English speaking people: do you think we should make more of an effort to learn other languages?

Question

So many people in other countries can speak English really well. I know that English is effectively the 'international language' and that's why so many learn it, but do you think we should still make more of an effort to learn say, French or Spanish or something? Or do you think it's a waste of time?

I'm not just talking about learning Bonjour and Adios in school, I mean learning it so you can actually use it.

Answer 1

Public schools & Colleges usually require some forien language classes. I support this because it actually makes the students learn English better.

The USA is 50 States united in transportation, law, and language. It truly is difficult to master a language unless you live in a place dominated by the language. When you are born and brought up in the USA, it is good to preserve the English language to preserve the Unity of the States.

BTW - I have taken French, Spanish, and Italian. I am not fluent. I cannot structure a sentance since latin languages do it backwards from English ... but I can count to 1 million in all the languages.

Answer 2

I do. I think its very important and its really the only way to discover what other cultures are truely like. I was fortunate to have parents who had a travel bug. My mother is Swedish and my father is American so I spoke both at home and still today speak Swedish to mom and English to dad. We lived in Italy from the time I was 1 untill I was 14 so I speak Italian and French (they start teaching it in the 4th grade). It was hard to deal with the constant moving and saying bye to friends and there were many times we didn't have much money because jobs weren't always easy to find but the power behind knowing four languages and cultures feels awesome. So defenetely. It should be mandatory from at least the 4th grade in my opinion. We defenetely could benefit from some knowing spanish in the US. People think it somehow does a disservice to American citizens by allowing Mexicans to come in and not have to learn to at least speak English, but thats just crazy. One of the reasons many Mexicans don't speak english even after living most of their lives in the US is that they haven't even mastered their own language and they don't have time to take english language classes. People who don't realize the power of communication have tragically missed the point.

Answer 3

Good question, I have thought about this too...it is true that other countries teach children all throughout their education a language so they become fluent after so many years...not like the 2 years of spanish I took in high school which did nothing for me. I think it would be useful and make our students more intelligent if they learned another language. Since it is America, I believe ALL childeren should be fluent in English becuause this truly is our national language. Also, I think it should be the parent/child's choice as to which other language they want o learn.

Answer 4

Countries whose people can speak more than one language well are those who have dealings with more than one language on a daily basis. Cambodian men before Pol Pot could usually speak three to six languages fluently. They grew up bi-lingual Khmer and French, and were surrounded with other languages. That type of living situation makes for what might almost be called natural linguists. Their minds are much freer that way.

Countries where only one language is spoken may learn "school" second languages, but it is not the same. My cousin had four years of college German, could read any theological tome in German, but couldn't buy a train ticket in Frankfurt. He had learned the reading and writing, but the speaking and hearing are different skills.

To learn a language to use it you have to be situated to use that languge on a more or less regular basis.

So, if you live in a part of America where there are lot of
Spanish speaking people, and you have regular dealings with them, your children, especially, have the potential of growing up bi-lingual.

But I really think that people should first learn to use their own language well, and to know their own cultural history and literature well--so I rather object to the "new American way of teaching multi-culturalism" before the kids have learned who they are as Americans.

Answer 5

I think it's a great idea. Just because we may not need another language, I think it is a great thing to study, gets children aware of other cultures and makes learning many other things so much easier.

I think the way our school systems implements language in the 7th grade and beyond makes it nearly impossible to learn. And then when students are enrolled in the class, they don't learn anything other than 'hi, how are you?' 'what time is it?' I think that is because of the way the language is presented to students. It's more of a textbook learning style, rather than a hands-on, conversational way of learning.

Answer 6

If you are planning to travel to a certain country, yes, I would make the effort to learn the language. If you are planning to stay in the U.S. my question would be why bother? English is the official language of this country, why make it easier on the people that come here and expect everyone to understand their native language so they don't have to bother to learn ours?

Answer 7

Definitely, especially when we travel to countries where English isn't the national language. We should try to learn their languages like most of them try to learn ours before visiting. A good conversational CD course would do more than you would think. I made friendships with people during my trips I would not have been able to make if I hadn't tried to learn how to communicate with them before leaving the US. They were unforgettable moments of my life.

Answer 8

People from different countries have more respect for you when you at least try to learn their language before visiting them. Language is a big part of one's culture. Expecting other cultures to carry 100% of the burden for communication is disrespectful when visiting foreign countries.

Answer 9

Of course we should. Why should the world revolve around us and the English language? It is only responsible of us to learn other languages as well for our own benefit and growth, and perhaps business advancement if that's what you're looking for as well.

Answer 10

I think we should make more effort to learn other languages. They are fun to learn, and they enforce many important skills.