Despite lauded language skills in the tourists areas of the Algarve, the Portuguese in fact have the lowest EC score for learning a foreign language in school.
The recently announced 2013 figures from Eurostat show that just 35% of ‘first cycle’ pupils learned a foreign language, the lowest percentage in the Community, but from this academic year it is mandatory for third year pupils to learn English.
Also starting this year, schools heads have been given an optional opportunity to teach English on entry. With the publication of a new law last year, English language teaching was made compulsory from the 3rd grade onwards with a minimum of two hours a week.
The Eurostat data show that Portugal has 35% of her ‘first cycle’ students, (defined as starting between five and seven years old and covering six years of education,) learning a foreign language against a European average of 81.7%.
Top linguists can be found in Cyprus, Luxembourg and Austria, where all students have learned at least one foreign language. In Italy, Croatia, Spain and France the percentage is 99% with English and German the most widely taught languages.
English was the language most studied by primary school students in the vast majority of European countries, except in Belgium where Dutch took precedence taught and in Luxembourg where German is taken.
Whatever the relative teaching programmes, the Portuguese are streets ahead of the British whose legendary lack of language skills are recognised world-wide.
Comments
That it would be a pig ignorant english speaking native who snubbed a foreigner for not making much sense in english and made no attempt to politely relate to them .... yet here the equivalent experience is the opposite. The norm with almost all Portuguese natives in Portugal.
The Portuguese effortlessly ignoring attempts by the english speaker to match their whirrs, clicks and grunts. For as long as it takes for the english speaker to give up and go. Then turning to his or her mates and saying "Resultado !".
Pink Mapping, pig ignorance or both ?
I have read and re-read these two sentences and of course think they make perfect sense, 'an interesting juxtaposition, a point well made, entertaining yet informative...' but then I would, wouldn't I?
Also, there is a difference between languages being taught and the relative skills of those receiving the teaching...
The British, with the notable exceptions of many skilled expats who have mastered Portuguese verbs - surely the HolyGrail of linguistic attainment - generally are useless at languages as "everyone else speaks English."
Compare the British to the average Dutchman or Finn who happily converses with fluency in three or more languages.
It skews every interaction here and is striking for the extent of the deviousness with which the Portuguese hide it from the British. Even notable from the Portuguese Ambassador's UK website that just refers to a 'diplomatic incident' that affected relations. No event, no date so intentionally left unknown to us.
Deviousness to be seen not just that so many actually speak or understand our language but will not; but that the sole intent in having us here is to separate us from our money. Legally or better still given the hopelessness of the Portuguese legal system, illegally. Then, of no more use - send us home. To make up for this alleged insult in the African Colonial period.
Whatever the relative teaching programmes, the Portuguese are streets ahead of the British whose legendary lack of language skills are recognised world-wide.
Well Ed, these two of your points seem not to fit together too well
used to be french but english rules mostly everywhere
A. Tri-lingual.
Q. What do you call someone who speaks 2 languages?
A. Bi-lingual.
Q. What do you call someone who speaks 1 language?
A. British.