Most common languages on the camino

[Stellere]

Which languages did you encounter most often on the camino?

 

[dougfitz]

Spanish, English, German.

 

[tyrrek]

Yes, my experience is similar to Doug, with the addition of French. To some extent the language you encounter most will be self-selecting - if you're part of an English speaking group it will attract other speakers of English (either as a first or other language). Buen Camino!

 

[MendiWalker]

Spanish, English, German, Italian,............

Buen Camino!

 

[SYates]

English is certainly the modern lingua franca amongst pilgrims, Spanish the language of the neighbors, but also the most-spoken language when you are on the way in July/August (university holidays ect), in spring and autumn / fall French and German are pretty common. Buen Camino, SY

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Spanish

 

[TheTinkerBell]

Civility

 

[wayfarer]

I have even heard the odd spattering of Irish.

 

[jennie]

I have even heard the odd spattering of Irish.

did u see tg4 ronan an camino, ?he found irish speakers on his camino ,interesting short series,
I am irish but however can hardly string a sentence together in irish ,

 

[wayfarer]

did u see tg4 ronan an camino, ?he found irish speakers on his camino ,interesting short series,
I am irish but however can hardly string a sentence together in irish ,

I did see Ronans series, well the first two anyway, I did not like it, too contrived, but thats another topic. My wife and I speak Irish when we want some privacy. It's very handy.

 

[Pruden]

The language of love, tolerance, understanding, comprehension, enjoyment. !

 

[JabbaPapa]

I'd say - English, Spanish, Dutch, German ; then French, Italian ; then the rest.

German would be in the second group, except they tend to congregate somewhat noisily, making their presence more noticeable ...

 

[LTfit]

Regarding the Francés: I have only walked in the summer so balance tipped towards Spanish, Italian and French. As a hospitalera I found the same, luckily (for me) the Italian understand Spanish and I also speak French. This year there were definately more English-speaking pilgrims than last year - at least where I was placed on the Francés.
Along the Via de la Plata in the summer (2011 and 2013) there were mostly Spanish speaking pilgrims.

 

[Pygar]

A lot of people on the Camino speak some english. We had very little trouble with language.
The workers in the cafes often don't speak english, but it really wasn't a problem.

 

[johnsondav]

Being from America, we have a very highly inflated view that everyone should speak English! I think it is incredibly rude to assume that when you go to a foreign country others will speak your native language. So please, everyone try to learn at least a basic level of Spanish so that you may at least attempt to speak the native language. I am not a fluent Spanish speaker, but during my 2011 trip to Spain I found it very helpful to know some. Plus I believe the locals will appreciate your attempt to assimilate by speaking their language. Now, that being said the Spanish I know best is Latin American Spanish and the formal Castillion Spanish is a little different. Buen Camino.

 

[Stellere]

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer! I speak French, English and Spanish - but I was wondering what other languages I might hear. I'm a linguaphile, so the more languages I hear, the better!

Did anyone learn any basic phrases in Basque or Galician? Would that come in handy?

 

[Pygar]

I wasn't trying to be rude. I am well aware of the "ugly american" syndrome. I didn't say they should
speak english, I simply stated a fact that many do speak english. I do agree that it is a good idea to know some of the key phrases
that will help you along the camino. It is fun learning them as you walk.

 

[MendiWalker]

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer! I speak French, English and Spanish - but I was wondering what other languages I might hear. I'm a linguaphile, so the more languages I hear, the better!

Did anyone learn any basic phrases in Basque or Galician? Would that come in handy?

Locals appreciate it greatly if pilgrims try at least to say a few words in Basque ( in Euskal Herria) or Galician ( in Galizia).

English Basque

Hi Kaixo
Bye Agur
Friend Lagun
Beer Garagardoa
Please Mesedez
Thank you very much Mil Esker

 

[dougfitz]

I wasn't trying to be rude. I am well aware of the "ugly american" syndrome. I didn't say they should
speak english, I simply stated a fact that many do speak english. I do agree that it is a good idea to know some of the key phrases
that will help you along the camino. It is fun learning them as you walk.

In spring 2010, I didn't detect too many 'ugly americans' by which I presume you mean US travellers rather than the many Americans who already speak Spanish or Portuguese. I found most US and Canadian pilgrims I met didn't engage in the more obnoxious behaviours I had seen elsewhere in my travels.

I think the worst I saw on a pilgrimage was in 2012 walking St Olav's Way in Norway. There was a week or so where I was unable to avoid a woman from the state of Washington. Amongst other things. she would engage local Norse in 'conversation' with the line 'would you like to know what Americans think about your country?' and without waiting for a response proceed to do so. Aside from her own unlimited arrogance in presuming she spoke for all of the US, it was clearly unwelcome in cases, but this woman wasn't perceptive enough to detect that. Her travelling companion was, and you could see her wince whenever this line got inserted into the conversation.

I often wonder whether anyone will ever match her as an ugly US tourist.

 

[donalomahony]

I did see Ronans series, well the first two anyway, I did not like it, too contrived, but thats another topic. My wife and I speak Irish when we want some privacy. It's very handy.

Agree It was v contrived and will put some people off the Camino. Exaggerated in places to make "TV"

 

[Kathy F.]

