To have Bilingual Education or not Have Bilingual Education? (Miami: new home, military)

[boxus]

Originally Posted by catt6

must absolutely disagree with this. everyone i know who spoke two languages as children (one at school, and another - or both - at home) has been BETTER equipped in life, and MUCH better able to communicate in both languages. (and better communicators in general).

I agree, there is nothing wrong with a kid learning two languages at once. However, you allude to that everyone should be bilingual, and that everyone should be bilingual in English and Spanish; what is the point? If everyone knows English and Spanish, why not just drop one of the languages all together? After all, the point of language is to communicate, and if the communication requirement is met with everyone knowing English, what is the point to learn Spanish?

Originally Posted by catt6

and for the record i DO think two languages should be standard in our education plans in the US.

I disagree; it should be offered, but not mandated. If it is mandated, then parents should have the option of choosing which language, even if it is not part of the school's offerings but taken somewhere else, even at home.

Originally Posted by catt6

so I certainly think it would be a positive for the USA to also be doing this, as many other countries in the world do; and yes it makes sense that it be Spanish, as it is fast becoming our 'second official' language. I have no patriotic prejudice about it - yes this is America, English will always be our first language. But also imho, America NEEDS to also be able to speak more than one language, to communicate with a big portion of our own citizens, and Spanish is the 2nd most common language used in the USA today.

People in other countries are taught English for a reason as it is the global language. Native English speakers are at the benefit of having their primary language as the global language. If we were in Germany and having this same conversation, I would agree that it should be mandatory for students to elarn English.

So, you start off your post with stating how people should learn a second language, then finish up your post stating it should be Spanish; seems a bit of a skewed view. Why not another language?

How about the Spanish speakers learned English? Why is the burden of knowing a second language (and in your case, it should be Spanish) upon the English speaker? Should not the Spanish speaking immigrants learn English fluency, and are not their kids who go to school here taught English?

[catt6]

yes, yes, of course Spanish speakers should learn English too. this is not an 'either or' issue. to me it is about being inclusive. it seems that other people look at this as exclusive; for me the entire point is for everybody to be able to communicate MORE, using all practical methods that can be utilized - not to come from a prejudical attitude that one is better and the other is bad.

Spanish seems the logical choice, since that seems to be most predominant as the second language spoken in the USA these days, and it would be therefore create more of the population being able to communicate with the rest of the population.

[boxus]

"and it would be therefore create more of the population being able to communicate with the rest of the population."

This does not make sense. If everyone also knows English, then how does knowing Spanish would create more of the population being able to communicate with each other?

[miamihurricane555]

Originally Posted by boxus

"and it would be therefore create more of the population being able to communicate with the rest of the population."

This does not make sense. If everyone also knows English, then how does knowing Spanish would create more of the population being able to communicate with each other?

I hope you realize that there are more Spanish speakers in the world than English speakers. learning spanish also helps with doing international business I would also like to add Mandarin classes to be givenin schools but I just don't know how fisable that is financially.

[Carlo78]

Originally Posted by miamihurricane555

how did u get el tilde on the o? that has been driveing me crazy everytime I have to write in spanish?

I got here a spanish keyboard, but its easy if you dont have one, just use alt codes: press "alt 162" for ó

More detailed codes:

El código ASCII Completo, tabla con los codigos ASCII completos, caracteres simbolos letras ascii, codigos, tabla, caracteres, simbolos, control, imprimibles, extendido, letras, vocales, signos, simbolos, mayusculas, minusculas, alt, teclas, acentos,

[boxus]

Originally Posted by miamihurricane555

I hope you realize that there are more Spanish speakers in the world than English speakers. learning spanish also helps with doing international business I would also like to add Mandarin classes to be givenin schools but I just don't know how fisable that is financially.

No, more people speak English in the world than any other language. It may not be their native language, but they demonstrate some degree of fluency in it.

A person can go from the US, to China, to India, to Russia, and to Germany, and find Englsih speakers there as well as signs in English (or in the case of India, official functions in English), you will find little to no Spanish in any of those places. English is taught as a second language in many countries, and many native Spanish speakers here in the US know English to some degree.

So now you want to add Mandarin; how many languages you think someone needs to speak?

[bale002]

Originally Posted by miamihurricane555

I hope you realize that there are more Spanish speakers in the world than English speakers. Learning Spanish also helps with doing international business. I would also like to add Mandarin classes to be given in schools but I just don't know how feasable that is financially.

