should classes be taught in only the english language?

Answer 1

no

Answer 2

I feel that the national language or whatever most commonly spoken language is in a given country should be what is taught in that country's schools. If you live in France, your kids should speak French, Germany = German, ETC... In the USA, the most commonly spoken language is English, so we should teach English. However, everyone offers other languages as elective classes, Non-English-speaking countries often require English because it is the international language for business. Any time to countries talk between each other it is in either a common language or English. So technically, you could say that all schools world wide should teach English, then we could eliminate the whole language barrier thing completely!!!

Answer 3

Yes, except for ESL and foreign language classes. Also, I would make an exception for specialized foreign language schools, the ones for instance that diplomats send their kids to, though those kids should also be made to study English intensively. Kids will learn English faster even if it is a struggle at first. Those who enter the school system at an age in which foreign language is being taught should be made to double up on English, even after they have passed out of ESL for a few years.
I have a lot of personal experience with this issue. My stepson arrived here at age 8, fluent in two other unrelated languages (not close to English). He learned English and lost his accent, but he still has language problems after 10 years, though no discernible accent at all. He tried to take a few different foreign languages along the way, but more than 3 languages was too tough for him. Those kids who are speaking Spanish have an automatic foreign language expertise, and I believe the Spanish teachers require more of them than their other students. But still is not fair. A lot depends on the age of the student entering the system. Younger students learn language more easily, but older ones already have a much larger built in vocabulary which translates into the other language. In our case, there was a lot language confusion. English should always be primary.

Answer 4

In the US I think that yes, classes should be taught in english. I think that a second language should be taught as an elective though.

Answer 5

That depends on where the classes are being taught. Assuming you mean countries like England, US, Canada, etc. where english is the standard, day-to-day language of operation, the "mother-tongue" as it were, then yes, all classes should be taught exclusively in english.

Answer 6

If you only have English speaking students in the classroom, otherwise all the information is incomprehensible input. Imagine yourself sitting in an Algebra class where the teacher is speaking Japanese, how much would you learn in a 50 minute lesson, and how awful would you feel if you had to answer a question (that you didn't understand) in front of the class? If you want to learn new information it must be given to you in a language you understand, otherwise you won't learn anything.

Answer 7

If you are in England, sure.

This is the USA, and the fact that English is our most commonly spoken language is pure coincidence. THe reason people want to make the USA "English only" is that they feel threatened by the demographic changes that are a natural part of any country's life (especially ours).
People claim that America won't be America anymore if we speak other languages. I think they are lazy and frightened by the prospect of a culture that doesn't hand them the upper hand. What makes America great is the diversity of our ideas and experience. We don't have one church, one religion, or one aesthetic ideal. In short, we're neither slaves nor robots. I think that's a good thing.

Think of the great things that we enjoy today, that we wouldn't have if we were "English only." Arabic numerals, Roman letters, Latin legal systems, Greek democracy, Middle Eastern monotheism, Chinese gunpowder, porcelain and pasta, Mexican tomatoes, turkey, chili peppers, and pumpkins, Peruvian potatoes, etc.

If we had been English only, we wouldn't have assimilated foreign words like thug (Hindi), pornography (Greek), angst (German), soldier (French), coffee (Arabic), marijuana (Spanish), booze (Dutch), klutz (Yiddish), icon (Russian), chess (Persian), ketchup (Chinese), and yankee (Aztec).

All of these words, and thousands more are the result of non-English speakers mixing their language with English, with glorious results.

Peace.

Answer 8

English is taught around the world. I think we should all be taught at least two languages.

Answer 9

Yes, because English is the only commonly used universal language.

Answer 10

i think bilingual classes could be beneficial..but only if the students want to be in a bilingual class (it shouldn't be mandatory). Bilingual classes aren't just for foreign students it also helps english speaking students learn another language which could help with their career opportunities in the future. And it has been proven that the younger a student is the easier it is for them to learn a different language.

Answer 11

Agree with the answers so far, in the US, English. If an elective course in another language is offered, fine.