Fill in the blank question regarding learning ANOTHER LANGUAGE

[Heather in Neverland]

All children should learn _______ (#) languages and these should be ________________ (name the ones you think they should learn).

 

Example: All children should learn 3 languages and these should be English, Mandarin and Spanish. (these are not necessarily my answers...just an example).

 

What says the hive?

[GWOB]

All children should learn three languages, and these should be English, Latin, and Spanish.

 

(Though I do think you have a point with Mandarin.)

[Moira in MA]

Okay, I'll bite:

 

In addition to their own language, all children should learn at least 2 languages and there should be at least 1 ancient and 1 modern. Ancient languages help us to understand people longitudinally over time. Modern languages help us to understand people culturally in the present.

 

My dds have studied primarily Latin (ancient) and German (modern). Both of them have also studied Spanish and the eldest is learning Ancient Greek.

 

jmho

~Moira

[Sandra in NC]

Heather,

 

I wish we could redefine foreign language to include computer programming and music. If that were the case, I'd say everyone should learn at least one other language and it should be whatever is most relevant to his or her career goals/life.

 

 

Sandra

[Jennefer@SSA]

I think this will be different for everyone depending on where you live, your family's history/culture, and your/your dc's goals but for us I can say...

 

All children should learn three languages and these should be English, Spanish and French. Mine will also have some knowledge of Latin as well. Or at least that's the plan for now!

[Harriet Vane]

All children should be well grounded in their own language and should learn one additional modern language. That modern language should be whatever will be most useful in their specific context.

 

All American children should be well grounded in English and should learn one additional language. That additional language should be Spanish.

 

All American children who show specific aptitude with language arts should learn two or three languages. In addition to being well grounded in English, they should learn Latin because it is the basis for the Romance languages, Spanish, and one other language of their choice.

 

Of course all my high-minded ideals on language learning fly out the window based on a child's specific interest/passion, and on time/money constraints. ;)

[Nan in Mass]

This is what we've tried to do, with varying amounts of success. The oldest did Spanish. One of mine did Japanese, French, and Latin. The youngest does French and Latin. The oldest can speak Spanish enough to have a conversation and was interested enough to get a Spanish speaking friend to teach him more after he was out of school. I've never been able to figure out how much Japanese the middle one speaks. He understands a surprising amount of French but doesn't speak much. I'm not sure how much the Latin stuck. The youngest speaks and understands French, can read it, although not as well as he can understand it, and can write it at about second grade level. He's still working on the Latin, but I don't know if he'll ever be able to read it comfortably (my goal). I guess we get a 2 1/2 out of 6.

-Nan

[Kfamily]

All children should learn two additional languages: French and Latin

And for those with the interest one or two more (Spanish, Italian, Greek, German, etc.)

[momtoboys]

All children should know their primary language well. They should learn Latin, Greek, and Spanish in addition to that.

[WiseOwlKnits]

All children should learn at LEAST two other languages: Latin and Spanish (or maybe Latin and Chinese). To quote Wittgenstein, "Die Grenzen meiner Sprache sind die Grenzen meiner Welt." (English translation: "The limits of my language mean" the limits of my world.")

[nono]

Well, 3 months ago, my answer was 3: English, Mandarin, Spanish.

 

Hmmm.

 

Now it's 4 - French, because my dd has an easier time with French pronounciation than with English! :confused:

 

I'll count my Mandarin as my ancient language, esp. since I'm teaching my kids to read using traditional characters.

 

ETA: I meant to be clear that my children should learn... I think for all it should be 2 languages minimum, and it should be the children or the parents of those children who decide the particulars.

Edited November 20, 2009 by nono

[LibraryLover]

I don't know any across-the-board shoulds...but so far for us it's been English, Latin, French. My dh is a native speaker of a language not these. lol And one of our children is from yet another culture/language. Which we don't speak. :(

[Peela]

Ideally here in Australia we should be learning Indonesian and Japanese, perhaps Chinese as well. And then a European language- Spanish, French or German- to connect with our own cultural heritages. Anyone should learn their own ancestral native tongue, whatever it is. Latin and Greek are luxuries- ideally one Asian language, one European language, and Latin.

