Native English Speakers

[Two Thumbs]

There are many (many!) benefits to learning a second language, but as a practical matter, is there as much reason for a native speaker of English in this day and age to learn another language(s) as there is for non-native speakers to learn English? Should we reassign the time used in schools today on mediocre foreign language instruction to further bolster math and science skills instead? Just for the sake of argument...

learning other languages is important if you live near a country that speaks another one than yours.

so unless your states boarders Mex, there is no reason for any American to be mandated to learn any other language

 

[Two Thumbs]

There are many (many!) benefits to learning a second language, but as a practical matter, is there as much reason for a native speaker of English in this day and age to learn another language(s) as there is for non-native speakers to learn English? Should we reassign the time used in schools today on mediocre foreign language instruction to further bolster math and science skills instead? Just for the sake of argument...

We learned more than just 'some' spanish in my high school, included was instruction on spanish culture. Certainly math and science should be a priority, but Florida has adopted funding policies that starve poor counties. Bake sales are organized so jkids can have school supplies........

fucking nonsense

more is spent each year on schools and the unions just hire more lackeys instead of looking after the kids.

 

[deltex1]

There are many (many!) benefits to learning a second language, but as a practical matter, is there as much reason for a native speaker of English in this day and age to learn another language(s) as there is for non-native speakers to learn English? Should we reassign the time used in schools today on mediocre foreign language instruction to further bolster math and science skills instead? Just for the sake of argument...

We learned more than just 'some' spanish in my high school, included was instruction on spanish culture. Certainly math and science should be a priority, but Florida has adopted funding policies that starve poor counties. Bake sales are organized so jkids can have school supplies........

Did that Spanish culture include swimming de riiiber, refining cocaine, smuggling pot, shooting police,taking bribes and draining the US treasury? Mui bien señorita.

Hey dickhead...time to switch thumbs....

 

[Two Thumbs]

I took 2 years of Spanish from a teacher that immigrated from Guatemala, I got really good at.

went to Mexico, no one could understand me and I had no idea what they were saying.

 

[Two Thumbs]

There are many (many!) benefits to learning a second language, but as a practical matter, is there as much reason for a native speaker of English in this day and age to learn another language(s) as there is for non-native speakers to learn English? Should we reassign the time used in schools today on mediocre foreign language instruction to further bolster math and science skills instead? Just for the sake of argument...

We learned more than just 'some' spanish in my high school, included was instruction on spanish culture. Certainly math and science should be a priority, but Florida has adopted funding policies that starve poor counties. Bake sales are organized so jkids can have school supplies........

Did that Spanish culture include swimming de riiiber, refining cocaine, smuggling pot, shooting police,taking bribes and draining the US treasury? Mui bien señorita.

Hey dickhead...time to switch thumbs....

useless asshat make a useless racist post then cries about getting the X

 

[Picaro]

It would best if schools started teaching some Latin and Greek early on, from around 2nd or 3rd grade at the latest, rather than wait until Jr. High or later.

As for 'teaching Spanish if you live in a border state', it would be pretty much useless, as most Mexicans and Central Americans don't speak proper Spanish and wouldn't understand anybody speaking it. My Wife's family made her and her sisters and brothers take Latin and French; they're Hispanics, and don't have any use for criminal illegal aliens nor any interest in pandering to them or their 'culture'.

Besides, 'Bilingual Education' catering to criminal illegals and their children has been a miserable and expensive failure, resulting in most of them learning neither Spanish nor English. 'Educators' just like it because they get paid extra for babbling it.

 

[Pennywise]

The idea that Americans should learn Spanish simply because our country is being invaded, is ludicrous. It's good to learn another language when there is a genuine need, like in business. I have done a lot of business in Germany so I learned to speak and read and write German.

 

[Picaro]

I took 2 years of Spanish from a teacher that immigrated from Guatemala, I got really good at.

went to Mexico, no one could understand me and I had no idea what they were saying.

Yes. The same goes for natives of southern Mexico trying to understand Mexicans from northern Mexico, in some cases.

 

[Picaro]

The idea that Americans should learn Spanish simply because our country is being invaded, is ludicrous. It's good to learn another language when there is a genuine need, like in business. I have done a lot of business in Germany so I learned to speak and read and write German.

If it's a matter of 'understanding immigrants' then they should be learning a useful language, like a Chinese dialect or German.

 

[Meathead]

It would best if schools started teaching some Latin and Greek early on, from around 2nd or 3rd grade at the latest, rather than wait until Jr. High or later.

As for 'teaching Spanish if you live in a border state', it would be pretty much useless, as most Mexicans and Central Americans don't speak proper Spanish and wouldn't understand anybody speaking it. My Wife's family made her and her sisters and brothers take Latin and French; they're Hispanics, and don't have any use for criminal illegal aliens nor any interest in pandering to them or their 'culture'.

Besides, 'Bilingual Education' catering to criminal illegals and their children has been a miserable and expensive failure, resulting in most of them learning neither Spanish nor English. 'Educators' just like it because they get paid extra for babbling it.

Serioulsy?! Latin and Greek? Latin is a dead languge and Modern Greek has about 15 million speaker of which I am one. These are languages of interests to linguists only.

 

[Picaro]

It would best if schools started teaching some Latin and Greek early on, from around 2nd or 3rd grade at the latest, rather than wait until Jr. High or later.

As for 'teaching Spanish if you live in a border state', it would be pretty much useless, as most Mexicans and Central Americans don't speak proper Spanish and wouldn't understand anybody speaking it. My Wife's family made her and her sisters and brothers take Latin and French; they're Hispanics, and don't have any use for criminal illegal aliens nor any interest in pandering to them or their 'culture'.

