Will English supplant Dutch and German in a few generations?
In a way they are related, is it why people from those countries pick it up so easily?
Like kids growing up in metropolitan areas immersed in English only environments
In a way they are related, is it why people from those countries pick it up so easily?
Like kids growing up in metropolitan areas immersed in English only environments
There is also an effect which people from other countries have described which makes it harder for foreigners to learn the local language. If you approach almost anyone in the Netherlands and speak to them in semi-competent Dutch, they will often respond in fluent and nearly accentless English. This includes older people, people with only high-school education, people in official positions. So not only do you not need to learn, you are discouraged from practicing by the local population's competence and hospitality.
I've not spent enough time in the Netherlands to speak to Dutch's future, but a big difference I can see is television and movies, even on streaming services: popular US shows are dubbed into German and it takes a bit of doing to get some of them with the original English soundtracks; Dutch has long been a target for subbing.