No rules though. I don't like rules :) And we learned what was in the end a very little French, and are still slogging away at basic Latin. So I dont live by my own ideals, but that doesnt mean I dont have them :)

[Heather in Neverland]

It's difficult to decide since so much depends on your own culture, the culture where you live and even your child's possible future plans. I used to think all people living in the US should learn English and Spanish. Then I started homeschooling and it became English, Spanish and Latin. My ds has expressed an interest in a future in the ministry so now I am wondering if he should pick up greek and hebrew and drop spanish. If he was planning a field in business I might consider picking up mandarin instead.

 

But now we are living in Malaysia and all kids at the school are expected to know and speak english. In addition we offer bahasa-malay (the malaysian language), mandarin and spanish. But I wonder how useful learning bahasa is when it is really limited to such a small area and the students here are so transient? Most stay a couple of years and then they are off to some other country. So maybe they should be learning a language that will be more useful to them "overall". But what?

 

So if you wanted your children to learn a language (other than English) that will be the most useful to them in their future and their future is wide open, what would that language be?

[IsabelC]

I think every child should have a sound grasp of written and oral communication in her/his native language.

 

All 'average' children who do not have language related disabilities or learning difficulties should learn at least one additional language.

 

My ideal for children who have the ability and the resources available would be

1. English (or main language of their country)

2. Latin or alternative ancient language

3. One language from the most widely spoken languages in the world (eg Mandarin, Spanish, English if it is not their main language) or their geographical area (eg Indonesian for Australians)

4. One additional language: either a language of the child's ethnic background, or a language they have a particular interest in, or a language that is relevant to their career aspirations.

Edited November 20, 2009 by Hotdrink

[Audrey]

Okay, I'll bite:

 

In addition to their own language, all children should learn at least 2 languages and there should be at least 1 ancient and 1 modern. Ancient languages help us to understand people longitudinally over time. Modern languages help us to understand people culturally in the present.

 

My dds have studied primarily Latin (ancient) and German (modern). Both of them have also studied Spanish and the eldest is learning Ancient Greek.

 

jmho

~Moira

 

 

:iagree::iagree: 100%. Study one ancient language thoroughly. Personally, I prefer Latin, because it is the root for so many modern languages, and the root of a great deal of the English language.

 

Study one modern language that is useful. I think the modern language will depend on what you envision as most useful to your situation. I do, however, think one ought to consider it carefully. Current locale is not justification enough for choosing a particular language. I spoke Spanish as a second language, but while that was quite handy in FL, it is completely useless here.

 

Also, I really do think that the first (native) language should get priority. I believe the goal for the first language (in our case English) should be to achieve impeccable fluency. By that, I mean impeccably spoken, written and read English. I don't think that should ever be compromised in favour of any other language study.

 

I have seen, sometimes, where the desire to instill additional languages in a child (or children) is so intense that it dwarfs the study of the first language. I think that is misguided at best, and damaging at worst.

 

So... that's wasn't exactly what you were looking for, but I hope it's at least moderately useful.

 

Just curious here... Can I ask why were you asking? Are you looking to develop some language study requirements at your school?

[Kate in Arabia]

But I wonder how useful learning bahasa is when it is really limited to such a small area and the students here are so transient? Most stay a couple of years and then they are off to some other country. So maybe they should be learning a language that will be more useful to them "overall". But what?

This issue comes up here now and then with expats and Arabic -- the expats so outnumber the locals, and I haven't seen statistics but I believe the vast majority of expats send their kids somewhere else for college/univ and beyond, so of what use is Arabic beyond their lives here?

 

Anyway, I have read, and believe, that once people learn one foreign language to a substantial level of competency, it is easier to learn more languages. Personally I would go with a language that had a small range if I was living in an immersion environment. Otherwise, I think kids should learn at least one language in addition to their native one, but which one depends on a lot of different factors. I do find it interesting to study a language that is not Indo-European/related to English, but that's just me.

