So what? Well, the other week, I had a problem with the 'self-check' grocery line, and the person tasked with 'helping' people at those counters tried to explain what she thought I had done wrong. I was totally unable to understand her explanation (she 'seemed' to be Indian or Pakistani - I'm not sure...the key phrase was something about "kay de cah oop". She pushed some buttons and got my groceries charged. I'm sure she knew what she was doing...but...
Now, it is MY opinion the the store should not have put someone with limited knowlege of English in such a position...but I do wonder if SHE cared whether she was approximating syllables that 'worked'...I just don't know.

You say, Ron..."we do not have an official language and no one needs to "adapt" to anything other than the laws. "....
That seems to me to miss the entire point... it may not be 'required' to adapt to basic English, but it does hinder communication and create real frustration...and often has serious consequences when the situation IS crucial...like incidents recently when police and suspects in a confrontation were unable to make make themselves mutually understood, resulting in injuries. It is difficult TO "adapt to the laws" if you and the enforcers cannot communicate!


"If you stop to think, you probably learn something from such interactions."...well, sometimes it works, but MANY times it leads to frustration and counter-productive actions. I now avoid the self-check lines which they want to promote, and go thru regular lines where checkers do all the work, whether they speak to me at all.

I could easily cite 14 more examples of such situations.... and a few where persons of foreign heritage HAD managed to learn, adapt and speak the lingua franca. There IS a 'standard' language, whether it is 'official' or not it is the language spoken on the major TV networks to deliver the news.....this is the case in most countries.