Most Britons Know No Foreign Words

Briton - British people
in e.g Cambridge studies say that BRITONS are happier than the French or Germans.

Unsure - not sure or certain of something
in e.g I like him but I'm UNSURE if he likes me too

Bounjour - "Hello" in French

Local - pertains to a specific place, city or country
in e.g The Satonishiki cherry is a LOCAL symbol in Yamagata prefecture.

Expected - likely to happen, look forward to
in e.g I EXPECT you to pass this subject

Most Britons Know No Foreign Words

Around two-thirds of British people cannot say anything in a foreign language. This means they are among the world’s worst language learners. A report from Hotels.com showed that one-fifth of Britons were unsure of what ‘bonjour’ meant. Over 60 per cent could not guess what the Dutch word ‘goedemorgen’ meant, even though it sounds similar to ‘good morning’. One of the few phrases people in the report understood was 'Una cerveza por favor' – ‘One beer please’.

Britons have an image of being very bad at trying to speak the local language when they travel. The findings in this report seem to prove this. Only a third said they would try to say a few foreign words when they go abroad. Most of those questioned said they expected people to speak English when they went overseas. All British students have to study a foreign language up to the age of 14. However, only one in ten young people said they could speak one.


link: http://www.newsenglishlessons.com/1111/111119-foreign_words.html