Here's a diatribe that is maybe part rant, part inane question.
If you are a native english speaker who is either considering the idea of learning a new language or put in a position where there's mandatory participation in a language learning program (i.e. high school) is there really a good reason to learn a language if you're not interested in the native-speaking girls of that language?
My answer here is an emphatic NO.
We can break this into a couple of adjacent questions which may be practical to the American put in this position.
- Will Latin America become economically significant in your lifetime?
- Will the chinese language overcome the practicality hurdle in your lifetime? (that is, chinese characters don't mesh well with computer technology).
- Will English ever be de-throned, in your lifetime, as the global language of trade?
I have to guess here that it's NO, NO, NO. Of course, if you have a thing for chinese or spanish-speaking chicks, then these first two questions are of no importance.
At my middle and high schools the language offerings were spanish, french, and latin (they were small schools). I took 2 years of spanish and 5 years of latin. We need to rethink this system for the sake of the next generation of American men and to instead start evangelizing the broad offering of high school classes in brazillian portuguese and russian!
Seriously.
If you are a native english speaker who is either considering the idea of learning a new language or put in a position where there's mandatory participation in a language learning program (i.e. high school) is there really a good reason to learn a language if you're not interested in the native-speaking girls of that language?
My answer here is an emphatic NO.
We can break this into a couple of adjacent questions which may be practical to the American put in this position.
- Will Latin America become economically significant in your lifetime?
- Will the chinese language overcome the practicality hurdle in your lifetime? (that is, chinese characters don't mesh well with computer technology).
- Will English ever be de-throned, in your lifetime, as the global language of trade?
I have to guess here that it's NO, NO, NO. Of course, if you have a thing for chinese or spanish-speaking chicks, then these first two questions are of no importance.
At my middle and high schools the language offerings were spanish, french, and latin (they were small schools). I took 2 years of spanish and 5 years of latin. We need to rethink this system for the sake of the next generation of American men and to instead start evangelizing the broad offering of high school classes in brazillian portuguese and russian!
Seriously.
Cat: the other white meat
Cat: the other white meat
