[HPforGrownups] Re: Kashrut / Languages (ot)

[Sheryll Townsend]

No: HPFGUIDX 6750


--- Amanda Lewanski <editor at texas.net> wrote:
> Kimberly wrote:
> 
> > I don't know about the British, but I'd say for
> most of us (U.S.)
> > Americans, learning English as a first language
> seems to do more
> > damage to the humility areas of the brain than the
> language-learning
> > areas.
> >
> > I was a grad instructor in Begining French in the
> midwest for a couple
> > of years, and I can't tell you how many of my
> students grumbled that
> > it was rediculous to have a foreign language
> requirement, and I'm
> > ashamed to mention some of the reasons they gave,
> but the gist was
> > either everyone already speaks English, they will
> if they want to make
> > any money, or they simply should, since it's the
> 'most important
> > language in the world'.
> 
> Whatever they perceived as the reason they didn't
> want to learn, there is a
> certain reality that unless you live up North, near
> Quebec, or down here
> near the border to Mexico, you probably will never
> need or use a second
> language. In Europe, homelands where other languages
> are spoken are much,
> much closer than in the U.S. and it's much more
> relevant.
> 
> Now, if one is from a household where another
> language is spoken, or if one
> is lucky enough to have the funds to globe-trot or
> move to another country,
> then multiple languages are tremendously useful. But
> for the majority of
> Americans, they really will never need them. The
> argument that it broadens
> the horizons and opens other windows of perception
> (I follow Worf's
> hypothesis) carries little weight in our
> minimum-education, minimum-effort
> attitudes.
> 
> --Amanda, Texas native who always wondered why they
> taught Spain's Spanish
> and not Mexico's at school, and who can gesture
> fluently in Polish.

I've been rather enjoying hearing everyone's take on
the language issue. Being Canadian, learning French is
a requirement from elementary school. It's not until
after a couple years of high school that you have the
option of dropping the language from your classes.
There are also the options of early or late immersion.
In the former, you start taking half your classes in
French from the first grade right through elementary
school. In the latter, you take some of your 7th and
8th grade classes, like history and geography, in
French. 

My daughter tried late immersion. Once she found her
marks dropping in the classes she took totally in
French, she opted out. I had a huge battle with the
school, which insisted I force her to remain in the
late immersion programme. Needless to say, I refused.
It was her idea to join the programme, and I allowed
her to make the decision to opt out after the first
year. She dropped French after the 10th grade, leaving
me the only one in the family who can get by in the
language. I learned my French in Europe, where my
father was stationed. When we later moved to northern
Quebec, my marks dropped from 90s to around 60 - very
different languages. I haven't had to use my French
very much, so I've lost a lot of it. I'm taking a stab
at reading the first 3 HP books in French, but it's
very slow going. I keep wanting to flip over to the
English  versions for clarification, but I've lent
them to friends.

Sheryll


=====
"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."

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