Why no non-English music on English-speaking radio stations?

[kc0ltv]

Are most Anglophones incapable of enjoying music in other languages?

I ask this because I have yet to hear a radio station with English-language announcers (besides internet and college / public radio stations) play a song in any language other than English. In many countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, etc.) songs not only in English and native languages, but also Italian, Spanish, French, etc. can make even the charts, yet there seems to be some irrational fear of even trying any song in any other language than English on an English-language radio stations. This is especially disconcerting when there are so many good and radio-friendly songs in other languages, especially Spanish and Italian (I just heard "Non siamo soli" by Eros Ramazzotti and Ricky Martin on a Slovene radio station, which would be extremely A/C-friendly).

 

[davideduardo]

Are most Anglophones incapable of enjoying music in other languages?

I ask this because I have yet to hear a radio station with English-language announcers (besides internet and college / public radio stations) play a song in any language other than English. In many countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, etc.) songs not only in English and native languages, but also Italian, Spanish, French, etc. can make even the charts, yet there seems to be some irrational fear of even trying any song in any other language than English on an English-language radio stations. This is especially disconcerting when there are so many good and radio-friendly songs in other languages, especially Spanish and Italian (I just heard "Non siamo soli" by Eros Ramazzotti and Ricky Martin on a Slovene radio station, which would be extremely A/C-friendly).

Europeans are frequently, if not all, polyglots. The use and sound of many languages is familiar and interesting. In the US, foreign languages are rejected, people are judged inferior if they have accents, and there is a certain superiority felt in speaking English. Not that I think everyone is a xenophobe, but there is an element of isolation from the rest of the world and its cultures.

My first station was in Quito, Ecuador (a bilingual country, with nearly half the population speaking Quechua) and we were the first Top 40 in the country (actually, in the whole continent) and played the hits in Spanish, US top 40 hits, as well as the hits of France and Italy. We even sent a DJ every year to the San Remo song festival in Italy to report and bring back the winning songs!

There is, by the way, a Spanish version of the Ramazzotti / Martin song, too.

 

[kc0ltv]

Yup, I'm aware of "No estamos solos". I wonder if any Spanish A/C stations in the U.S. play it.

Anybody else?

 

[davideduardo]

Yup, I'm aware of "No estamos solos". I wonder if any Spanish A/C stations in the U.S. play it.

Anybody else?

These MediaBase monitored stations are playing it...

WKAQ-FM Puerto Rico
XHPX-FM El Paso
WIOA-FM Puerto Rico
WIAC-FM Puerto Rico
XAVO-FM McAllen
X091-FM *XM Radio
WPAT-FM New York
WMGE-FM Miami
WVJP-FM Puerto Rico
XHFG-FM San Diego
WRMA-FM Miami
WYUU-FM Tampa
KFZO-FM Dallas
S090-FM *SiriusSatellite
KEXA-FM Monterey-Salinas
XLTN-FM San Diego
WAMR-FM Miami
WXYX-FM Puerto Rico
KQQK-FM Houston
KBMG-FM Salt Lake City
WHOL-AM Allentown
WYQE-FM Puerto Rico
WNUE-FM Orlando
KRIO-FM San Antonio
KXXS-FM Austin
WKKB-FM Providence
WYMY-FM Raleigh
KWEI-FM Boise, ID
KLOL-FM Houston
WVIV-FM Chicago
KVIB-FM Phoenix
WPMZ-AM Providence
KJMN-FM Denver
KXTS-FM Santa Rosa, CA
WAZS-FM Charleston, SC
WFNO-AM New Orleans

 

[rickradio]

Are most Anglophones incapable of enjoying music in other languages?

First, what's an "Anglophone?" Maybe I need to get out more.

Hmmm, let's see...

