american's must be stupid-they only know one language....

[BroomJockey]

But yes we also learn French in school, and many of our children's programming teaches French as well. You'd sort of have to be actively trying to NOT learn it to avoid picking any up in Canada.

Unless you're in Alberta. I got one year of French in school (grade 3), and we didn't get much in the way of French programming. I can pick out a decent number of words in the written language, maybe a couple hundred, but nothing remotely close enough to even be conversational, let alone fluent.

[gremcint]

I took french until grade 9. I know almost no french, I have not been imersed in it, it is actually rather rare to hear someone speaking it at all.


Knowing only one language does not make you dumb. There are people in every country who only speak one language.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I took five years of French at school and mine is patchy at best. Some people have a natural aptitude for languages, some don't. That's a factor too when it comes to learning a second language.

[Boozy]

Like I said earlier in the thread, it's a Herculean task to learn a language in school. One really requires an immersion environment, and those are harder to come by for Americans.

[Fire_on_High]

It's also easier to make someone want to learn a language that actually interests them. Japanese tends to be a good example of this...quite a bit of my preferred entertainment is only fully accessible in Japanese, so I've got a lot of incentive to pick it up.

The rest? Eh...French and German would never get used, plus it still seems as there's a little bit of a stigma to someone with German ancestry being too interested in it. Spanish? At that point my inner stubborn mule kicks in. I know a little, but I hate the appearance of yielding on anything where I'm not in the wrong to begin with.

Nothing else even seems remotely interesting til we start getting back to some of the ancient languages for some of my other interests...but thinking about it, Greek or Latin to read documents for a style I'm only marginally interested in, vs Japanese for Vocaloid and UTAU? Sorry, no contest.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Klingon, then? XD

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Frankly, I am of the mind that American Sign Language should be offered as a language option in schools. That is a language that has quite a bit of practical use.

I used to know enough "Sioux Sign" (it's not the same) to hold a simple conversation (but, of course, not a whole lot of folks to talk to using SS, so most of it, I have forgotten). But it did spark an interest in ASL. I have had many deaf customers in my various jobs where it would have been very handy.

[violetyoshi]

Frankly, I am of the mind that American Sign Language should be offered as a language option in schools. That is a language that has quite a bit of practical use.

I used to know enough "Sioux Sign" (it's not the same) to hold a simple conversation (but, of course, not a whole lot of folks to talk to using SS, so most of it, I have forgotten). But it did spark an interest in ASL. I have had many deaf customers in my various jobs where it would have been very handy.

There was a edutainment game called, The Lost Mind of Dr. Brain. There was a game called Pentode, the games were based off of the different areas of Dr. Brain's mind. You would match up symbols to each other. It's actually kind of difficult to recall how the puzzle worked exactly. However, I do recall that some of the symbols were the sign language hand symbols. So perhaps it was intended by the creators of the game, to use that as a way to teach kids sign language.

P.S.: For those of you who fondly remember this game, Youtube has a ton of videos from it.

[jackfaire]

You're an uncultured boor

I hate when I hear that if you don't speak more than 1 language that your an uncultured arrogant American with no respect for other cultures.

I took 4 years of spanish from native speakers of the language. To say I was speaking broken spanish would have been unbelievably generous. I could translate it if you gave me a spanish dictionary.

I don't have a mind for languages learning to speak another language without full immersion is very difficult. I don't even know that full immersion would work as I haven't had the opportunity to visit another country.

Yes I like watching things in my own language it is easier to get into the story failing that I do like subtitles. However I do love learning about other cultures and would hate if my inability to easily learn other languagaes meant I was not allowed to.

I am cultured but my tounge isn't.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

This is one of the anti-American sentiments that's always going to be around, despite being stupid. Almost as irksome as people who can't tell the difference between Germany and Nazis...

But isn't there an underlying stupidity to it?
Since when does a person's language equal their culture?

They're connected, for sure, but it's not as if speaking Spanish makes one the same as all other people who speak Spanish...

This, of course, never applied to those who speak only French, only Spanish, or any other language.

Double Standards, they're for breakfast!

[Slytovhand]

Hmm - well, many Americans are! Just ask them. If you don't speak English (well, actually, if you don't speak American), you're an idiot (certainly, you will be seen as less intelligent - it's a human thing - doesn't matter which part of the planet you're on.. you don't speak the native tongue fluently, and you have to prove your intelligence!) The Parisian-French have a similar stereotype!

To learn a language effectively, you need to use it constantly. You did that with English, why should it be so different for any other language? (that's what annoys me about my students - as soon as class is over, straight back into Chinese. When in class, about 80% of it is in Chinese.. even seconds after I've told them not to! And they will wonder why they don't have high marks! AND why some of their teachers are crap!!)

Speaking of such things, it's bloody annoying hearing a non-native language speaker try and lecture or correct a native speaker on how a language is actually used (sure - technical points of grammar I'm willing to concede - perhaps they've just studied it better or more intently) - but don't tell me what we say in my own country that you've never been to!

[Sarah Valentine]

Almost as irksome as people who can't tell the difference between Germany and Nazis...

I told one of my friends that I was part german, and he asked if I was a nazi. I was upset, but then I told him since he's part italian that must mean your in the mafia.

[jackfaire]

To learn a language effectively, you need to use it constantly.

I agree like I said full immersion. The problem is 1)Finding people who speak the language 2) having fellow students who are actually wanting to learn the language.

[AdminAssistant]

One of the issues is that in many other western countries, students are taught other languages successfully. It's common for Europeans to speak 2-3 languages, and very helpful since they are surrounded by other countries where a variety of languages are spoken. For example, you'll have a hard time doing business in Belgium unless you can speak French and Flemish.

Foreign language education in the States is laughable, and it makes it harder for us to operate as a member of the global community.

[jackfaire]

Foreign language education in the States is laughable, and it makes it harder for us to operate as a member of the global community.

I talk to people from other countries that also like me have difficulties learning other languages and only speak their own languages using translation programs to talk to me.

That is part of my issue. Some people in other countries (not all) learn more than one language and are fluent in more than one language and they are held up as an example that I don't care.

I took spanish from native speakers who made the spanish program at my school shine. There were some people came out of the program I did able to speak it fluently.

I understand I should try and do my best to speak the language of the country I am visiting and I will attempt that when I am done with my trips around the US. I don't want to be judged for not currently being able to do it though.

It's along the lines of the fact that I study US cultural history and am fascinated by things that happened in my country. I am treated like I must be an arrogant idiot who thinks my country is the best in the world.

In my city it seems to be awesome if you know tons of things about other countries but your not allowed to know anything about your country, except for the bad things, and you have to hate the US to be a "Good" person.

As far as I am concerned I am a citizen of Earth and study everything I can about the entire planet not just my little part of it.

Someday I will travel to places I have never been and I will do my best to speak the language but it will be severly broken and a dictonary will be close at hand.