[Jean in Newcastle]

But now we are living in Malaysia and all kids at the school are expected to know and speak english. In addition we offer bahasa-malay (the malaysian language), mandarin and spanish. But I wonder how useful learning bahasa is when it is really limited to such a small area and the students here are so transient? Most stay a couple of years and then they are off to some other country. So maybe they should be learning a language that will be more useful to them "overall". But what?

 

 

The benefit of learning the local language (even if you don't use it later in life) is that you are potentially in an immersion situation. So those students who really get out into the culture could learn it much better than learning another language in just a classroom. In addition, by learning a language, you are also learning a culture because so much of how we communicate revolves around our culture.

[Amira]

All children should learn at least one language in addition to their native tongue. What that language is depends entirely on what's useful for that children, but I think almost anyone who is a child right now would benefit from learning English well.

 

After that, French is the most useful international language. Spanish is the most useful Western Hemisphere language. Mandarin and Hindi/Urdu are spoken by many people, but in a somewhat limited geographical area, so would only be useful for children who have some sort of connection to those areas. Arabic and Russian are spoken by fewer people, but over a larger area and by a wide variety of ethnicities.

 

I think learning Bahasa in Malaysia is completely logical and worthwhile. Any language study is worthwhile, even if it turns out to be a language you never hear again after you leave the country. Personally, if we were living in Malaysia, I would think it was weird that Spanish was offered for children. Unless there is some sort of Latino community in Malaysia that I've never heard of.

[Peela]

 

So if you wanted your children to learn a language (other than English) that will be the most useful to them in their future and their future is wide open, what would that language be?

 

I dont think it is possible to say, really, but learning any language supposedly makes learning other languages easier.

Here in Australia, probably an Asian language- Mandarin, Hindi, Japanese or Indonesian- would be practical- and they are often taught in schools here nowadays, along with French- sometimes German. In the U.S.- perhaps Spanish?

[Rosie_0801]

All children should learn a minimum of one language and that should be the dominant language of the place they live in. If they are part of a sub-culture, they should learn that language also.

 

My children should learn a minimum of three languages. They are learning English and Auslan, and will learn Latin later. Ideally they will also learn Arabic, but I don't know yet if that will be possible. In my dreams they will be fluent in two official UN languages, because that opens a lot of doors that would be firmly closed otherwise.

 

Oddly, my ethical self believes people should learn a minority language for the sake of preservation, though my practical self sees problems with this.

 

Rosie

[Rosie_0801]

To quote Wittgenstein, "Die Grenzen meiner Sprache sind die Grenzen meiner Welt." (English translation: "The limits of my language mean" the limits of my world.")

 

Then surely all children should learn a signed language. A visual rather than spoken language certainly changes the way you see the world. It also enables a person to read a map without turning it upside down, which is a very handy side effect. :D

 

I'm surprised how many people think everyone should learn Spanish or Greek. Does "everyone" mean Americans, in this context?

 

Ideally here in Australia we should be learning Indonesian and Japanese, perhaps Chinese as well

Disagree! I don't think these languages are of as much benefit to us as our politicians would have us believe. However my opinion is worth little since I speak no Asian languages and do not operate on a global level (outside my English speaking internet use.) I'd probably encourage my kids to learn Indonesian if I lived in Darwin, but I don't.

 

Also, I really do think that the first (native) language should get priority. I believe the goal for the first language (in our case English) should be to achieve impeccable fluency. By that, I mean impeccably spoken, written and read English. I don't think that should ever be compromised in favour of any other language study.

 

I thought my English was pretty good in the scheme of things, but learning Auslan reduced my English ability. So did having kids :D I lost some of the brain cells I had devoted to it, I think.

 

Rosie

Edited November 20, 2009 by Rosie_0801

[Heather in Neverland]

Just curious here... Can I ask why were you asking? Are you looking to develop some language study requirements at your school?

 

I am asking for two reasons.