"Lullaby Of Birdland"/Blue Stars
"Liechtensteiner Polka"/Will Glahe and His Orchestra
"Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)"/Domenico Modugno
"Torero"/Renato Carosone
"La Bamba"/Ritchie Valens AND Los Lobos
"Lazy Mary (Luna Mezzo Mare)"/Lou Monte
"Morgen"/Ivo Robic
"Sailor (Your Home Is The Sea)"/Lolita
"Jealous of You (Tango Della Gelosia)"/Connie Francis (flip side of "Everybody's Somebody's Fool")
"Dominique"/The Singing Nun
"Sukiyaki"/Kyu Sakamoto
"Guantanamera" and "Louie Louie"/Sandpipers
"Mais Que Nada"/Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
"Feliz Navidad"/Jose Feliciano (which you hear EVERY Christmas)
"Oye Como Va"/Santana
"Ma Belle Amie"/The Tee Set (sung partly in French)
"Corazon"/Carole King
"Eres Tu"/Mocedades
"99 Luftballons"/Nena
"Sadeness Part 1"/Enigma
"Macarena (bayside boys mix)" and "Macarena (non stop)" (the original Spanish version)/Los Del Rio

My short answer would be "no."

In the US, foreign languages are rejected, people are judged inferior if they have accents, and there is a certain superiority felt in speaking English. Not that I think everyone is a xenophobe, but there is an element of isolation from the rest of the world and its cultures.

Sez hoo, Mr. Ed?

Something tells me I'm not the only one who needs to get out more.

 

[davideduardo]

First, what's an "Anglophone?" Maybe I need to get out more.

Like a Francophone is a French speaker, and Anglophone is an English speaker.

[/quote]"Lullaby Of Birdland"/Blue Stars
"Liechtensteiner Polka"/Will Glahe and His Orchestra
"Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)"/Domenico Modugno
"Torero"/Renato Carosone
"La Bamba"/Ritchie Valens AND Los Lobos
"Lazy Mary (Luna Mezzo Mare)"/Lou Monte
"Morgen"/Ivo Robic
"Sailor (Your Home Is The Sea)"/Lolita
"Jealous of You (Tango Della Gelosia)"/Connie Francis (flip side of "Everybody's Somebody's Fool")
"Dominique"/The Singing Nun
"Sukiyaki"/Kyu Sakamoto
"Guantanamera" and "Louie Louie"/Sandpipers
"Mais Que Nada"/Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
"Feliz Navidad"/Jose Feliciano (which you hear EVERY Christmas)
"Oye Como Va"/Santana
"Ma Belle Amie"/The Tee Set (sung partly in French)
"Corazon"/Carole King
"Eres Tu"/Mocedades
"99 Luftballons"/Nena
"Sadeness Part 1"/Enigma
"Macarena (bayside boys mix)" and "Macarena (non stop)" (the original Spanish version)/Los Del Rio[/quote]

And that is about all the examples from the last 50 years! Stations in Europe and Asia and Latin America in pop/contemporary formats play more non-local language material in a couple of hours... and I think that is the basis of the original poster's question.

[/quote]"In the US, foreign languages are rejected, people are judged inferior if they have accents, and there is a certain superiority felt in speaking English. Not that I think everyone is a xenophobe, but there is an element of isolation from the rest of the world and its cultures. "

Sez hoo, Mr. Ed?

Something tells me I'm not the only one who needs to get out more.
[/quote]

I'm basing my observation on 48 years of working in radio in about 20 countries, including the US.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

In the US, foreign languages are rejected, people are judged inferior if they have accents, and there is a certain superiority felt in speaking English. Not that I think everyone is a xenophobe, but there is an element of isolation from the rest of the world and its cultures.

...I'm basing my observation on 48 years of working in radio in about 20 countries, including the US.

...Which would explain perfectly why America is called a "melting pot." Nothing but white people from England speaking English here!

Having grown up in a multicultural, multilingual family, I find your statement ("...foreign languages are rejected, people are judged inferior if they have accents," etc.) to be a sweeping generalization. One man's observations, or do you have studies to back it up?

Of course, I'm basing my observation on 49 years of everyday life in one country, the US.

