I'm currently a Rotary Exchange student living in the Netherlands, and let me tell you, if there is one country of people that really truly knows and appreciates the value of a proper foreign language education, it's the Dutch. The standards expected from students here are simply on a higher level than I could have ever imagined. An average Dutch highschooler has three, sometimes four different languages being taught to them all at the same time, if you count their own language as well. There are even some students who receive regular lessons (math, history, science, etc.) that are taught entirely in English. What do we expect from our highschoolers in th US who have taken Spanish or French for four years? They can usually count to 50, use general greetings and name a few household items or animals. I've come to realize that even the students here that think they speak a foreign language poorly would be able to sail through any advanced American language course completely unscratched. How have our standards gotten so low?
The USA in this day in age no longer goes by an isolationist policy. When so many things nowadays are becoming more and more internationalized, why do we neglect our foreign language skills so much? The Dutch have come to recognize that their language is not very internationally used. Their televisions constantly display American and British films and TV shows with Dutch subtitles underneath, whereas in most countries they would dub it over. I sometimes hear my friends complaining that so many childrens shows are dubbed now, and when they were little all the shows were subtitled. They weren't complaining because they were jealous; they were complaining because they believe those kids won't learn English as well in that manner.
So much is to be said for learning a new language! When I first arrived here about 5 months ago, I couldn't really speak that much Dutch. I knew vaguely how to introduce myself, count, and say a few dirty phrases. Of course every time I met someone and told them I'm from New York, they immediately wanted to speak English to me. It has taken me some time to learn, simply because I didn't have very many chances to speak Dutch for a while. By now, I can tell stories, argue, flirt, compliment, explain, and more all in Dutch if I want to.
I love that I can understand what they say. It feels like my mind has been opened up to a whole new world of opinions and phrases. That thought is almost beathtaking; I find it so incredible that now I can understand things that billions of other people can't, and that I can now communicate with countries full of people that I never could have before. I love connecting the bridges and being able to see the similarities and differences. When you learn a new language you learn more about the world and its roots in history. So many people look at the Dutch language and say, "Oh my, what a difficult language!" But that really isn't the case at all! Although the words might not look exactly the same at first glance, if you look a little longer and read a little deeper into the root words and prefixes and suffixes, you'll start to look at its similarities, rather than its differences, and that's when you've gained bilingual understanding. You begin to see that sometime long ago these were the same language, and something happened where people split into groups and eventually became so far apart that they couldnt understand each other. That's linguistic evolution.
My best friend in Holland, Stefy, speaks the most fluent English I've ever heard from a Dutch girl, and with almost no accent. She also speaks quite impressive French and German, and she's also picked up quite a bit of Italian in order to communicate better with her boyfriend and his family from Italy. While we were in Barcelona for a week we met people from all over the world. At the time, the hotel was also host to people from England, Germany, Belgium, France and possibly more. There was a group of French boys that talked to us quite often. They spoke rather broken English, and in my recent efforts to learn Dutch, I've forgotten most of the French I learned in highschool (though I'm currently trying to pick it back up, as I will be travelling to France next month), but Stefy spoke French quite comfortably with them. As if I wasn't already impressed enough, we later came upon a group of German boys who also spoke quite broken English. Stefy's German is even better than her French. Now that's a girl that's going to end up being succesful.
At any rate, I highly encourage everyone to follow in the footsteps of the Dutch. We should all try our best to expand our minds and broaden our understanding of the world around us, and in addition, we should improve the foreign language standards in our schools. Believe me; it's an effort that is certain to pay off.
I'm going to the Netherlands tomorrow. I don't speak a bit of Dutch, though, and my French is pretty broken from many years of misuse. I used to be able to write mediocre essays in French. Now I'm lucky if I could carry on a conversation. I'm going to be taking ASL this semester, though, and while not a completely foreign language, I hope I can become fluent enough to use it in my practice as a physician.
~C
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That's really cool! Are you studying abroad or coming as a tourist? When you first arrive, it's not really necessary to be able to speak Dutch, but it does help to learn it if you're planning on staying for a long period of time.
