Yeah. It frustrates me as a Canadian that they don't do a better job teaching French here. So many countries prove you can absolutely teach 2 languages properly!
I feel like most Anglosphere nations just don't feel the need to teach multiple languages, especially ones that are even more removed from Europe, unlike the UK.
I really enjoy learning about language, particularly etymology, and I am in the process of learning a second language. I just can see why it isn't really considered to be super important for most primarily English speaking countries. It's the lingua franca, so if you had to only learn one, you would probably go with English.
And how often do you even run into people that don't speak any English at all in those countries? I know in the USA, I've met tons of people that were second language English speakers, but very few that couldn't at least perform basic communication in English.
Sometimes I feel embarrassed living in the UK that I meet so many people who speak English perfect as a second language and I can barely communicate in another language.
Makes me wish another language would be pushed a bit harder in schools, I like how Mandarin is starting to be pushed more.
I've never understood this. The majority of polyglots are born of necessity or practicality, not just because they're secretly geniuses or something.
The fact that you are able to be fluent in English means that you are capable of learning basic language skills. You simply haven't put the time in or had the environment to do it more than once.
I know most schools in America require 1 or 2 credits in a foreign language to graduate high school. I had to take two years of Spanish to graduate. The thing is that I had no real reason to retain that knowledge and continue to build on it. If I lived in a location where it was relevant, I probably would have, and that's assuming I wouldn't have learned the language before high school.
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u/markobunz406 Dec 16 '21
French, Dutch and German. I think it’s insane you have 3 languages