 

[rickradio]

Thanks for the definition, David...I guess this Anglophone (and Spaniophone, Francophone, Hebrewphone, and Grecophone...still working on my Vietphone, Japophone, and Taiwophone...those Pacific rimmers are a bit more challenging) does need to get out more.

But, David, I've been reading your posts for quite a while now, and while I do have respect for you as a person and a radio exec, and know that your experience in radio goes back several decades in countries around the world and on 4 planets, including Earth, I think your assessment is rather unfair to Americans vis a vis those who have accents. Call me naive, but I don't think people with accents are judged as "inferior" at all in America (I haven't seen it), but as a matter of practicality, have you ever tried to communicate with someone whose accent is so thick you can't understand them? I'm sure you have...so have I. How can you conduct business or get anything done if you can't communicate with them? This is not to say that they're inferior people, though. It has nothing to do with them as people. Again, it's only a matter of practicality. Maybe the redneck contingent of this country looks at them as inferior, but THEY'RE not the example to be held up; I dare say they're rather in the minority. Do you live in California, David? You can't go to any type of governmental office without encountering signs in 47 different languages (give or take a dozen). DMV, EDD, pick your county, municipality, whatever.

With all due respect, I think you're a little off base here, Mr. Eduardo. Superiority in speaking English? Where do you get this? Personally, I have absolutely NO feelings of superiority whatsoever in speaking English. I speak English because I was born of English-speaking parents, taught English as a child at English-speaking schools by English-speaking teachers in an English-speaking country, for God's sake! And above, I mentioned the other languages I speak, which include Spanish, French, Greek and Hebrew. I happen to have a fascination with other languages, Mr. Eduardo. Would you rather we spoke German in America, Mr. Eduardo? Because we almost did...one vote meant the difference between us in America speaking that dreaded English or speaking Deutsch.

One of my mics and both my boards are Behringers. One of the boards' features is that they each have an Externes Netzeil fur keinerlei Brummeinstreuungen und exzellentes Impulsverhalten. There. Feel better?

But getting back to kc0ltv's question...of course Anglophones are capable of enjoying music in other languages, especially this one! Be it ever so humble, but in my opinion, it's silly, if not ridiculous, to even think, let alone suggest, that Anglophones are "incapable" of enjoying music in other languages. And I posted that list to show that this is nothing new. Good music is good music, no matter what the language.

 

[davideduardo]

...Which would explain perfectly why America is called a "melting pot." Nothing but white people from England speaking English here!

That changed when Gaelic speaking Irish came, and were treated as non-White. And the Germans were followed by the Italians, baptized as "Wops" (With Out Papers) well into the 20th Century... each group went through many difficulties for being different... of course none as severe as that of those who arrived speaking the Vernaculars of Africa. Many were burned while becoming part of the melting pot.

Having grown up in a multicultural, multilingual family, I find your statement ("...foreign languages are rejected, people are judged inferior if they have accents," etc.) to be a sweeping generalization. One man's observations, or do you have studies to back it up?

It´s a generalization based on the rule, not the excption. When I am sneered at... or worse, told I will not get a decent job... when speaking another langauge in the checkout of a supermarket... I form opinions. When my daughter, born in Puerto Rico, is asked for "papers" upon registering for school in LA and referred to as "you people" (as in "you people have to learn...") because she had a slight accent... I form opinions. I am used to places where most good schools are bilingual from Kinder to graduation.

Of course, I'm basing my observation on 49 years of everyday life in one country, the US.

My daughter just moved to Nevada from San Juan; on her first job interview she was asked "what kind of accent is that?" (it's actually a Caribbean / British accent, in fact) when she fluently speaks and writes 5 languages, while the person making the inquiry barely spoke correct English... some of this stuff makes me think that a large portion of the US population is xenophobic. That's the impression most of the rest of the world has, too... fomented by the improperly dressed Gringo tourist who thinks a non-English speaker will understand him better if he yells...