So which is it? Spanish should be mandatory in Miami-Dade County (regardless of how unfeasable it is)? Or Spanish helps doing international business? Make up your mind.

It doesn't take an entire population to do international business. Even today, after some 20 years or so of globalization, international trade is like 11%-12% of US GDP, up from around 10% previously (though it accounts for an increasing portion of added value).

Jack of all trades, master of none (figure it out).

No one disputes that Spanish helps in doing international business (especially in Miami, to be sure).

But so does Mandarin. So does German. So does Portuguese. So does French. So does Russian. So does ... {insert name of language of major trading country}.

The point is that it only takes a certain number of specialists to deliver a certain product or service, not the entire population who are the consumers of said product or service.

Enough people will speak enough Spanish in Miami to carry on trade with Latin America, and even fewer will do it at a high level of proficiency and professionalism, the necessary level will not require mandatory bilingualism, the current system of a few hours a week starting in elementary school, and, for those with the aptitude a few specialized schools and the option to concentrate or major in a language or two at the upper school or college level is quite fine the way it is now, there is no reason to intervene or change anything. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Perhaps what's missing, on the other hand, is general proficiency in English grammar, which would go along way in helping with bilingualism for those who have the vocation for it (a little subtle, but you can figure it out) and mathematics, especially financial mathematics, such as avoiding the stupidity of taking on more debt than one can afford.

Now that would help the economy, not the adolescent pipedream of everyone being bilingual or everyone owning a mansion, unicorns, pink elephants, blissful brotherly love, and so on. It simply doesn't work that way in the real world.

You express yourself very well in English, which tells me a lot about your ability in your native language and your aptitude for a second language, but it tells me absolutely nothing about mandatory bilingualism for an entire population.

We need people who know how to think properly and take pride in their work, not people who wear rose-colored glasses.

[Carlo78]

Originally Posted by boxus

No, more people speak English in the world than any other language. It may not be their native language, but they demonstrate some degree of fluency in it.

A person can go from the US, to China, to India, to Russia, and to Germany, and find Englsih speakers there as well as signs in English (or in the case of India, official functions in English), you will find little to no Spanish in any of those places. English is taught as a second language in many countries, and many native Spanish speakers here in the US know English to some degree.

So now you want to add Mandarin; how many languages you think someone needs to speak?

More people has english as second language, not native. The growing of both is different.

[miamihurricane555]

Originally Posted by bale002

So which is it? Spanish should be mandatory in Miami-Dade County (regardless of how unfeasable it is)? Or Spanish helps doing international business? Make up your mind.

It doesn't take an entire population to do international business. Even today, after some 20 years or so of globalization, international trade is like 11%-12% of US GDP, up from around 10% previously (though it accounts for an increasing portion of added value).

Jack of all trades, master of none (figure it out).

No one disputes that Spanish helps in doing international business (especially in Miami, to be sure).

But so does Mandarin. So does German. So does Portuguese. So does French. So does Russian. So does ... {insert name of language of major trading country}.

The point is that it only takes a certain number of specialists to deliver a certain product or service, not the entire population who are the consumers of said product or service.

Enough people will speak enough Spanish in Miami to carry on trade with Latin America, and even fewer will do it at a high level of proficiency and professionalism, the necessary level will not require mandatory bilingualism, the current system of a few hours a week starting in elementary school, and, for those with the aptitude a few specialized schools and the option to concentrate or major in a language or two at the upper school or college level is quite fine the way it is now, there is no reason to intervene or change anything. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Perhaps what's missing, on the other hand, is general proficiency in English grammar, which would go along way in helping with bilingualism for those who have the vocation for it (a little subtle, but you can figure it out) and mathematics, especially financial mathematics, such as avoiding the stupidity of taking on more debt than one can afford.

Now that would help the economy, not the adolescent pipedream of everyone being bilingual or everyone owning a mansion, unicorns, pink elephants, blissful brotherly love, and so on. It simply doesn't work that way in the real world.

You express yourself very well in English, which tells me a lot about your ability in your native language and your aptitude for a second language, but it tells me absolutely nothing about mandatory bilingualism for an entire population.

We need people who know how to think properly and take pride in their work, not people who wear rose-colored glasses.

okay I was thinking that for the spanish requisite that it would kill to birds with one stone. it would make Miami-Dade a Bilingual County and would give us the benefit of perfect language skills with with S. FL biggest trading partner. So Miami could become the american Cataluña while getting the benefit of major trade.

[Komodo666]

I'm in favour of a foreign language requirement, but not necessarily Spanish.