From: me@yahoo.com   
      
   On 2024-12-28 19:46:08 +0000, Christian Weisgerber said:   
      
   > On 2024-12-28, Helmut Richter  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.   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)