a purely academic exercise ending with an examination.

It did seem slightly odd though, one evening watching a televised James Bond film with sub-titles in the lounge of a camp-site in a small Norwegian town. Even odder and unexpected was seeing a sub-titled episode of Brookside, an English soap-opera set in a school, on the TV in a cafeteria over there!

In general most Americans are DISDAINFUL and have CONTEMPT for any language other than "american". They are pompous and patronizing and condescending but never embarrassed that people from other countries REGULARLY LEARN "foreign" languages as part of their education.

THE UGLY AMERICAN is alive and well and growing fatter and uglier and more complacent. Dull incurious and self-satisfied they roam the world as if they are the superior ones wherever they go. It is very embarrassing but well what can ya do? That's what they are and have no wish to be anything more. Ignorant complacent certain. Sheesh. Embarrassing doesn't begin to touch it. I think most Europeans speak multiple languages and don't really think they are "hot stuff" for doing so. I do.

I suppose many Americans do not bother to learn foreign languages because they do not leave the USA. I heard one statistic that about a third of Americans do not have a passport. (My own expired about three years ago because I thought I would never go abroad again.)

Ironically when many foreigners learn English it is the American version and generic American accents they adopt even when they live in countries that officially hate the USA!

Listen to some Governmental spokesman from one of those countries on the radio, and you could be forgiven for thinking them from New York or somewhere.

An English teacher of the language, living and working in Sweden, told me a lot of that is due to them seeing subtitled American films and TV shows. If you buy something made in Japan, China or Taiwan its instructions etc. usually use US spellings.