Why do people who don't speak English go on vacations to countries whose language they don't know?

[Aeson]

You sure are a shrewd customer. Could see that when you walked in here. "Aeson" I told myself... "Aeson, that there is a shrewd customer, try not to lose your shorts on this one." You go the better of me on this one, but seeing as I couldn't change for centavos* anyways you can send it to my PayPal.

*Normally I have to give change in Mike Schmidt 1997 Fleer cards. (Don't ask... just do yourself a favor and never go card shopping on eBay while on a Jolt cola 3am bender)

[MikeH]

There's not much difference in terms of the theory between haggling and e-bay* is there?

*or offline auctions

[rah]

I think there is considerable difference. Haggling is one on one where the seller has more control. In an auction, all he can do is wait for the bidding to be done and take it.

[molly bloom]

In France, I was asked 2-3 times if I was German.

I believe (from my experience in Australia) that Dutch speakers have much the same kind of attitude towards Afrikaans speakers as the French have to Francophone Canadians.

It borders on condescension, with a frisson of bemused toleration and a soupcon of pity to garnish....

[C0ckney]

Try speaking your just learned words of Dutch in Amsterdam or The Hague or Leiden. I made a special effort to pronounce the address of the Dutch East India captain's house in Achtergracht correctly, only for the taxi driver to say 'right mate'.

They watch far too much B.B.C. . Only once was I addressed in Dutch, and that was by a German.

it's incredible how well people in some countries speak english. i remember when i was volunteering for the homeless world cup last year here in rio, we had teams from all over the world including sweden and finland. i got talking to them and was dumbstruck. these were guys who had been living on the streets and they spoke flawless english.

[Tupac Shakur]

Makes sense. American tourists are the most generous change givers.

[rah]

The big question is, in 20 or so years will they speak flawless Mandarin

[MikeH]

I think there is considerable difference. Haggling is one on one where the seller has more control. In an auction, all he can do is wait for the bidding to be done and take it.

You can set minimum and maximum 'buy now' price though.

[MikeH]

it's incredible how well people in some countries speak english. i remember when i was volunteering for the homeless world cup last year here in rio, we had teams from all over the world including sweden and finland. i got talking to them and was dumbstruck. these were guys who had been living on the streets and they spoke flawless english.

All kinds of people can end up on the streets for some reason, doesn't mean they were poor or poorly educated.

[Lorizael]

All kinds of people can end up on the streets for some reason, doesn't mean they were poor or poorly educated.

It means they were poorly educated on how not to end up on the street.

[rah]

Not for those that are there for reasons of mental health. And even some for economic reasons beyond their control.

[C0ckney]

All kinds of people can end up on the streets for some reason, doesn't mean they were poor or poorly educated.

while that's true, clearly you're more likely to end up on the street if you're poor and poorly educated. in my experience (i've done a decent amount of voluntary work with the homeless), it tends to be mental health and/or substance abuse issues which put people on the street. when it came to people's backgrounds, while everyone's story was different, they often featured some combination of poverty, abuse and neglect in childhood which led to a lack of educational achievement, mental health problems and hard drug use in adolescence or early adulthood.

[Lorizael]

Not for those that are there for reasons of mental health. And even some for economic reasons beyond their control.

I may have been joking.

[rah]

I wasn't sure, and I can usually tell with your posts.

[molly bloom]

it's incredible how well people in some countries speak english.

I remember in Chechaouen being asked by a little boy (in flawless Spanish) if I had a pen I could give him. When I said no hablo Espanol, soy Ingles', he then addressed me in perfect English. We had a little chat in French too.

He was 7 or 8, if I recall, and could hold a conversation in Arabic, Spanish, English and French. And he wasn't a street urchin or hustler either.