Just as a tourist. My mom had to come to Den Haag for a conference (with NATO, or something), and so she took me out with her a few days early to explore Amsterdam. I've found that Dutch sounds a lot like German, though there's a lot of extra letters in the words :-)
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
In most places in India, they learn about 10 languages...
--Mike
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yeah they do! So what! It would be good if you know what there saying in there regular language. Many people don't understand that if language is a berrer then you should know how to break it. My mom speaks 6 languages and 2 she speaks on a regular basics/ English and Spanish! Shes mixed with black and hispanic but my father is african american too. So learning what they are saying is important. What is this person and idnia said don't drink this drink it is made of posion. But only to his native people.! Then your thirsty and don't understnd what he's saying! What do you do then?
...but personally I feel like writing them is pretty key.
--Mike
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:))
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What's the worst that could happen, apart from all of us being flattened or fried or whatever bombs do? [Rudy Steiner from The Book Thief]
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I value foreign language very much. I came from Thailand to America when I was about 10 years old. At first, I sounded like...a "Fob". But now, people say I have American accent and think I was born in America. Because I go to school here, it was a requirement that I had to take foreign language class during my junior high school and high school years. I took Spanish and then French. It was fun. I regret not keeping up with those languages and I'm beginning to forget how to speak them.
In addition to that, I became interested in Chinese, Japanese and Korean. My friends came from different backgrounds and they made me want to learn their languages. It's an amazing opportunity really. I get a nice feeling every time I try to say a word from another language. If I get a chance, I would like to go study aboard and visit other countries too. You are lucky and I am a little bit jealous. haha.
There are sooooo many opportunities to become a foreign exchange student, especially for someone who shows a sincere interest in foreign cultures, such as yourself. If you´re in highschool now, I´d recommend talking to your local Rotary club or AFS. If you´re in college, I know many colleges offer a study abroad program for a semester or so. You should definitely look into it. You don´t need to be rich or anything; i know my family certainly isn't. You just need to find the right program to fit your current situation. It's really worth looking into.
Sad to say, but I live in Germany and only speak enough German to be barely polite. Well, I also know how to say I'm a snowflake, but how much can you use that statement? I don't really need to know German though because I spend most of my time with other Americans. Sad to say, I never learned Japanese when I lived in Japan, either. Now that I'm getting ready to move, I really wish I had learned German.
I could find a million ways to work in I'm a snowflake lol. Not of course, that it solves the dilemma, but... you know :D
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Soar high and laugh on the wind
~Fallon~
"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."- Thoreau
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Ich bin Schneeflocke!!!
It's an inside joke thing...
I love Europe mostly because everybody is so intermixed and I think their knowledge of many languages is a result of that. It's easier to understand another culture if you speak their language...so if you speak 5 different languages, that gives you a change to learn more about 5 different cultures.
I'm still trying to improve my French but it's hard to learn different language especially at an older age (not saying I'm old). I always loved hearing the French boys speaking broken English, I thought it was so cute. Also, trying to learn another language makes you appreciate those who do are trying to learn your native language.
I had a friend from the Netherlands and he told me he learned how to speak English from watching TV as a kid. He also spoke French fluently so that was three languages and the last time I saw him he was learning Spaish. Most of my European friends are at least bilingual and working on the third language...I think it's amazing.
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All the believers, they were smiling and winking at each other, I could honestly say I was scared for my life.
Amen to that! Language education in America is appalling. In high school I studied Latin and in college have taken two years of Italian, but it's taken a lot of work to barely be able to express myself in that language. I just came home from a semester in Scotland, where I had bi- or trilingual flatmates. I wish we took learning new languages more seriously.
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ce.apocryphalpublishing.com
The vast majority of Americans don't have passports, so what would be the great gain in devoting significant amounts of time to studying modern foreign languages?
I think more Americans should see more of the world instead of living in their own little boxes. I know the only reason I've gotten to see more of the world is because my dad's in the military and moving sucks, but I'm glad for the experience. It opens up your eyes to a whole new world. So, more people should see more of the world.
