Stop me if you've heard this one before
What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual
What do you call someone who only speaks one language? American
That old joke highlights America's reputation for being largely monolingual. In comparison to places like, say, the entire European Union, where over half the people can speak at least two languages, the U.S. has got some linguistic catching up to do.
In particular, no U.S. presidents after Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) have been bilingual. Brought up in a wealthy home with an evolving door of governesses, FDR was the last U.S. president who was fluent in a language besides English — he spoke French and German. Read more...
More about Barack Obama, Features, Politics, Language, and Us World
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