 

Professionally, our school offers bahasa to the elementary students, no languages to middle school (the reasoning has been that their schedule is packed and band class is required for all middle school students so foreign language got cut), and high school offers bahasa, mandarin, and spanish. The parent and student comments have asked us to include a language course somehow in the middle school. They have also requested that we expand our language offerings. But here is where it gets sticky. We have kids from 27 different countries and they have very different ideas about what should be offered. So the administration has been discussing which languages to offer and the opinions and rationale are quite varied. We do not have the personnel to offer a ton of different languages so we have to choose, but which ones? And we need to have a good reason for our choices. A big one at the high school level is whether or not the language we offer will satisfy the foreign language entrance requirement of many universities in the U.S. (we are not sure bahasa will).

 

Personally, I am asking because I am evaluating my language choices that I am teaching/plan to teach to my own children and whether or not I am choosing the right languages for them.

Edited November 20, 2009 by Heather in NC

[Laura Corin]

All children should learn at least one modern foreign language well, rather than several badly. An ancient language is fun to have too. Which modern language to choose depends on local circumstances and future plans.

 

Once one foreign language has been learned well, future languages are much easier. I have a degree in French and found learning Mandarin as an adult much easier than did those around me who were not already fluent in a foreign language.

 

My boys are learning French in addition to Mandarin and Latin. I would actually prefer that they concentrated on Mandarin, but they are going to school the year after next and need a background in French for that.

 

Laura

[nd293]

Anyone should learn their own ancestral native tongue, whatever it is.

 

Oh dear. We're going to be busy! From my side, we'd have to cover Dutch, Swedish and Irish while dd also "inherits" German from dh. Those are in addition to the English ancestry which dominates on both sides. And we'd better throw in Afrikaans too, from my more recent ancestry.

 

It's an interesting perspective, though.

 

I can't speak for everyone, but I'd love dd to learn 3 languages, in addition to English: one ancient, one widely-spoken modern language, and one language using something other than roman characters. We've started with Latin, and will gently add some Arabic in January. I'll leave the other choice completely up to her, hopefully based on a country she finds interesting and would like to visit one day.

 

Nikki (who followed the ancestral example by meandering her way to Australia from South Africa, via the Middle East).

[stripe]

I'm surprised how many people think everyone should learn Spanish or Greek. Does "everyone" mean Americans, in this context?

Probably anyone on the border with a Spanish speaking country? But Greek? Honestly unless one is planning on going into Biblical research or going to Greece, or specializing in some Greek-related field, I don't see the point.

 

I don't think Latin is important (or more important than any other language) unless one is planning to study a multitude of Romance languages.

 

I say, one's own heritage language(s) should be learned reasonably well, and for some people this may be one, others two, others three, and if it's three or more more, then it might be better than some be informally learning only, rather than academic. The knowledge may be "imperfect" and subject dependent (common among many bilinguals). And an international language. So that can be English, Spanish, French, Russian, Latin, Arabic, whatever. I am not certain I would consider Chinese an international language yet, but it may well get there, at least as a regional Asian language, so it's worth considering. Obviously this is conditional on the abilities of the child, and various approaches and levels may vary.

[Heather in Neverland]

Obviously this is conditional on the abilities of the child, and various approaches and levels may vary.

 

It's interesting that you mention that because all of our North American students here speak just English but all of our students from any country besides the U.S. and Canada speak at least two, usually three languages or more fluently and these are kids that are 10 and 11 years old. Even our "national" staff (which means locally hired people) most of which have no formal education whatsoever, speak two languages or more. My secretary who only has a high school education speaks English, Bahasa, Mandarin, Hokkien, and some Korean.

 

So why is it so hard for us? Why is it only certain kids with certain abilities in American that can learn multiple languages while the kids over here ALL have more than one language? I'm very curious.

[Ester Maria]

From my perspective, people raised within the cultural context of what is usually referred to as "Western culture" should throughout their education be taught both classical languages, in addition to two modern foreign languages - usually the "big" ones from that same cultural context (at least one).

