Reply #19: I have less of a problem with it in England than I would in the U.S.

[Xithras]

The U.S. is a nation of immigrants, where nobody really has the right to declare one language "superior" to any other. At one point, there were more German speakers in this country than English speakers. At another point, the French speakers matched the number of English speakers. That's how immigrant countries work. There is no "native" language.

Things are a little different in European countries IMHO. In England, English is the native language. In France, French is the native language. Those are the languages of the indigenous peoples of those nations. People who move to those countries really SHOULD learn the native language. To not do so would be like me moving to Mexico, refusing to learn Spanish, and insisting that they communicate with me in English. It's rude. It's also something that happens every day, which is where the traveller term "Ugly American" came from.

If I were to retire to Mexico, you can be certain that I'd work on my Spanish first.