07/11/2017
MY QUORA ANSWER – FOR THE LANGUAGE BUFF …
Q. Are there people in France who speak zero English?
A. I have not been to France but to two French territories here in the Pacific - New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna.
If you think everybody there speaks English, you will be shocked - they speak their local dialects and French, the language of education and commerce. Very few people know English and even less would feel comfortable to use it to converse with an anglophone. They would prefer someone else who is more confident in using it to converse with a non-francophone.
See it another way, by asking the question: Are there people in England who speak zero French?
Let us not assume that our language of education and commerce is universally known. The fact is it is not. In Latin America you will have to speak a bit of Spanish to move around with ease. Failure to do so would mean “getting lost”.
The assumption that English is spoken everywhere and by almost everybody is a fallacy. I used to think so until I took French seriously and visited French territories and learned the truth. Knowledge of French opens up the world for you there. Failure to use it would mean your stay in those places/territories could be an embarrassing and frustrating experience. The beaches and parks would be awesome to visit but you will still be lost and lonely!
Let us be careful in that regard.