Out of the latter two, in at least one of them student should reach the level of proficiency which allows them to read actual literature and converse effortlessly on a plethora of topics, both in informal and academic context - so we're talking of an "advanced" level. In the other foreign language they should at least reach the level of talking on a plethora of topics outside of the formal/academic context, being able to read newspapers and get a gist of literature and academic work if needed and overall being on the level that they can get around in the country in various situations - so we're talking of some "intermediate", maybe even "upper intermediate" level.

Classics should be taught at least to the extent of being able to go through a text with the help of dictionary (in other words, all of the morphology and syntax needs to be done and foundations for work on the text laid, though one might not reach the level of actual fluent reading).

 

Only my two cents.

[Stacy in NJ]

individuals and whether they learn only their own language or more should be based on who they are, their abilities, their interest, and cultural opportunities.

 

I will say, All adults who say all children should learn multiple languages should challenge themselves to learn more languages themselves.:001_smile:

[Laurie4b]

Well, my goal for my family was 4 languages:

 

English, Spanish, Latin, and Chinese. I didn't make it. sigh. Our Spanish is decent. Latin fell to dyslexic kids' needs. One of my children can say some Chinese words with perfect tone. I realize I'm at the time of life in our homeschooling when I'm not dreaming about what we'll be able to do, I'm evaluating what we've been able to get done. There are some regrets, but we got the most important things done.

[katemary63]

In the US, if you know Spanish, you can earn more money and you have a better chance of landing a job almost no matter what your field, (That's just not true for French.) So, I think kids in the US should learn Spanish. Then maybe Latin and if they are very interested in languages, something else of their choosing.

[lgm]

It's interesting that you mention that because all of our North American students here speak just English but all of our students from any country besides the U.S. and Canada speak at least two, usually three languages or more fluently and these are kids that are 10 and 11 years old. Even our "national" staff (which means locally hired people) most of which have no formal education whatsoever, speak two languages or more. My secretary who only has a high school education speaks English, Bahasa, Mandarin, Hokkien, and some Korean.

 

So why is it so hard for us? Why is it only certain kids with certain abilities in American that can learn multiple languages while the kids over here ALL have more than one language? I'm very curious.

 

I think it is difficult b/c Americans have less access to instructors and to practice situations when we are young. Most nonaffluent schools don't offer a foreign language in the elementary years..too busy on literacy in English. Even in the middle school, I have found it difficult for my children to learn the foreign languages they chose simply b/c there is not enough practice - no language lab, no materials to read; just a lot of memorization. Also there is a shortage of instructors - one of my children didn't even have an instructor last year - school could only supply someone to play bingo games and memorize vocab -- and that was in Spanish which, given the proximity to NY City, should have been an easy position to fill.

[Tammy]

n

[lgm]

In the US, if you know Spanish, you can earn more money and you have a better chance of landing a job almost no matter what your field, (That's just not true for French.) So, I think kids in the US should learn Spanish. Then maybe Latin and if they are very interested in languages, something else of their choosing.

 

 

French has actually been more useful to dh and I...French speaking Canada to the the immediate north, and French spoken by many of our business customers. Korean and Mandarin would be useful too...

[saw]

DDs' school requires English, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Latin and Greek in the 8th grade year for their level school. In 9th they may drop a few languages, depending on their concentration. I would like them to keep going with all of these to some extent and allow them to decide which are important and which are just for fun. Fortunately DDs are good at language.

[In The Great White North]

It's interesting that you mention that because all of our North American students here speak just English but all of our students from any country besides the U.S. and Canada speak at least two, usually three languages or more fluently and these are kids that are 10 and 11 years old. Even our "national" staff (which means locally hired people) most of which have no formal education whatsoever, speak two languages or more. My secretary who only has a high school education speaks English, Bahasa, Mandarin, Hokkien, and some Korean.

 

So why is it so hard for us? Why is it only certain kids with certain abilities in American that can learn multiple languages while the kids over here ALL have more than one language? I'm very curious.

 

Because the schools have been saying for years that languages are hard. One local high school goes so far as to deny any foreign languages unless a student has at least a B in Freshman English!

 

DDs' school requires English, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Latin and Greek in the 8th grade year for their level school.

