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In Toronto at least, everyone speaks English, so you don't need to speak French. Don't know about Quebec though.
Assuming that the children were born and raised in the USA, children will speak to other children, so even if adults in their neighborhood were speaking the original language, the children would still be speaking English with each other. At most, children will UNDERSTAND the original language, but not necessarily know how to speak it. If there are immigrant children there, but most other children are speaking English, the immigrant children will learn English.
Every generation born and raised in the USA will know less and less of the original language. It's only natural.
Interesting, I know that Quebec generally use French.
Though how well does Canada teach French and Foreign languages in the English Speaking provinces, as well as English in Quebec?
Though as you mentioned USA kids, I would like to ask is it the same thing about kids in Canada including those who live in or around Toronto and Vancouver metro areas where there are alot of neighborhoods and enclaves that have large amounts of foreign languages spoken at home or used in business? I know that Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond BC has a lot of Asian and Chinese businesses.
I heard that more and more schools are offering foreign language education in elementary school nowadays. And in the form of fun rather than memorizations and tests. Particularly in areas where there is a significant number of people speaking a language other than English. I know that in parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and the North East there are plenty of neighborhoods like that.
I hear this is a vast improvement compared to the past where foreign language education was offered in some Middle Schools but is only a two year requirement in high school and its mostly about memorization of words and tests and not good for holding a conservation.
Anyone has experience they can share?
I'll make an assumption (note it's an assumption) that most or perhaps ALL of foreign language instruction is using the Communicative Method which are based on communicative activities and not rote memorization of grammar and vocab.
The earlier kids start learning foreign languages the better.
in 1984 I first started Spanish in Jr. High at 14 in the 8th grade. I remember the teacher calling out students in random order to put the verb in the right place. That is helpful - if not over done.
It bored me and I didn't do well and did not study more Spanish.
Then I took Spanish again in 1987 in my junior year in high school to get my 2 years requirement for Uni entrance.
It was more interesting and I got As.
Studying a foreign language in Jr. High or high school is too late, IMO.
Language Acquisition is much better at the age of say, 5.
In my district we have elementary language immersion programs. I teach in one of the language immersion schools. Mathematics, science, and health are taught in the target language (French, German, Japanese, Korean, or Spanish). Some schools are one-way immersion and others are two-way.
World Language (or One-Way) Immersion Program Model:
World Languages Immersion program classes are predominantly composed of students learning the target language. Elementary students are able to learn French, German, Japanese, and Spanish at seven elementary schools through the world language immersion program beginning in kindergarten or first grade.
Two-Way Immersion Program Model:
Two-Way Immersion program classes balance speakers and learners of the target language. Both student populations serve as peer language models during the respective language portion of the day to mutually benefit each group’s language acquisition process. Elementary students are able to learn Spanish and Korean at ten elementary schools through the two-way immersion program beginning in kindergarten.
Our local HS offers traditional world language classes in French, German, Spanish and ASL.
Two way dual language immersion programs are very popular in my district. Spanish, French, Mandarin, Korean, Armenian, and Arabic are offered. The vast majority of the schools are Spanish Dual Immersion. From tours I took, the Spanish and Mandarin schools are popular across the board with all kinds of families. There is only one French Dual Immersion Public School that is too far from my house, but there is a nearby private French school that is popular with people who aren't French. The Arabic, Armenian, and Korean programs tend to attract families with some sort of cultural tie to the language, i.e., maybe one of the parents has Armenian or Korean background, even if they themselves are not fluent. We applied to both Spanish and Korean dual immersion program for our kid. We would have been interested in Mandarin, but the nearest one was too far.
Its not going to be much of a future focus. Within 20 years all text, spoken language via phones, and interactive via video will be automatically translated in real time via AI (unless you opt not to). Its near-instantaneous processing will mean you are speaking to someone in a video meeting it will instantly translate what you are saying and hearing).
Its a nice skill, but will not be a necessity. You'll soon have a little earplug type device - perhaps just on your collar - that does the same. In short, its going to be less and less important as communication between different language groups is revolutionized by technology.
Who knows, by that time, there may still be some folks who enjoy person-to-person conversations with real, live people? And there's always the possibility of a disastrous situation, where someone is stranded without an electronic communication device with them. Like a deep-sea diver whose air-hose has been cut. Just the thought of that would make a teenager tremble with fear!
French and German are essentially useless languages unless the intent is to live or work in those countries or study their literature and culture to a high level.
No student in the US should be allowed to graduate without basic competence in Spanish.
International business languages should be offered by middle school.
High school students should be required to have competence in English, and not at the 3rd grade level that many only have now. Spanish is not needed in most of the US. It's up to native Spanish speakers to learn English, not native English speakers to learn Spanish.
I'll make an assumption (note it's an assumption) that most or perhaps ALL of foreign language instruction is using the Communicative Method which are based on communicative activities and not rote memorization of grammar and vocab.
The earlier kids start learning foreign languages the better.
in 1984 I first started Spanish in Jr. High at 14 in the 8th grade. I remember the teacher calling out students in random order to put the verb in the right place. That is helpful - if not over done.
It bored me and I didn't do well and did not study more Spanish.
Then I took Spanish again in 1987 in my junior year in high school to get my 2 years requirement for Uni entrance.
It was more interesting and I got As.
Studying a foreign language in Jr. High or high school is too late, IMO.
Language Acquisition is much better at the age of say, 5.
It's all relative, starting in high school is better than nothing. I want my kids to learn Spanish and Chinese as early as possible. Small kids learn languages effortlessly.
Unlike English, Spanish grammar is very complicated, at some point learners will have to confront the conjugations.
High school students should be required to have competence in English, and not at the 3rd grade level that many only have now. Spanish is not needed in most of the US. It's up to native Spanish speakers to learn English, not native English speakers to learn Spanish.
I visited the Hispanic neighborhoods in Miami last month, most Spanish speakers there made great efforts to learn English. I guess they arrived the US as adults, that's why not many spoke coherent English.
But the Hispanics in Miami always greeted me in English, not Spanish. As a matter of fact, Spanish speakers in the U.S are trying hard to learn English because they want to be productive members of the society.
I reside in the USA, if I learned the "American native" tongue..it wouldn't be "English. ".
Language is fascinating..from the etymology of words to the annunciation. German...french. Greek come to mind when researching words .
One school in our area opted for Chinese. (Mandarin?)
It's been well received.
Spanish was cut from the list as oddly most of the students know it thru the community .
My brother (30 years ago) studied Latin (which isn't really a spoken language per se) . Instead it was to grasp definition of writing ..or terms in medical . His "Americanized english" has been influenced from the years learning Latin.
My grandson refuses to learn a foreign language..he is applying to colleges soon and said :hh engineers don't need foreign language in their curriculum. His Dad still chuckles at that one! That kid will learn quick how important language is in building....
I visited the Hispanic neighborhoods in Miami last month, most Spanish speakers there made great efforts to learn English. I guess they arrived the US as adults, that's why not many spoke coherent English.
But the Hispanics in Miami always greeted me in English, not Spanish. As a matter of fact, Spanish speakers in the U.S are trying hard to learn English because they want to be productive members of the society.
I was born and raised in an area with a very large Hispanic population. Very few of the adults learned much English at all. The kids who stayed in school did, but the drop out rate was very high.
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hh engineers don't need foreign language in their curriculum. His Dad still chuckles at that one! That kid will learn quick how important language is in building....