Besides, 'Bilingual Education' catering to criminal illegals and their children has been a miserable and expensive failure, resulting in most of them learning neither Spanish nor English. 'Educators' just like it because they get paid extra for babbling it.

Serioulsy?! Latin and Greek? Latin is a dead languge and Modern Greek has about 15 million speaker of which I am one. These are languages of interests to linguists only.

They are the root languages of many others, so no, they're not 'dead languages'; they in fact make several other languages far easier to learn fluently and quickly. So ... yeah, seriously ...

 

[tinydancer]

I took 2 years of Spanish from a teacher that immigrated from Guatemala, I got really good at.

went to Mexico, no one could understand me and I had no idea what they were saying.

Pure languages are meaningless in many countries. Hell's bells they're meaningless in our own countries. For example one has to bugger pure French to be able to converse with Quebecois, Metis, Acadians, or Cajuns. But the bottom line is I'm glad I learned the language and have continued to converse in French and am able to talk to those who do not have the English language as their native tongue.

Mandated no. Encouraged and offered in schools yes.

 

[Meathead]

It would best if schools started teaching some Latin and Greek early on, from around 2nd or 3rd grade at the latest, rather than wait until Jr. High or later.

As for 'teaching Spanish if you live in a border state', it would be pretty much useless, as most Mexicans and Central Americans don't speak proper Spanish and wouldn't understand anybody speaking it. My Wife's family made her and her sisters and brothers take Latin and French; they're Hispanics, and don't have any use for criminal illegal aliens nor any interest in pandering to them or their 'culture'.

Besides, 'Bilingual Education' catering to criminal illegals and their children has been a miserable and expensive failure, resulting in most of them learning neither Spanish nor English. 'Educators' just like it because they get paid extra for babbling it.

Serioulsy?! Latin and Greek? Latin is a dead languge and Modern Greek has about 15 million speaker of which I am one. These are languages of interests to linguists only.

They are the root languages of many others, so no, they're not 'dead languages'; they in fact make several other languages far easier to learn fluently and quickly. So ... yeah, seriously ...

An amazing grasp of the obvious, but the question was whether students who lack in basic skills such as maths or their own language should pursue such abstractions, especially when their own language is the ."lingua franka".

 

[JakeStarkey]

Arts, Sciences, Languages are all necessary.

Finding the balance is always the challenge.

 

[Unkotare]

The immigrants should be made to study English. For native-speaker of English the, study of other languages should be optional.

(X)Indeed, why should the host people of any country pay for others to learn the language of their adopted country? If one wants to immigrate to another country then learn their language, don't make the taxpayers of that country pay for it, like they do in Canada. Canada blows millions to teach others to learn and speak english. The rule should be that if any person wants to immigrate to America or Canada they should know english first. This should save the taxpayers of both countries a lot of money and where that money could go towards other needs in those countries. And thanks to multiculturalism, learning the hosts language is not deemed to be important anymore. We must now cater too their language and customs. Multiculturalism does not unite, it divides. Wakeup.

That post was not at all well thought-out.

 

[Unkotare]

There are many (many!) benefits to learning a second language, but as a practical matter, is there as much reason for a native speaker of English in this day and age to learn another language(s) as there is for non-native speakers to learn English? Should we reassign the time used in schools today on mediocre foreign language instruction to further bolster math and science skills instead? Just for the sake of argument...

learning other languages is important if you live near a country that speaks another one than yours.

so unless your states boarders Mex, there is no reason for any American to be mandated to learn any other language

OK, but it's not as if Americans never move from state to state.

 

[Unkotare]

It would best if schools started teaching some Latin and Greek early on, from around 2nd or 3rd grade at the latest, rather than wait until Jr. High or later..

Why? Do you mean as a primer of sorts to learning Spanish or French or something later on? It's certainly not necessary or particularly applicable to mastering English as their first language.

 

[Unkotare]

The idea that Americans should learn Spanish simply because our country is being invaded, is ludicrous. It's good to learn another language when there is a genuine need, like in business. I have done a lot of business in Germany so I learned to speak and read and write German.

If it's a matter of 'understanding immigrants' then they should be learning a useful language, like a Chinese dialect or German.

Why German? A wave of German immigrants on the way?

 

[Unkotare]

It would best if schools started teaching some Latin and Greek early on, from around 2nd or 3rd grade at the latest, rather than wait until Jr. High or later.

As for 'teaching Spanish if you live in a border state', it would be pretty much useless, as most Mexicans and Central Americans don't speak proper Spanish and wouldn't understand anybody speaking it. My Wife's family made her and her sisters and brothers take Latin and French; they're Hispanics, and don't have any use for criminal illegal aliens nor any interest in pandering to them or their 'culture'.

Besides, 'Bilingual Education' catering to criminal illegals and their children has been a miserable and expensive failure, resulting in most of them learning neither Spanish nor English. 'Educators' just like it because they get paid extra for babbling it.

Serioulsy?! Latin and Greek? Latin is a dead languge and Modern Greek has about 15 million speaker of which I am one. These are languages of interests to linguists only.

They are the root languages of many others, so no, they're not 'dead languages'; they in fact make several other languages far easier to learn fluently and quickly. So ... yeah, seriously ...

Latin is in fact a dead language.

 

[LoneLaugher]

When it comes to using the brain to learn something......I say anything goes.

As Unkotare well knows, every Japanese student undergoes 6 years of classes in English. Only a fraction will end up in jobs that require mastery of English. However, it is used as a barometer of sorts. Can a student who doesn't really give a shit apply him or herself to the task of learning the language?

Learning language exercises a particular area of the brain and utilizes particular brain functions. No harm is done.