 

[davideduardo]

But, David, I've been reading your posts for quite a while now, and while I do have respect for you as a person and a radio exec, and know that your experience in radio goes back several decades in countries around the world and on 4 planets, including Earth, I think your assessment is rather unfair to Americans vis a vis those who have accents. Call me naive, but I don't think people with accents are judged as "inferior" at all in America (I haven't seen it), but as a matter of practicality, have you ever tried to communicate with someone whose accent is so thick you can't understand them?

This is the thing that The Ugly American was inspired by... the monolingual American who thinks, as I said in another post, that yelling in English will make them more understandable.

Yeah, I have travelled so much I am most used to dealing with barely intelligible speakers of other languages... especially when no lingua franca is found. It's just one of the trials and tribulations of dealing with a planet where a thousand or so languages are spoken.

I'm sure you have...so have I. How can you conduct business or get anything done if you can't communicate with them? This is not to say that they're inferior people, though. It has nothing to do with them as people. Again, it's only a matter of practicality. Maybe the redneck contingent of this country looks at them as inferior, but THEY'RE not the example to be held up; I dare say they're rather in the minority. Do you live in California, David? You can't go to any type of governmental office without encountering signs in 47 different languages (give or take a dozen). DMV, EDD, pick your county, municipality, whatever.

But there is always someone who can translate, it seems... and I just realize that the second generation will be bilingual. Unfortunately, many people only see the person who "makes no effort" (whether it is Hindi or Spanish or Russian they speak) without realizing many immigrants work two jobs or extra long workdays to make ends meet and have no time for classes. Of course, they ignore the fact that after pre-adolesence, the ability to learn a language well is severely limited.

Would you rather we spoke German in America, Mr. Eduardo? Because we almost did...one vote meant the difference between us in America speaking that dreaded English or speaking Deutsch.

There are various urban legend sites. This story is near the top on all of them.

But getting back to kc0ltv's question...of course Anglophones are capable of enjoying music in other languages, especially this one! Be it ever so humble, but in my opinion, it's silly, if not ridiculous, to even think, let alone suggest, that Anglophones are "incapable" of enjoying music in other languages. And I posted that list to show that this is nothing new. Good music is good music, no matter what the language.

There has been about one "hit" in a foreign language every 5 years in the US. When I ran a Top 40 in South America, we added at least 3 songs that were not in Spanish each week!

 

[marsneedsscoop]

There was a period in the late '90s/early '00s where the best non-Spanish speaking market in North America for Spanish-language pop was . . . Montreal! I remember Paulina Rubio's "Y Yo Sigo Aqui" and a number of others around the same time getting played on CKOI. Why, after all, would it have been any different than playing an English-language song for a (primarily) Francophone audience?

In New York, Z100 and the more-current version of WKTU were always good about picking up primarily Spanish songs, whether it was "Maria" by Ricky Martin a decade ago or "La Tortura" by Shakira more recently. And even with the Reggaeton boom having died down, there's often a Spanish-language Reggaeton song or two in recurrent. (Most recent was "Yo Voy" by Zion y Lennox.) Of course, the minute there's an English-language version (or, in the case of "La Tortura," a version with even a few lines of English), that usually goes in.

 

[davideduardo]

There was a period in the late '90s/early '00s where the best non-Spanish speaking market in North America for Spanish-language pop was . . . Montreal! I remember Paulina Rubio's "Y Yo Sigo Aqui" and a number of others around the same time getting played on CKOI. Why, after all, would it have been any different than playing an English-language song for a (primarily) Francophone audience?

When it was CHR and #1 in the 60's, CJMS would play an occasional non-French song, but they were all Italian... another romance language. I guess the idea is that listeners know where to go for English music, so they don't need to play it.

