Very True. Like most Indians, my wife and I are fluent in English, Hindi and our regional language (Manipuri). Our kids are raised outside our region, so we have adapted the 2-language tactic (1 Parent - 1 language). So, English is the default and our regional language as the optional for our kids.

Indian languages are also pretty similar by regions. I spent 10 years in Bombay which made my Hindi really good. This also meant that I kinda know and can understand quite a bit of Marathi and Gujarathi. As I'm fluent in Hindi, I can also understand most people in the north and center speaking Hindi-esque languages too.

We are in the south for the past 6+ years, and I can begin to understand Kannada for the most common words.

Here is a personal fun-fact. I'm from the northeast and we have the "Asian" look and not the typical Indian. Most of the times, I default/pretend to not knowing Hindi unless communicated to. Lots of fun when people talk around me; assuming I would not understand them. More fun - when I'm outside India and Indians talk shit, defamatory, derogatory, embarrassing, things about other people and about themselves in Hindi - I always pretend I don't understand them at all.

> So, English is the default and our regional language as the optional for our kids.

Why is that?

I believe it is more circumstantial rather than our intention. The region where we originated also contributes to it. English is the common language amongst the many dialects and languages there. When I was growing up, it was only at home and the neighbor that I got to speak our language. The school was the ultimate mix of languages and English was the only way. If you know the North-Eastern India, it will be a lot easier to comprehend.

Now to our kids' generation, most of whom are raised outside of the region. And thanks to the intermingling marriages, it is even worst. Just in our family, our kids' cousins are Americans, Marathis, Biharis, Khasis, Tankhuls, Nagas, et al. I'm still discovering more and list will sure increase. Not just communities, our extended family is an amalgamation of Athiest, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and what not.

Sometimes, during fateful summer vacations or a big family ceremony, when all the kids play come together, their common language is — you guessed it — English. They all talk a blend of many but English remains the de facto that everyone can communicate.

Interestingly enough, I speak a regional language well and English well. Of course my regional language is also English, which makes bilingualism hard for people like me!

Actually I'm not just being a smart-ass here, I do have a point. The major reason that so many Americans are monolingual is that learning a second language doesn't have much if any day-to-day utility, whereas in India a second or even a third language may have tremendous day-to-day utility.

The native-English-speaking world is doomed to never have the motivation for this bilingual stuff.

This isn't the case for the most part. It is easier to avoid learning a second language since so many people speak some english and doesn't make bilingualism such an important educational facet like it might in other regions.

But on the individual level, being an english speaker can make it harder. I'm living in Norway. I've had a couple years of immersive language classes. Most of the population speaks English, and many assume to simply use that when speaking to me. The accent and all. Some Norwegians don't see the point of an english speaker learning the language here. A fair amount of the popular music is in English, even Norwegian bands. Television? Childrens tv is dubbed, but a lot of adult television is English with subtitles. Advertisements? half and half. Telemarketers? Often english speaking.

Some books never get translated. Right now, I'm shopping around for a Norwegian copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide. Luckily it is available in Norwegian: Unluckily, it doesn't translate as well so it is a little different. And I'll probably have to order it. The local comic store, where I would normally buy sci-fi or fantasy, mostly sells English books.

Yet for all this, I'm highly motivated. It is really hard to be a part of normal society without Norwegian because this is what folks use in their everyday life. Not everyone here is strong in English, especially older folks. Some workplaces are in English, especially in the tech field, but many aren't. I'm not in the tech field, so learning it is. I'm getting there slowly :)

It's not jut "motivation", you don't really learn language in a classroom...maybe you an get some tips and acquire some words, but you only really learn language in using it to communicate with people. If you have no people to,communicate with, it's like learning Java but not having a computer to execute programs on.

In the EU you usually have to learn two additional languages to your native language. It's not hard to find German, French or Spanish speakers outside their respective countries.

It's not like English is the only useful language.

> It's not like English is the only useful language.

True, but in most of the U.S. the number two language isn't all that useful. Also I should add it's not just a matter of utility, it's also a matter of opportunity. I mean sure, if you go looking for speakers of another language you can find them, but it's not ambient. I hear many different languages spoken here in Seattle, but almost all of these speakers speak English well.

Also I should add that I'm not arguing against bilingualism, I'm just saying there are practical reasons why it is not so common here in the U.S.

Ya, and if you try speaking Chinese as a white guy in Seattle, it can get awkward really fast. It's like, what's the point of you speaking Chinese if we can all speak English!

Is that true? I know my son had to learn English and French in his urban German school, but my in laws out in the German countryside don't speak anything but German -- in fact there's hardly anyone in the village who understands anything other than German.

Even in tourist-soaked countries like France, good luck speaking anything but French out in the boondocks.

The EU? You mean NL, Germany, and Scandinavia, anything south for that and even English is rare. Though, even in those countries, any program to learn any other language than English is too lazy, besides people seeing little value and getting too little exposure to these languages.