Besides, studying Spanish has helped me understand English better.
It's an inside joke thing...
Allow me to reiterate.
Most americans don't have passports because usually, early on in their life, they just dig a nice little cave for themselves in one tiny corner of the planet and that is where they remain until one day their children move them into a retirement home. Occasionally, the eccentric american will wander from his cave for a few days, or sometimes even a week(!), to visit family or sometimes just to get away from all of life's stressfulness. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's no life for me. I'm not saying that everyone needs to devote significant amounts of time to studying modern languages because they need to; I know perfectly well that americans can survive in their caves for surprisingly long periods of time. I'm saying that they should learn new languages because they'll gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world in general. I'm saying they should do it for themselves.
So how about a new slogan? "Treat yourself: Learn a new language!"
Wow, wonderfully put. I'll wander back to my cave now.
I am absolutely agree, Americans don't put effort to learn foreign languages. I am currently in my last year of high school and the majority of my classmates have take Spanish for the past three years and a half but they barely know anything. Some have told me that they have simply taken the language because it is required by the school. This makes me sad.
Mariela Castillo
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/mariela-castillo
I agree with you. You get out of it what you put into it... and most American children that I knew in my childhood spent so much time whining and avoiding actually learning, that they could be fluent if they expended the same amount of effort doing the work in the first place.
I agree with this blog post. Americans do need to expand their horizons and have their children learn more languages. I think it would not only help in educating children and young adults and open their minds to new cultures, it would also show the world that we're not the "stupid americans" they once thought we were.
I went to Amsterdam this summer and the dutch people were so kind. I was mistaken for a local...I guess I look dutch? But I was so sad to not even be able to say "Sorry, I'm an American." in dutch. I speak Japanese and French enough to survive, but I would love to be able to politely ask for things in every language I come into contact. I think it's more polite that way.
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"I am a Stephens Woman."
http://progressiveu.org/blog/ashestree
The reason why foreign language training in high schools across America is so poor compared to Europe is because the English language is power. When 3 G8 nations speak a single language, and together hold 35% of the WORLD's GDP (that's not all English-speaking nations, just the USA, Britain and Canada) people learn that language. In Europe there's money to be made from French-speakers, German-speakers, Italian-speakers, Spanish-speakers etc. so there's good reason for people to learn more than just their mother tongue. (Don't see many people learning how to speak Czech do you? Why? Relatively not much money to be made as there aren't a lot of speakers. It's more advantageous to learn a language which you have the highest chance of finding useful.) On the other hand, it is clear to EVERYONE worldwide that there is money to be made from English-speakers, so English tends to take a front seat when it comes to language training. The Europeans learn English, the Chinese learn it, the Japanese learn it, the South Americans learn it; it's literally the language of power. In regards to dealing with foreigners, it doesn't take two to tango. If person A knows person B's language, person B need not know person A's. That's just how it works and when you come from an English-speaking country you are person B and have the luxury of choosing whether or not to learn another language. I know many North Americans who took a language in high-school or university but no longer use it and have subsequently forgotten it. Why? Because for many it's unnecessary. If you live in a unilingual environment for your entire life you don't need to know how to speak anything else, provided that environment stays unilingual. I am a full advocate of learning other languages and experiencing other cultures (I myself can speak reasonable Japanese and fluent French) but when you look at the Dutch who are native-speakers of a dying language, you simply can't compare them to those who live in nations whose languages' influences are only growing all across the globe.
While I agree that English is a power, I think that the values of learning foreign language are more than just future job potential. Learning a language helps one understand English better, their brain grows, and they become much more aware.
One also gains respect for being intelligent...although language doesn't mean one is a genius.
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"I am a Stephens Woman."
http://progressiveu.org/blog/ashestree
I've yet to meet a stupid person who knew multiple languages. Granted I'm talking about people who are fluent in more the one or two languages not just ones who can speak one and make themselves understood in another, those people can still be idiots. However a good mark of someone's intelligence is the number of languages they speak, more languages the smarter I'd bet they are.