In New York, Z100 and the more-current version of WKTU were always good about picking up primarily Spanish songs, whether it was "Maria" by Ricky Martin a decade ago or "La Tortura" by Shakira more recently. And even with the Reggaeton boom having died down, there's often a Spanish-language Reggaeton song or two in recurrent. (Most recent was "Yo Voy" by Zion y Lennox.) Of course, the minute there's an English-language version (or, in the case of "La Tortura," a version with even a few lines of English), that usually goes in.
[/quote]

Of course, these are stations with a huge percentage of Hispanic cume... stations in Spain playing British and some US pop are not appealing to the "huge community of Brits" in Spain but to the natural liking of such music. No such liking for non-English music exists in the US except among the bilinguals who are mostly second generation immigrants.

There is a joke that never dies that illustrates this...

Q: What do you call a person who speaks three or more langiuages?
A. A polyglot

Q: What do you call a person who speaks two langauges well?
A: A bilingual.

Q: And what do you call someone who speaks only one langauge?
A: An American.

 

[LinoNYC]

How about someThai Pop?

Here are two major stars throught Asia:

First Thonchai McIntyre "Believe", I'd be interested hearing opinions on the AC potential of this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-upu9QRS3eg

Thongchai has been a major star in Asia for over 20 years and according to French relatives he has some fans in Europe too.

For an example of the harder stuff we have Seksan Sukpimay (Sek Loso) "Som Sahn"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHliQf9YteI

Sek is considerd the Asian "Hendrix". There are some visual innuendos here that while accepted in Thai culture might make some Americans uncomfortable, remember: it's radio.

I know that neither have a chance in hell on AMerican radio these days but I'am (barely) old enough to remember when there were hits sung in French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, South African dialect (Mariam Makeba) all of which made it into the top-ten of 1960's radio.

Lino

 

[kc0ltv]

How about someThai Pop?

Here are two major stars throught Asia:

First Thonchai McIntyre "Believe", I'd be interested hearing opinions on the AC potential of this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-upu9QRS3eg

Thongchai has been a major star in Asia for over 20 years and according to French relatives he has some fans in Europe too.

For an example of the harder stuff we have Seksan Sukpimay (Sek Loso) "Som Sahn"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHliQf9YteI

Sek is considerd the Asian "Hendrix". There are some visual innuendos here that while accepted in Thai culture might make some Americans uncomfortable, remember: it's radio.

I know that neither have a chance in hell on AMerican radio these days but I'am (barely) old enough to remember when there were hits sung in French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, South African dialect (Mariam Makeba) all of which made it into the top-ten of 1960's radio.

Lino

Well, if a song in Spanish, German, or French (one of which most high school students learn) can't make it on mainstream American radio, then I think the chance of a Thai song making it on A/C is pretty nil. But that's not a bad song. There are some songs in Italian ("I Bambini Fanno Oh" by Povia or "Semplicemente" by Zero Assoluto) that would sound great on an A/C station, but because music in "foreign" languages is rejected here, I doubt they'll ever be heard on U.S. radio.

 

[DJ Tony]

Just like back in the days, here in Miami, Power 96 would constantly, every 5 minutes, "Suavemente" by Elvis Crespo and the song "Eres Tu" by Mocedades you would hear it on Y-100. Just like Clasica 92.3 plays songs from The Beatles, Platters, etc..

 

[SirRoxalot]

Cultural Differences

Before we indict America for its lack of pluralism, perhaps we should look at a few facts:

The European countries are much smaller than the US. It would be like Texas speaking French, New England speaking English, the Midwest speaking German, the Southeast speaking Spanish, the Great Plains speaking Polish, the Northwest speaking Swedish-Norwegian-Danish, the Southwest speaking Italian, and a variety of Eastern European languages - as well as Turkish - in the Rocky Mountain states. BTW, those were picked at random. Please do not read into the choices of areas & languages.

Radio waves don't honor International borders, so it's very likely that Europeans will encounter multiple languages while tuning across their dial. Also, commerce, multiple wars and the advent of the European Union have made multi-lingualism a de facto requirement for educated people in Europe. Only those who don't leave their own back yard - or arrogant nationalists - don't have at least some facility in other, often related languages on the continent.

