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Languages are beautiful and none of them should be disregarded. I'm reminded of a mining operation in West Papua (Irian Jaya) that has displaced 250 tribes with 250 (!) languages. This is a nightmare. All languages add a great deal to human experience. I studied German for quite a few years and my own thinking and communication skills are that much richer for it.
And, yes, there are quite a few, including children, that can acquire and use multiple languages with seeming ease. However, I understood the original post was about the educational system. I don't believe that children (< 12?) should be instructed more than one language in a single system. A second language could be learned outside the school. Instructing two languages would be like instructing the metric _and_ the American systems of measurement. Sure, it's great to know both or even a host of systems, but given the time, subject and attention constraints in school, I don't think there is the pleasure of focusing on more than one language if one is to get a well-rounded education.
Language is the primary tool to learn to teach all other subjects. All communication is based on agreed upon symbols. There are fluid boundaries to these agreements but most of them are based on geography.
In other words, when in Rome......
Unfortunately, the multicultural approach in this country is most often really bi-cultural, especially when it comes to languages. It seems that the only language taught in school these days is Spanish. I don't think even French or German are offered in this "multicultural" city of Los Angeles. Why is that???
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted losing our language tsuwm 08/05/00 08:01 PM Re: losing our language jmh 08/06/00 11:10 AM Re: losing our language michaelo 08/09/00 03:58 AM Re: losing our language Bingley 08/09/00 04:22 AM Re: losing our language wsieber 08/09/00 07:53 AM Re: losing our language michaelo 08/12/00 05:41 AM Re: losing our language Bridget 08/13/00 05:15 AM Re: losing our language michaelo 08/15/00 04:33 AM Re: losing our language tsuwm 08/15/00 07:38 PM Re: losing our language Bridget 08/16/00 09:02 AM Re: losing our language Bridget 08/16/00 08:55 AM
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