Altered Maps ΙΓ: To make a map larger than what it maps.

[Tee Kay]

So only 5 people in Darwin use Facebook?

Sounds about right.

 

[madviking]

 

[Civ'ed]

Cape to Cairo so close...

 

[Kyriakos]

What about railways?

 

[gay_Aleks]

Where we're going, we don't need any roadsrailways.

 

[cybrxkhan]

I saw that one before somewhere, it's pretty interesting.

I do find it humorous in a depressing way how parts of these highways are unpaved.


Edit: Here's a map.

 

[JohannaK]

Yay, Hungary is still behind us! The map is missing Croatia anyway.

So I guess I am part of that miserable 22%.

 

[warpus]

You'd think that England is at 99.9999% or 100%, not just ">95%"

 

[Borachio]

You'd think that England is at 99.9999% or 100%, not just ">95%"

You might think so. But there's just too many people who can't speak English. Mainly those from a culture that doesn't encourage, specifically, women to interact with the wider population on an everyday basis. I often see women in hospitals with a small child in tow who acts as interpreter.

There has been a move to make English a requirement for entry, but I don't think it's got anywhere.

Oh, and I met an elderly Chinese man (another people notorious for keeping to themselves) who very haltingly, and with great difficulty, explained to me he'd been living in England for the last 30 years. Ever since the epoch of the Vietnamese boat people. (He'd been living in Vietnam in the 70s.)

I thought to myself, "What you, my friend, haven't been doing for the last 30 years is learning how to speak English".

But let's be fair, learning a foreign language as an adult isn't easy. It takes time and commitment. Neither of which not everyone has.

 

[warpus]

It isn't easy, but there are ways to encourage people to try anyway. If they don't need to know the language to get by, then they will never learn it.

It's going to be funny when the Netherlands are at 95% and England drops to 90%.. when/if

 

[Kyriakos]

The 95% in the UK likely is not really an effect from England itself (i don't mean Cornwall or south London or other borderlands).

 

[Borachio]

It isn't easy, but there are ways to encourage people to try anyway. If they don't need to know the language to get by, then they will never learn it.

Loads of official stuff gets printed in hundreds (I exaggerate a bit) of different languages.

I suppose the reasoning is: it's better that people get the information rather than obliging them to learn a new language.

 

[Civ'ed]

It's going to be funny when the Netherlands are at 95% and England drops to 90%.. when/if

The older generation is holding dutch dominance over englishmen at bay!

 

[SeekTruthFromFacts]

You'd think that England is at 99.9999% or 100%, not just ">95%"

When I lived in Manchester, the primary school next door had all major notices in Arabic, English, Somali, and Urdu. Quite right too. If the kids can't find the classroom, things will never change.

 

[Arakhor]

Given the National Curriculum, it's virtually impossible to grow up in this country being unable to speak English. That percentage can only increase.

 

[SeekTruthFromFacts]

Given the National Curriculum, it's virtually impossible to grow up in this country being unable to speak English. That percentage can only increase.

But a large chunk of the UK's population did not grow up in the UK. 1 out of 4 Londoners was born elsewhere, for example.

 

[Takhisis]

Define 'elsewhere'.

 

[Arakhor]

But a large chunk of the UK's population did not grow up in the UK. 1 out of 4 Londoners was born elsewhere, for example.

How many of those people are incapable of speaking English? I'd wager less than 1 in 20.

 

[Borachio]

Hang on. Just a minute. I've just thought. At least 2% of the population can't speak at all. Being either under the age of speaking, or otherwise physically incapable. There's quite a number of aphasics with Alzheimer's, for instance. Also very drunk people.

 

[Takhisis]

We can count on 2% of the population of the UK being drunk at any one time?