The truth is that most of America speaks English. It's possible to go almost anywhere in North America and get along quite well without knowing any other language. You might get overcharged in Quebec, but otherwise, you won't go hungry, be unable to find a bathroom, or be unable to communicate with the vast majority of people. That's the most likely reason that Americans are not more multi-lingual. For most Americans, their major exposure to other languages is in a school classroom - and we know how much most of us retain from hours of unused material learned in a school classroom. Just watch "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" to see how much YOU remember.

It's relatively rare for Americans who are not first-generation - or from an American protectorate like Puerto Rico - to not have English language skills. It's arguable that you will have a hard time doing business in America, or exercising your rights as an American citizen, if you can't speak at least passable English. In the European Union, you're expected to communicate in the language of your host. It's good manners, and good business, for a host to facilitate communication with guests who speak other languages by communicating in their language, or having someone handy who can. If you can do it yourself, you have a much better handle on the nuances of a business or personal relationship.

There are areas in America where other languages are prominent - and areas where other languages are broadcast on the radio. Radio serves all kinds of special interests, including non-English speaking residents. If you live in Quebec, or on its fringes, you likely have some facility in French. You also are likely have songs with French lyrics on the radio.

Most people can tune across the radio dial for the majority of the week and rarely encounter a language other than English. It's rare that you hear a song with lyrics in another language simply because relating to words that you don't understand is problematic, no matter how catchy the tune is. There are songs that transcend language. Two examples are "Love is Blue" by Paul Mauriat. Another is "The Macarena". Some work for the good of mankind. Some are evil. Not that I'm making a value judgement here...

 

[davideduardo]

Re: Cultural Differences

The European countries are much smaller than the US. It would be like Texas speaking French, New England speaking English, the Midwest speaking German, the Southeast speaking Spanish, the Great Plains speaking Polish, the Northwest speaking Swedish-Norwegian-Danish, the Southwest speaking Italian, and a variety of Eastern European languages - as well as Turkish - in the Rocky Mountain states. BTW, those were picked at random. Please do not read into the choices of areas & languages.

That does not explain where the opposite occurs in areas where one language is dominant.

Take South America. Most of the Population speaks Spanish, except Brazil which only borders in populated zones with Uruguay and Paraguay.

In the Spanish speaking nations, English music is widely heard on the radio. Going back a few decades, it was not just English but French and Italian, too. The same is and was true of Portuguese speaking Brazil.

The issue is not proximity, it is attitude to the rest of the world. In Latin America, anyone who can sends their children to private schools, and that includes most of the middle class, and some of the working class. Such schools generally have a bilingual curriculum very unlike the US language training where a foreign language is a separate unrelated class; in Latin America, as much as half the classes are taught in another langauge. Some schools teach a third and even fourth langauge as a class, too.

The school I went to was half in English and half in Spanish. Everyone graduated with a good... if not always fully bilingual... command of English as the system started in Grade 1. It was expected of professionals and business people to have at least one additional language (in a sign of the less politically correct times, we did not count our Kitchen Quichua as a separate language).

Americans have had a feeling of being self-sustaining and independent of the world. A common reaction to job loss or the closing of a plant is to suggest sealing our borders and divorcing the US from the planet, as economically unsound and impossible as that is. I think this attitude is reflected in the lack of interest and curiosity about music from other nations.

This is not about pluralism. It's about attitude. And the American attitude tends to be one of "we are better than anyone" and that closes the mind to the possibility of art, science and intelligence originating elsewhere.

 

[Radknowski]

some of this stuff makes me think that a large portion of the US population is xenophobic.

If you asked 10 people the definition of "xenophobic" or "xenophobe," 8 of them would look at you as if you were speaking a foreign language.

