Time To Get Serious About Language Learning?

[BlackSand]

All of the above having been said, nearly every immigrant, permanent resident, tourist, or US citizen understands the importance of being able to speak English in the United States. Most US citizens can get by in most situations without speaking another language, but we should understand the importance and many benefits of learning another language.

The world ain't gettin' any bigger.

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Picking up another language can certainly pad one's resume.

In an increasingly Globalist view (not necessarily in a negative sense, because it cannot be avoided as access becomes more available) ...
There is a good chance someone can seize an opportunity unavailable to others who cannot communicate ...
with all necessary parties as far as production, trademarking, resource allocation, or federal and international regulatory concerns.

The language that will provide the most opportunity for the individual would require vision, and mission, beyond rolling the dice.

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[Unkotare]

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Picking up another language can certainly pad one's resume.

In an increasingly Globalist view (not necessarily in a negative sense, because it cannot be avoided as access becomes more available) ...
There is a good chance someone can seize an opportunity unavailable to others who cannot communicate ...
with all necessary parties as far as production, trademarking, resource allocation, or federal and international regulatory concerns.

The language that will provide the most opportunity for the individual would require vision, and mission, beyond rolling the dice.

.​

This is a bit off topic, but would it kill you to set left margin?

 

[BlackSand]

This is a bit off topic, but would it kill you to set left margin?

.

Does it kill you if I don't?

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[Unkotare]

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Does it kill you if I don't?

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No, but to be honest with you I'm going to skip over your posts if you don't. It's really pretty annoying.

 

[BlackSand]

No, but to be honest with you I'm going to skip over your posts if you don't. It's really pretty annoying.

.

Then you should have skipped that one ... You don't need tell me ...

.​

 

[Unkotare]

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Then you should have skipped that one ... You don't need tell me ...

.​

Ok, then. Nothing personal.

 

[BlackSand]

Ok, then. Nothing personal.

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Of Course Not ... What Purpose Would That Serve ...

.​

 

[Devils_Advocate]

Bilingual requirements down here in Texas is Spanish and English and more emphasis on the Spanish than the English.

So are you asking should Children learn Spanish at a younger age?

 

[Unkotare]

Bilingual requirements down here in Texas is Spanish and English and more emphasis on the Spanish than the English.

So are you asking should Children learn Spanish at a younger age?

If you're going to learn a language (or languages), starting earlier increases the likelihood of long-term success.

 

[Unkotare]

Nonsense. These days, students can receive a seal of biliteracy on their diploma if they pass a proficiency test in their senior year. More and more jobs across the country each year look for or require a minimum of bilingualism for certain jobs. Can't hide from the future.

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[BrokeLoser]

Can't hide from the future.

“The future” where REAL Americans feel like foreigners on their own soil…like travelers in Mexico?

 

[Unkotare]

“The future” where ... Americans feel like foreigners on their own soil…..?

No.

 

[rightwinger]

If you're going to learn a language (or languages), starting earlier increases the likelihood of long-term success.

So does opportunities to use your new found language skills

 

[DGS49]

While I am a strong supporter of foreign language instruction, there are problems with it and, to be honest, it is difficult to justify. (FWIW, I learned as much about English grammar through my study of Spanish as I ever did studying English).

In my long and storied career I worked for Italians, French, Koreans, Austrians, Germans, British, and Luxembourgians. The one constant was that everyone I interacted with spoke fluent English - not because of having an assignment in the U.S., but because English is the international language of business. When multinational business meetings occur, usually the primary language is English because "everyone" in the international business community speaks English. The French try to force French on everyone, but without much success. They all speak English and sometimes try to hide it. Sometimes the British speak English as well.

American public school language instructors are walking a tightrope in most school districts, because their classes are Electives. If they get a reputation of being demanding, few students will sign up for their classes. And since the requirements are not rigorous, the students frankly don't learn much. Specifically, at a typical rate of progress it would take seventeen years of High School German to speak Deutsch with any proficiency.

Learning a language is best accomplished through total immersion, and the only places where such instruction is provided are the military service language schools, and at specialized camps that are established for that purpose.

I have the utmost respect for the people with whom I worked who were fluent in multiple languages. In Luxembourg, the public school system teaches all students French, German, and English, in addition to their native Luxembourgian. The kids hate it, but it seems to work.

