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should kids start learning a foreign language in grade school instead of HS? Language is absorbed the most rapidly in the formative years (1-5), but post-formative children are still able to learn a second language at a much faster rate than teenagers. Should it be required for children to spend say 20 minutes a day starting in 1st grade until middle school? It makes since when you think that in that amount of time most kids would be more proficient in a second language, than they would after the 1-2 years of foreign language that is required for most college degrees.
opinions?
As soon as you get rid of the teachers' unions and get the pseudo-federal government out of education, you can start doing things that pedagogically make sense and actually work....like teaching foreign language instruction.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81
When you learn a language is not important as continuing to use what you've learned. Even if kids should learn a language the first six years of their schooling, once that course work becomes elective in middle and high school grades the kids who choose not to continue will eventually lose that skill.
Euro-States use self-study at higher grade levels. For example, in Romania at higher levels you'd choose a work of fiction and one of non-fiction in Russian, French or English and then read the books and write chapter summaries....in the language of the book and turn it in as "home-work." At the equivalent of junior high level, it's group instruction...reading a magazine or newspaper headline and a short article on a daily basis.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crazyme4878
I would love to see Spanish taught extensively through 8th grade, and then another mandatory two years of another language in high school. How can we expect our children to compete globally when this is a norm throughout the industrial world?
Right...because Spain is a world leader.....the future of world is Slavic, Chinese and Hindi, not Spanish.
You do understand Brasilians speak Portuguese, right?
When I was in high school all the students in "college level" classes had to take a language. But some rinky-dink language class in high school isn't going to make you fluent.
The only way that would happen is if illegal immigration were allowed to continue. Besides, we are constantly being told that Hispanics are assimilating linguistically in our country. Is that a lie then? Since we already have our recognized national language English to communicate with them in why would we need to learn Spanish? Why would any country in the world want their identity, culture and language changed especially via illegal immigration and other non-assimilating residents? From your post I gather you don't care for some odd reason. Do you actually think that Mexico would embrace becoming an Asian country in identity for example via the same unnatural and unlawful way? Of course not and I wouldn't blame them.
A concise description of most of the European invaders to the New World - except maybe the French.
It's hard to tell if the French assimilated better to the various cultures they encountered in the New World due to necessity - economic (fur trade), demographic - (the first waves were explorers/trappers - there were very few women among them) - or if they genuinely enjoyed learning the languages and cultures. I'd have to look into it more.
Knowing Spanish isn't going to help you compete with anyone but illegals who will work for cheaper.
It isn't just illegal aliens from Latin American countries that speak Spanish - Spanish is a useful language for everyone who lives in certain areas to achieve mastery.
Harrier can understand and communicate with more people due to his learning Spanish and most of them are not illegal aliens.
If Harrier wants to talk to an illegal alien - he can visit Home Depot.
Right...because Spain is a world leader.....the future of world is Slavic, Chinese and Hindi, not Spanish.
I wouldn't be quite so quick to pronounce English dead.
Also... Slavic? LOL. Russia is a nation in decline.
Turkish has a better shot at being a global language than Russian (or any other Slavic language) does. Turkic languages are spoken from the Balkans to eastern Siberia, by way of the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Xinjiang. And wherever Turkic languages go, Turkish influence follows.
Right...because Spain is a world leader.....the future of world is Slavic, Chinese and Hindi, not Spanish.
You do understand Brasilians speak Portuguese, right?
Linguistically...
Mircea
The United States is the second-largest Spanish speaking country after Mexico with over 50 million people speaking it. Better get on board rather than fight it.
Eastern Europe exists - and is no longer under Russian influence.
Both are sleeping giants.
So you think Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, etc., are poised to join forces and take over the world?
OK then.
Oh, wait... I forgot the mighty juggernaut that is Belarus!
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.....the future of world is Slavic, Chinese and Hindi, not Spanish. 
Through a glass, darkly