 

Seven languages! Do they meet every day? What other classes do they take?

 

We were only permitted 5 classes total per semester in high school, which severely limited our language options.

[Heather in the Kootenays]

 

Example: All children should learn 3 languages and these should be English, Mandarin and Spanish. (these are not necessarily my answers...just an example).

 

 

This is exactly what ds is learning.

[Sherry in OH]

I am asking for two reasons.

 

Professionally, our school offers bahasa to the elementary students, no languages to middle school (the reasoning has been that their schedule is packed and band class is required for all middle school students so foreign language got cut), and high school offers bahasa, mandarin, and spanish.

 

For the middle school students continuity would be good. Either continue Bahasa because they have already started learning it, or offer Mandarin or Spanish because those languages are offered at the high school level. If the middle school schedule is too tight for a full course, could the students study the language less intensely? Perhaps the equivalent of a one year course over two academic years?

[Jen500]

In the US, if you know Spanish, you can earn more money and you have a better chance of landing a job almost no matter what your field, (That's just not true for French.)

 

Can you post some links and/or more info about this? I guess my first thoughts are to doubt this across the board for all fields, but I've never looked into it.

[Rosie_0801]

So why is it so hard for us? Why is it only certain kids with certain abilities in American that can learn multiple languages while the kids over here ALL have more than one language? I'm very curious.

 

From what I can tell, in countries like the US and Australian, languages are not valued. For most of the population, they aren't necessary. Sure, a parent might say they want their children to be bilingual, but it is not something they care enough to ensure happens (meaning spend money on it and put effort into learning and helping their child learn.) In practice, they want their kids to get great marks in maths and English. I think, in part, schools are to blame also. Kids chop and change languages, "studying" one in primary school and probably another one altogether in high school. They don't learn English grammar, so they are unable to use their time in language class effectively. It's possible to be top of your class in a language for six years, and still be unable to speak it.

 

In places where multilingualism is the norm, languages are necessary and prestigious. In our countries, if people were expected to be fluent in more than one language in order to get into uni or to get any job higher up the pay scale than a chicken shop; or were barred from receiving government aide unless it could be demonstrated that they were in the process of studying, people would be screaming for better language teaching. Once they finished screaming about the unreasonable nature of the expectations and how the <insert racial group of choice> is taking all their jobs.

 

I will say, All adults who say all children should learn multiple languages should challenge themselves to learn more languages themselves.:001_smile:

 

Interesting. I imagine most of us spouting these opinions here are. I'm bilingual, but need to learn English grammar properly before I tackle Latin. Luckily I'm getting Analytical Grammar for Christmas :)

 

From my perspective, people raised within the cultural context of what is usually referred to as "Western culture" should throughout their education be taught both classical languages,

By this I assume you mean "Christian Western Culture?" I can see the value of Greek if you are living in a Christian subculture, but I really can't see how it would be of any benefit to me. No benefit that would make it worth my while putting the effort in, anyway. Maybe where you are, "Western Culture" is "Christian Western Culture?"

 

Rosie

Edited November 20, 2009 by Rosie_0801

[mirth]

It takes way more time to learn (achieve proficiency) some languages than others if your first language is English.

 

http://www.suite101.com/blog/madelinep/language_difficulty

 

Compare 600 classroom hours for Spanish (Category I), vs. 2200hrs for Chinese (Category III).

 

It boils down to not so much how much time do you want your child to spend on language per day, but do you think it is worthwhile spend the time he does have if it is less than the amount of time that has canonically shown to yield language proficiency? For ex, in the same time you can learn to Japanese, it would appear you could learn both French and Swedish according to the state dept.

[Rosie_0801]

It'd be interesting to see how other minority languages would be categorized, wouldn't it?

 

Rosie

[MamaBearTeacher]

"It takes way more time to learn (achieve proficiency) some languages than others if your first language is English."