I'm sorry to say that many Americans are just plain clueless when it comes to the value of speaking a second language. Many Americans who can barely construct a simple declarative sentence in English, their native tongue, couldn't care less about learning Spanish, Italian or French, let alone Vietnamese, Chinese or Russian.

Many Americans are sadly functionally illiterate. Don't blame the schools and teachers. Blame the parents. Too many people are more interested in the latest Paris Hilton fiasco than the energy crisis or the war in Iraq or Afghanistan.

I'm no PhD in English (as proven by some of my posts) but I can at least discern a noun from a verb. It probably helps to have studied Latin (all five declensions of nouns, singular and plural, nominative, genative, dative, accusative, abblative and vocative cases... plus numerous verb conjugations... arghhhh!) and to have been whipped (in the most positive ways) by nuns. So why don't I speak more fluent Spanish and/or French... because like many Americans, I'm lazy.

Americans have been indoctrinated to believe that the world revolves around us. "Welcome to America, now speak English!"

Please do not misinterpret this statement. America, that is, the United States of America, is truly a great Republic. Far from perfect, yet in its heart-of-hearts, a nation of good people who sometimes just "don't get it."

As to English music on the radio? Think about those 326 well-tested hits the next time you tune in competing Anglo-AC stations in any top 100 market in the United States.

 

[davideduardo]

some of this stuff makes me think that a large portion of the US population is xenophobic.

If you asked 10 people the definition of "xenophobic" or "xenophobe," 8 of them would look at you as if you were speaking a foreign language.

I'm sorry to say that many Americans are just plain clueless when it comes to the value of speaking a second language. Many Americans who can barely construct a simple declarative sentence in English, their native tongue, couldn't care less about learning Spanish, Italian or French, let alone Vietnamese, Chinese or Russian.

Many Americans are sadly functionally illiterate. Don't blame the schools and teachers. Blame the parents. Too many people are more interested in the latest Paris Hilton fiasco than the energy crisis or the war in Iraq or Afghanistan.

I'm no PhD in English (as proven by some of my posts) but I can at least discern a noun from a verb. It probably helps to have studied Latin (all five declensions of nouns, singular and plural, nominative, genative, dative, accusative, abblative and vocative cases... plus numerous verb conjugations... arghhhh!) and to have been whipped (in the most positive ways) by nuns. So why don't I speak more fluent Spanish and/or French... because like many Americans, I'm lazy.

Americans have been indoctrinated to believe that the world revolves around us. "Welcome to America, now speak English!"

Please do not misinterpret this statement. America, that is, the United States of America, is truly a great Republic. Far from perfect, yet in its heart-of-hearts, a nation of good people who sometimes just "don't get it."

As to English music on the radio? Think about those 326 well-tested hits the next time you tune in competing Anglo-AC stations in any top 100 market in the United States.

That was very insightful. Thank you for a point of view that will likely be less than popular but worth saying, over and over.

I was also given 5 years of Latin, a bunch of French and ended up in Latin America. The Spanish helped me in my career, but being at least bilingual and borderline polyglot did one other thing that is often disregarded in listing the values of being something more than monolingual. The fact that languages reflect the underlying culture of the native speakers opens a door to the learner of any additional language. That door leads to an understanding that there is more than one way to see things. While it can certainly be said that each culture has certain different perspectives, the fact that other languages facilitate thinking differently is perhaps the greatest benefit of all in learning other tongues.

I am amazed at how rigid and linear the thought process of the monolingual person can be compared to the flexibility and agility of thought of the bilingual or polyglot. This is the "prize in the Cracker Jack box" of learning another language... it benefits you in all situations and throughout life.

 

[quadraphonic]

Let's not all buy into too many stereotypes here.
Don't across-the-board blame "The Ugly American" for the programming choices of America's programmers, either.
Yeah, "America" could learn some more languages and "be more flexible and agile in its thinking." We could all do a lot of things better.
But radio here and radio there and there and here and even from one part of here to another part of here, there are so many reasons why they are different, don't just blame "The Ugly American" boogey man.