do Americans learn languages at school?

Question

I wondered, because apparently most Americans have never been outside the US. Is it compulsory to learn a foreign language at school like it is in the UK and the rest of Europe, or is it considered not to be necessary?

Answer 1

Most high schools require it. I was required to take two years minimum of either spanish, french, or german. Although, I have a ten year old niece and she is taking spanish already.

Answer 2

Some schools require it and some do not. Like some one else said you need to understand that the US is a country of many states, many of which are as big as countries in other parts of the world, and traveling from one state to another in the US is like traveling from 1 country to another in Europe (mileage wise). Many of the other countries neighboring the US cater to US tourists in English making the need to learn a foreign language not necessary. It is true that many US citizens have never been outside of the US this is because of how isolated the US is and because contrary to other myths about Americans, everyone in the US is not rich and cannot afford the expense of air and boat travel in order to visit another country. It's not like it is in Europe where you can just hop into a car or on a train and go a few hundred miles and be in another country. If you all can't figure this out, then maybe another myth about how Americans are so stupid doesn't only apply to Americans.

Answer 3

There are 3 languages offered at our local high school: German, Spanish and French. I don't know if this is typical of other schools in the US or if this is an exception to the rule.

The trouble is, unless you use the language every day or keep in practice, you lose most of what you have learned.

I studied Spanish for 2 years and French for 1 year and I still remember a smidgen of it, but in my small community, I have little chance to use what I have learned.

Answer 4

I was required to have at least 4 years of a language (I had a choice of Spanish, French, and Latin) between 7th and 12th grade.
You have to understand though, America is a very large country and pretty much isolated from other countries. It's not like Europe where you have many countries surrounding you and many languages you may need to get around. We only have Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. So it's not surprising that many Americans aren't bi-lingual. It's just not necessary because of geographical reasons.

Answer 5

English

Answer 6

I went to private school. we started learning Spanish in kindergarten, and took it all the way through 8th grade. most high schools require at least 2 semesters of a foreign language. it really depends on the type of school. both my brother & i speak very good conversational Spanish, plus my father is persian, so i speak farsi too. i know it might be easy to generalize, but not all americans are self absorbed selfish *******...

Answer 7

where I went to high school, we had to take about 1 or 2 (don't exactly remember) years of a foreign language. Most (about 90%) kids took Spanish, a few took French or Italian (there was a lot of Italian-american kids in my school).

Answer 8

you don't have to, but it's highly suggested.
yes, you learn them, but you learn small parts that can't even allow you to survive. if you go on to learn a whole language, you learn it incorrectly with a crappy american accent.

BTW: I've been to 5 out of the 7 continents, dont bother me.

Answer 9

We do. Spanish is required because of the rising Mexican population in America. I believe that the Mexicans should learn to speak English instead of us learning Spanish. Why do they not have to speak English when they come to our country? BTW I'm not racist I just believe that people coming to our country should learn our language. Why should 250,000,000 people learn Spanish instead of 50,000,000 learning English?

Answer 10

It is not just necessary for travel, but for work opportunities, immigrant tranlator for instance. It is also study to increase the IQ and mental capacity!