 

Very good point. Chinese is a great language to learn but so hard coming from English. Also, with whatever language a child learns they need to keep practicing it in order not to forget it so they either need opportunities to use it or the discipline to keep studying it. That said, the easiest time to learn a language is when you're very young. I really recommend teaching another language to kids for the sake of expanding their horizons. It is nice to learn a living language because then they can know what it feels like to struggle to communicate in another language and to use it in another country if they have the opportunity. Still, I will be teaching my kids Latin and Ancient Greek because they are interested.

 

If I had to choose languages that I recommend everyone learn I would say Spanish, French and Chinese but I would also prefer if everyone chose different languages so that the other languages would not die out.

[Kate in Arabia]

Compare 600 classroom hours for Spanish (Category I), vs. 2200hrs for Chinese (Category III).

But this is for adults; would it be the same for kids? My kids for sure are not learning Arabic the way I learned Arabic in university.

[Rosie_0801]

From what I've read online (anecdotes in various places) it seems that the Chinese don't want to speak Chinese to us, they want to speak English. I've read about businessmen having to pretend their Chinese was worse that it was just to get along! If that's the situation, there are going to be better ways for most of us to spend our time, yes?

 

Rosie

[Nan in Mass]

If I could choose, I would offer whatever foreign language the students had the most chance of meeting outside school. I have had numerous people in Europe tell me, in English, that they learned English by listening to rock songs and figuring out what they said. They had a use for their English, a way to expand on what they learned in school, immersion-style (so it didn't seem like hard work). I think the rest of the world learns foreign languages more easily than the US does because they are exposed to other languages. Where I live, I hear Spanish if I go to the mall, but the rest of the time I hear only English. I had to work hard to make a French environment so my son could learn non-academically. It was expensive. And at least I live within a day's drive of Quebec province.

-Nan

[Jean in Newcastle]

From what I've read online (anecdotes in various places) it seems that the Chinese don't want to speak Chinese to us, they want to speak English. I've read about businessmen having to pretend their Chinese was worse that it was just to get along! If that's the situation, there are going to be better ways for most of us to spend our time, yes?

 

Rosie

 

I taught English at an English Language school in Japan for many years. It was very common for people to come and sign up to learn/refresh their English for 3 months before they went to an English speaking country for vacation. In the U.S. it is more common for us to ask, will the locals be able to understand English than it is for us to learn the local language before going for vacation. Even if someone is going to be living in the country but in an English speaking job or compound, they still tend to expect to get on in English instead of learning the local language. I think it shows respect for the local culture that you are teaching bahasa in your school.

[nukeswife]

I don't think I could put a specific on every child. For my kids I would like for them to know English well and then it's up to them if they'd like to do anything more than meeting graduation requirements for foreign language.

 

For those that say kids should learn the language of their heritage, I'm not so sure that should be a must. I really have no idea how learning Polish would have helped me at all.

[Old Dominion Heather]

Well, I don't know... French has been very useful around here to people working in the nuclear engineering field.

[Heather in Neverland]

From what I can tell, in countries like the US and Australian, languages are not valued. For most of the population, they aren't necessary. Sure, a parent might say they want their children to be bilingual, but it is not something they care enough to ensure happens (meaning spend money on it and put effort into learning and helping their child learn.) This is true. A lot of the parents of the students at our school are doing DRASTIC things to make sure their kids learn English and get the education they need to get into an American university. For one, they pay over $10,000 USD per year to send their kids to my school. Also, we have MANY Korean students who are living here with their mom to attend our school and their dad still lives and works in Korea. Now how many of us would do that so our kids could learn another language?

 

 

In places where multilingualism is the norm, languages are necessary and prestigious. In our countries, if people were expected to be fluent in more than one language in order to get into uni or to get any job higher up the pay scale than a chicken shop; or were barred from receiving government aide unless it could be demonstrated that they were in the process of studying, people would be screaming for better language teaching. Once they finished screaming about the unreasonable nature of the expectations and how the <insert racial group of choice> is taking all their jobs. Also true. Learning English is expected of pretty much everyone here from my ahma to a lawyer. And they all WANT to learn it. It makes the "bahasa immersion" experience difficult because they don't want to speak bahasa with us, they want us to speak english with them.

 

 

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