My wife was raised in a household where Italian was the primary language, although it was a dialect (Calabrian). She and her cousins learned English when they went to school, and from watching the Beverly Hillbillies (just kidding). Oddly, none of them showed any conspicuous success in learning OTHER languages in school, and all had difficulty learning non-dialect Italian. Whoooooda figured?

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

While I am a strong supporter of foreign language instruction, there are problems with it and, to be honest, it is difficult to justify. (FWIW, I learned as much about English grammar through my study of Spanish as I ever did studying English).

In my long and storied career I worked for Italians, French, Koreans, Austrians, Germans, British, and Luxembourgians. The one constant was that everyone I interacted with spoke fluent English - not because of having an assignment in the U.S., but because English is the international language of business. When multinational business meetings occur, usually the primary language is English because "everyone" in the international business community speaks English. The French try to force French on everyone, but without much success. They all speak English and sometimes try to hide it. Sometimes the British speak English as well.

American public school language instructors are walking a tightrope in most school districts, because their classes are Electives. If they get a reputation of being demanding, few students will sign up for their classes. And since the requirements are not rigorous, the students frankly don't learn much. Specifically, at a typical rate of progress it would take seventeen years of High School German to speak Deutsch with any proficiency.

Learning a language is best accomplished through total immersion, and the only places where such instruction is provided are the military service language schools, and at specialized camps that are established for that purpose.

I have the utmost respect for the people with whom I worked who were fluent in multiple languages. In Luxembourg, the public school system teaches all students French, German, and English, in addition to their native Luxembourgian. The kids hate it, but it seems to work.

My wife was raised in a household where Italian was the primary language, although it was a dialect (Calabrian). She and her cousins learned English when they went to school, and from watching the Beverly Hillbillies (just kidding). Oddly, none of them showed any conspicuous success in learning OTHER languages in school, and all had difficulty learning non-dialect Italian. Whoooooda figured?

Talking out of your ass again? Almost every college worth its salt requires a minimum of 2 years foreign language. My oldest had 4 years ASL, and the younger two took two complete years of Spanish, which is great for my son whose best friend is a Mexican descendant from Texas.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Yes, but we did cartwheels when an ESL student actually received a diploma. They were few and far between.

My wife was nearly forced into ESL classes because her first language is Spanish.

Note that when this happened, she spoke fluent, colloquial American English notable mostly for NOT having a New England accent.

 

[HenryBHough]

Foreign language instruction in the US starts late and is not emphasized as much as many other subjects. Should we as a nation (more accurately, as many local school districts) change this emphasis? Every year, more and more jobs in the US are advertised as requiring at least bilingualism, and more of the higher paying jobs involve working and communicating with people in and from all over the world. Employment aside, there are many well-established social and cognitive benefits from learning other languages than one's first. Should we require a much higher standard of proficiency and/or acquisition of two or more languages as part of graduation requirements from high school?

Very true - but I do wonder why you chose Ebonics-as-a-second language.

 

[Stryder50]

Absolutely not! Most of your ESL programs just guarantee that kids are illiterate in two or more languages.

Teaching another language for our native born kids is a requirement that is fairly common. When my wife and I attended high school, there were no requirements. I took two years of Latin, while my wife continued studies in Spanish. In college, it was required for many degree programs. I took German and my wife actually majored in Spanish for her 1st two years of college.

My kids all took foreign language in high school. The oldest spent 4 years in ASL, while the youngest two took Spanish. My oldest is the only member of the family that actually used her ASL at work for the TSA, and now she is an EMT studying to become a paramedic.

There simply is not much use for farmers and ranchers to learn foreign languages if there is no one in the community to talk to!

I live in a very agriculture focused county and if one is farming or in food process, speaking Spanish and/or Sikh is helpful with the labor force and/or owners.

 

[Stryder50]

12 Old Words That Survived by Getting Fossilized in Idioms​

Here are a few lucky words that have been preserved in common English expressions.

12 Old Words That Survived by Getting Fossilized in Idioms

Here are a few lucky words that have been preserved in common English expressions.

getpocket.com

 

[Stryder50]

The Lost Languages Discovered in One of the World’s Oldest Continuously Run Libraries​

Centuries-old texts were erased, and then written over, by monks at Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt.

The Lost Languages Discovered in One of the World’s Oldest Continuously Run Libraries

Centuries-old texts were erased, and then written over, by monks at Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt.

getpocket.com