"They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you're high, you can do everything you normally do, just as well. You just realize that it's not worth the fucking effort. There is a difference." Bill Hicks
I'm not sure. I have the ability to mimic accents and pick up languages very quickly. If I could I'd live in foreign countries until I was fluent and then move to the next country. When I stay with a family in France they said my accent was perfect and when we went to Paris I could fool the parisians. My Japanese is the same. With my accent people assume I'm fluent...though I am learning. What I know is self taught.
I met some South Koreans and they taught me a few phrases in which I picked up quickly and had little to no flaw in accent. (I think accents are important because they are part of the fluency.)
My intelligence however is not one of genius. I hate studying. But languages are a passion of mine and something I have a gift for. Many people assume I am intelligent when I communicate to foreigners, but really I see it more as respect than showing off my knowledge.
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"I am a Stephens Woman."
http://progressiveu.org/blog/ashestree
From a teacher's perspective, I used to hear my students complain about having to learn a foreign language. Once they realized that the course consisted more than just a few phrases, i.e., cultural values, norms, and practices, and I related and compared it to their daily lives, then they became interested. I took a small group of students to Spain last year and they absolutely loved it. Furthermore, once the same students got to the Advanced Placement (AP) level, they were reading and writing in Spanish, which only helped reinforce their English skills.
I deffinately think you are right! I live in America and one of my good friends just had an exchange student from Germany move in with him. I was amazed at how well he understood English. I wish America had higher standards for our students. I can't even tell you how many people have walked by while he was speaking German and said how they wished they understood him. Even students who think they are doing well at learning German have no clue what he is saying. I don't see how studants can pass through two or three required years of a foriegn language and not be able to communicate. It goes to show how incredibly lax our education system is.
I am actually trying to apply for a Rotart Scholarship to study abroad! I would like to ask you how the process goes. I know some people involved in Rotary in another state, but I just moved to where I am and know nothing about the local Rotary. I have a passion for Sign Language and I was to become fluent in Australian Sign Language as well as American.
thanks for your blog. i liked it. Have fun in the Netherlands
Intersting post and blog,
I know for a fact that Europeans have knowledge of different languages do to the fact that they have close/tight borders near different countries. For example, Spaniards may know Spanish, French, Portuguese, and even Italian. So, it's not a shock to me to read that Dutch speak many languages. For myself, i speak two languages fluently and currently am learning my third language. Though many languages are familiar with one another, since they have derived from Latin roots. For example romanians may understand spanish, or vise versa. I tend to study abroad in Europe, either in Spain, Italy, or Portugal.
People in America dont value foriegn languages because english is the business language of the world. Any business conducted is usually done in english, even when both parties are foriegn. We dont feel the need to learn other languages when ours is the one of the world.
I agree at the knowledge that English is spoken universally around the globe, though it's not the official language of the world. Nor should it be the official language. America does not have an official language, it can not have an official language since it is a country based on diversity. Well, I don't agree with what you have to say about Americans not valuing foreign languages. Americans do value foreign languages, in most High schools across the states offer and encourage students to learn a foreign language. There are many languages that are considered to be a business language as well. English though is one of the top languages spoken across the globe.
I believe that you are mistaken, though english maybe often times used in trade, look at with whom we are trading. China. English is very widely taught, but I wouldn't call it the language of the world, because that would be too blanket of a statement.
I think that learning a foreign language is great, but not necessary for all. Most people I know don't plan on working in a job that involves foreign relations. I agree, our standards as Americans learning another language are low. But essentially, we are a country full of immigrants, and we have already set our default language to English, so the demand for others to learn English is high. We are probably one of the leading nations in the world, so it makes a lot of sense.
Yes, I definitely agree. And living on an island that lives on tourism, learning to speak more than one language is something that just needs to be done. Here in Hawaii, basically all the Asians can speak Korean, Japanese, Filippino, or Chinese with their parents because they taught them since they were little. Or the Pacific islanders can speak Samoan or Tongan with in their family. But that's because our state is so diverse that it's so common.
But there are some draw backs and I think some parents don't want to teach their child a second language because they might have a hard time dealing with two languages at a time. And I don't know if it also happens in the mainland, but I know people who tease others who have an accent. (I absolutely dislike it when they do. I love accents I think they're very cool. Too bad not everyone thinks like that) So believe that's one of the reasons why parents don't teach their kids (that's the reason my parents told me when I asked them why they didn't teach me Tagalog, the national dialect in the Philippines, when I was younger)
But I think in the mainland (where all the other states are located) it's not as diverse so there isn't really a need to learn a language at the time where it's the easiest. And families usually come a line of tradition where they just speak English. And everyone else around them only speak English, so at the time they wouldn't think to teach their kids another language. Even in high school if they require you to take a language, no one sees a reason why they need to learn another language. So, they're not motivated at all and only the few who are genuinely interested learn it. Like I'm very into learning French. I chose it as my second language and I'm dead set on becoming fluent. And the others don't realize that it could be a very valuable asset to you as you graduate or look for a high paying job.
Okay sorry, I've made this comment extremely long. And i just meant to agree with you. And I just wish that the whole country would be more open to learning languages than being self-centered. But of course don't take offense if you just don't want to learn any other language but English. That's your personal choice to not be bilingual.
~Mahal
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"Eat, and then Live, Laugh, and Love" -- Me
=;
I agree! I'm trying to learn French fluently, and four other languages too - right now I'm beginner in all the rest, and only somewhat conversant in French, but I'm learning! I think being able to learn and appreciate a foreign language is vital in our globalized culture of today - I just wish I'd learned more, younger. But you're never too old, and I'm trying to learn more today! Thanks for your message. It needs to be heard.
I don't know about most people, but at our high school foreign language wasn't even required for me to graduate. And it isn't required at the college I am going to. I see where you are coming from, but I don't really care to learn another language. I'll never use it. Why learn it if it's going to be pointless? And besides, in my high school, the only language they offered is Spanish... and THEY can learn OUR language.
Rebecca Jean
Both of my high schools required at least a year of foreign language to graduate, unless you were going onto some technical job. The college that I go to required at least 2 years of the same foreign language in order to be admitted.
The Spanish you learn in class is not the same Spanish they speak in Latin America... it's the Spanish they speak in Spain. Just like the French that I took in high school is the French they speak in France, not the French spoken in Canada, Cote d'Ivoire, etc.
This is exactly the haughty attitude I hate that most Americans seem to have. 'I don't have to learn another language, because I'm going to stay holed up in the US all my life, and don't want to bother learning about another culture'. It's sad, really. And what about languages that are spoken in the US? Things don't translate perfectly from one language to another, and so communication is difficult if one person refuses to make an effort. You got lucky and were born into a country where the native language is English, but I'd say the French, Spanish, Brazilian, Chinese, whoever, person that learned another language and then learned to speak English is far more cultured than one person who refuses to try to look beyond their borders.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
I wish that the elementary school that I went to offered language classes at an earlier age. People tell me that it's easier to learn a language when you're younger. Sorry, those are random thoughts. Anyways, American schools should create a more rigorous foreign language course for kids by exposing them to the languages at an earlier age. I'm just frustrated with the school system because lots of kids have trouble even with spelling common English words.
-from a current high school student
English is power. I am teaching English to Chinese people who know this. Most of my students are learning it because their program requires it just like our American schools require a foreign language. I've met plenty of Chinese adults who tell me they're sorry that they lost all the English they learned in school. It's the same situation in both countries. People learn it in school and then lose it. Only when there is some other incentive to keep it do people make the effort. The people in China who want to study in America or make money in business study English like there's no tomorrow.
I suspect that the kind of people who are interested in this post and the people being talked about are a part of a minority that see the incentive of foreign languages. All the mind-opening advantages are there. I can't imagine that the majority of the world's citizens really do speak more than one language fluently. I would need to see a statistic or two to state otherwise. Europeans are unique. You have to think about the majority of the World that struggles to get by let alone learn any foreign language.
www.progressiveu.org/blog/americangirlinchina