Spanish, German French, English (native English speakers). Many non-native English speakers do speak English as a second language, but not all, especially in the small villages along the way.

 

[PANO]

Which languages did you encounter most often on the camino?

According to the statistics on this site (http://www.caminodesantiago.me/2012-pilgrim-statistics/) the languages break down as follows (in 2012, rounded):
Spanish 52%
English 11%
German 9%
Portugese 6.5%
Italian 6.5%
French 4.3%
Others 11%
By sound-level, especially in the evenings on the streets, plazas and in the restaurants, english seems to prevail, often annoyingly so. Normally nice and courteous individuals often are obtrusively loud when gathered in groups, but on my Camino last September I felt that anglo-saxons stood out! A few beers and the cheering became obnoxious, more reminiscent of a rodeo than a pilgrimage, an embarrassment. These people forget that they are visiting guests.
How is this perceived by others?

Pierre aka Don Pedro

PS to JabbaPapa:

.....German would be in the second group, except they tend to congregate somewhat noisily, making their presence more noticeable ...

While Europeans generally resent the Germans for being loud, they are completely subdued by english tongues on the Camino

 

[dougfitz]

While Europeans generally resent the Germans for being loud, they are completely subdued by english tongues on the Camino

I cannot remember the German pilgrims being loud, but I do remember thinking, sometime after Sarria, that every Spanish peregrina thought she had the most beautiful voice in the world, and she was going to make sure that every other pilgrim within several hundred metres knew it.

 

[supersullivan]

[/QUOTE]I have even heard the odd spattering of Irish. attachFull6904

Suas an bothar leat, wayfarer.

For me it was Spanish, Italian, English, German and Korean in that order.

 

[biloute]

Being from America, we have a very highly inflated view that everyone should speak English!

Replace SHOULD with DO and I think you have it about right. Germanic countries especially feed this view in Europe. I was told by a German friend that everyone in our generation or younger speak English. Period. But the older generation does not. And from what I understand, TV in countries like Norway and Sweden is often in English. Plus in my experiences in secondary education, there are many programs in non-English speaking countries that are taught in English.

These are some reasons I think that anglophones don't immerse themselves in cultures as much as they should. It's too easy to find people that speak English! I'm hoping to get away from that this summer when I start my camino from Le Puy.

 

[Deleted member 12253]

Which languages did you encounter most often on the camino?

Spanish , remember you are in Spain

 

[newfydog]

My wife and I speak a lot of Indonesian to each other. It is the only language we have in which we can be fairly sure of a private conversation (though the Australians seem to be learning it)

 

[wayfarer]

My wife and I speak a lot of Indonesian to each other. It is the only language we have in which we can be fairly sure of a private conversation (though the Australians seem to be learning it)

Same as that, my wife and I speak Irish to each other when we want a private conversation.

 

[Al the optimist]

Most frequent language heard? Depends on how many stub their toe, slip, find the shower cold.....

 

[Tia Valeria]

newfydog said: ↑
My wife and I speak a lot of Indonesian to each other. It is the only language we have in which we can be fairly sure of a private conversation (though the Australians seem to be learning it)

Same as that, my wife and I speak Irish to each other when we want a private conversation.

Smiling at these. We would speak Wichi - an Amer-Indian language, not many Wichi speakers outside of a certain area of S America

Seriously on the routes we have walked - predominantly Spanish

 

[t2andreo]

Spanish is the most prevalent language on the Camino Frances, once you leave Orisson. Remember you are in Spain, and as a general thing the Spanish do not speak English as a second language to the same degree that most Europeans do these days. Never assume that someone will understand English.

As a global traveler for more than 35 years, I have learned that it always pays to learn at least some basic phrases in the lingua franca of the place you are going, regardless of where it is. It surprises the heck out of a Japanese pilgrim on the Camino to be greeted in Japanese by an American, or a Thai in Thai, a Flemand (Belgian) in Dutch, and so on. It certainly serves as an ice breaker. So, when in Spain...

In preparation for my first Camino this year, I bought the Berlitz tourist phrase book with CD course. I ripped the CD to my iTunes library and put it on my iPod. I listened to it repeatedly during my training walks. Bear in mind that many of the people you will encounter in shops (tiendas), pharmacies, albuergues and hostals, etc. will only speak Spanish. You will need at least a basic command of useful phrases to be understood.

Originally, I made a folded "cheat sheet" for the most needed phrases. Those that I could not remember, I used to point to at a check-in desk or sales counter. But carrying paper it tiresome, adds to weight, and the paper gets wet and tattered after a coupe of weeks in my pocket. Also, smart phone, verbal translators do not work as fast or as robustly as you might think. They do not work well for spur of the moment exchanges as well as old fashioned paper.

So, in preparation for my upcoming Camino, I am preparing a list of most needed phrases based on my experience and I will translate them in advance then copy the English and Spanish phrases to the Notes app on my iPod Touch. Each category will have a separate "note." Category examples include: buying stuff, getting an albuergue bed, getting a hotel or hostal room, finding a bus or train, asking for items at a pharmacy, etc. Then I will not need Wi-Fi or a cellular signal to have a conversation. More importantly, this approach does not increase my weight.

This said, after Spanish, the "second" language of the Camino Frances seemed to be English, in some form. Just be flexible and polite...