Linguistically challenged or not I have come to the conclusion the people of English speaking countries - or more precisely, the UK - are not challenged but lazy.
The reality hit home when I visited Holland and Germany. Nearly everyone I met, young or old could at the very least hold a basic conversation with me.
There are a few who refuse in principle to talk English to the English, (the French are famous in that respect) as in general, we have taken little or no time to try to learn thier language, and seem not even to make an attempt at it. In thier eyes (and I agree!) it is arrogance for us to assume that they can speak our language, whilst we make no attempt at thiers.
I do sympathise with thier cause, but I fear it will make little or no difference in the long run.
Finally, I'm no linguist either, but I do wish I had tried a little bit harder in my French and Latin classes at school though - C'est la vie <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />