How key is it for youth to learn at least a second language?

I went to a workshop a couple of weeks ago. The topic of the workshop was "Is English the new global language?". Everyone agreed to the affirmative,,English is the new global language. What was also discussed were the nuances in pronunciation and spelling between native English users,, example British and American English.

If a student has had say British English teachers, his/her pronunciation and spelling will be centred around British English, the same with students of American teachers who will use American spelling and pronunciation. The argument was in what direction do you point the student. Should a native British teacher allow his/her student to use American English? I have slackened my stance on this. I will now my students to use American English where three or four years ago I wouldn't.

Anyway,, English is now the global language due to technology, medicine, science and diplomacy. This November there is an ASEM meeting in Laos where many heads of state, dignitaries, politicians etc from Europe and Asia are getting together. The common language? English of course.

 

I consider myself lucky the first time I went abroad (for more than a couple of days) to learn English as a kid, I got knocked out in front of a dance hall.

There was some sort of school party that evening, with lots of English kids and a few French; but my first tastes of English girls was swell, to be honest.

And then I went to the US for a couple of years, and it was simply awesome. I'd go with that option again, imho

 

Blah, blah, blah

I know, thanks.

But it'snotimpossible, so stap yapping you Aussie bludger!

It's clear I will never lose my accent but the up its French

 

Speaking another language is about participating in another culture. It's a change of mental state when you're in the flow with a local accent and gestures and inflections.
An app cannot do life for you.

I don't know about need and speaking more than 1 language. Either for or against.
I do know that it's an awesome ability to be able to drop into another language's mental state. I learnt a second language as an adult and although I'm not fluent, I get it. I get the mental state change that happens when you're in the groove of fluency in another language. The fact that kids can learn it so easily and switch so effortlessly is amazing.
But I don't know if you need to be able to speak another language. It's your choice whether or not you want something awesome in your life that is readily available.

I think it's about right as it is at the moment. English is a primary language but if want a business advantage in another country you might want to find someone who speaks the language. Linguists deserve jobs too!

 

Learning a second, or especially a third language is vastly overrated. By far, the vast majority of citizens will only need one. Learning another is usually a waste of time. Unless you plan to move to the other country, or specifically plan to conduct international business, I just do not see any justification. Also, I really think youth are too young to decide which foreign language they would like to lean. What does a 12 year old know about Spain? What is the point of teaching thems Spanish?

Where I live, everyone can speak english, more or less. It's useful to talk to one of our neighbours, but that is about all it is good for. They keep telling us in the schools that "english is the international language". Well guess what? Not everyone goes to London or America. I think it would just make more sense for the swedes to learn danish, and the danes to learn swedish, for example. Then the norwegians could just learn swedish and everyone could communicate with eachother. As for all those german tourists, they are not really all that friendly or talkative anyway... hell, we get plenty of them that can barely speak english. So again, what is the point of learning english???

If it was not for all the political-social trash being imported into my country from progressives in America, I would not have to talk english or use this forum to fight it.

 

Learning other languages opens up new worlds. I find it very important.

 

Mate I must tell you but, I don't want you to take it the wrong way: my favorite English teachers in the US (not the ones at school, but mostly at home, etc.) were kids between 5 and 10! I was in my late teen but, I learned a lot!

 

HER French and sod all, just her tits.
My god, I could have buried my head in them for a week.

 

You should have.
I had lots of Physics teachers like that, the better I got the harder the tests

 

Ang ibig mo bang sabihin ay kasinungalingan?

 

Ahhh High School. A good nickname for a hi school football team would be "The Raging Hormones!"

 

And that should be the model for ALL learning.

Make it engaging, fun and involved.

There is NO subject that cannot be tutored in that way.

You may even find kids take more interest, and skip school less, as well.

 

Can you speak Flemish?

 

Only when I have chest congestion.

 

personally I think they need to concentrate on the basic's before worrying about teaching the kids a second language;our kids reading and math skills suck.

 

いいえ、私は十分に愚かではなかった。

 

I don't think anyone is advocating making language study compulsory, but having languages as an elective subject does have merits.

 

What age are they?

 

I take it you don't speak Syoun–Cataban.
Shame

 

Let me get this straight. We are perhaps the biggest force behind global free trade but we still resist going metric like everyone else and we are debating whether kids would benefit by learning a second language? People talk about needing to be competitive and then deliberately toss away a competitive advantage? Go figure.

 

I think languages are the key to a heathy society. The more are spoken, the merrier.

If you're limited to only one language it's easier for the media to influence people without them doubting it. At least to my experience. I happen to speak 4 languages, and I never inform myself about my country in the local news in my native language. I believe that they will always "inform" me with an objective, making somebody else the bad guy for the problems. If I read the viewpoint in another country and language on the same matter, the view is far more objective, making it easier for me to make a fair judgement.

In the end, democracy can only work if the people receive full, uncut and true informations on any matter. It's far too easy to missguide the public, if they're limited only to the local news, on which the politicians can actually influence threw regulations.

 

The US inch was defined as approximately 25.4 millimetres by an act in 1866. So the USA is been metricish since 1866.

 

If you were creating a totally new language, from scratch, what is the best and most simple methods you would use?

 

The easiest language in the world to me is English. The only thing it needs is a proper spelling reform. In other words, it's impossible to know how something is spelled purely on the grounds that you've heard a word for the first time in your life. But because it's 30% German, 30% Latin and 30% French, it's so easy to work with.

Only two cases, no polite form, only 6 tenses - of which 2 are not every-day use, etc. etc.

And since most European languages came of Latin it's so easy to work with, especially because German and French are the only other major languages used for centuries! Spanish came in rather late...

 

It's 14.