Monday, April 14, 2008
Second Language?
Many people have said that it is integral to your education to learn a second language. The arguments range from it helping the learner better understand the grammar of their native language to helping them better understand a different culture and thus encourage diversity. I have been encouraged from a very young age to learn a second and them third language. This encouragement has come from teachers and friends and my parents. It is also apparent that SIU agrees with them because it has made it a requirement for students to study a second language. What do you think? Is it important to learn a second language? Does it help you to understand grammar? Does it encourage diversity? Is it really worth all of the work? Are there other reasons why it would be beneficial to learn a new language?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
17 comments:
I think that learning a second language is important. I am taking spanish because in a number of years America is supposed to be dominately spanish speakers. In stores everything is written in both english and spanish now. Also, as teachers it is important to have a good background in another language in case you have a student in the class who doesn't speak english as their first language. As far as if it makes grammar easier, I know spanish definitely does not do that for me. All the words are in different order and it makes it more difficult I think.
I took Spanish in high school and I loved it. I know I can't speak fluent in the language, but I can understand enough to get the point across. Spanish did help learn English better. I think it is a good idea to learn a second language, but if you are not going to put in the effort of learning it, then I say forget it. Not only did I learn the Spanish Language, but I learned a lot about the culture and it was interesting to me.
Learning a second language is both important and beneficial, but should not be required. It is unreasonable to think that a student can't become an expert in a field without learning a second language. What about math majors? Is it fair to say that an astrophysicist must learn a second language in order to be considered a well-educated person? On the subject of diversity, this is not something that is "encouraged" or "discouraged." Diversity just happens. Learning a language might equip someone better to function in a diverse environment, but people also have a choice not to live in a diverse environment. Students should only be required to take courses in the field they wish to study and the language in which they plan to work.
Studying a second language is important because there are so many different languages circulating the U.S. today. However, retaining the information is the important part. In total, I took four years of Spanish and I can barely get passed, the "Hola, como estas? So, studying a foreign language is extremely important, but using it is even more important to be fluent and successful in the language.
This is what my research essay is about. I think in this day and age that it's crucial to learn a second language at an early age. So many children representing different cultures are present in the classroom , not only that, but in the workplace, relations with foreign companies is growing also. Being able to communicate with a business partner or possible partner that speaks a foreign language is a big one-up on other co-workers. I think we need to prepare our children for the changing world ahead
I very much agree that people should learn a second language. It is important because it does better help you understand grammar, also it does encourage diversity people can learn so much about other cultures from learning that language. I think learning another language is worth all the work because it is something that can stick with you for life if you work on it.
I think it is extremely important to learn another language because one will learn not only about the language, but about the culture. This will enhance cultural acceptance of people. Also learning another language improves ones cognitive skills and enhances their own knowledge of their first language.
In today's society a second language is very important.
I think learning a second language is a great idea. I took four years of spanish in high school and it helped me learn much more about how grammar in the English language works, because I have to apply what I know about the English language and change it in order to learn Spanish. It was also alot of fun to learn about a different culture, which I believe is important for students to learn in today's society. With America growing and the diverse population increasing, it is important that Americans become bilingual.
I believe learning a language allows one to communicate and interect with diverse people. It is easier for younger children to acquire languages, however an adult may pick up a language with the right amount of effort and patience.
I believe that learning a second language can only help to improve a person in several ways. We are living in a country where we thrive and take pride in diversity. Even though it can be tough to adapt into a second language the benefits are worth it. I do not think it needs to be required of citizens, but I do think that it needs to be part of each person intrinsic goal to better their knowledge.
I think that learning a second language could be important to one's education. However, I also think schools should stop forcing students to learn things they don't want to. I've taken years of Spanish classes and still can only hold a 3 to 5 line conversation.
These days it seems to be more and more important to learn a second langauge. It is extremely important if you plan on traveling outside of the U.S. I agree that learning a second langague can help a person understand their own native grammar more. When you learn another langauge you have to know grammar in your own langauge in order to learn gramar in another langauge. I don't think it should be top priority to learn another language but it wouldn't hurt to do so.
A foreign language should in no way be a requirement for English majors. If you want to be a Spanish instructor then you should defintely take several Spanish classes, but what good does spanish do for an English major? I'm going to be taking Latin for my foreign language because atleast it may come in handy for a literature major, if and only if I want to read works done in the original language. I refuse to learn Spanish because of the influx of spanish speaking immigrants. Our native language here in the U.S. is american English; if you want to live here for the love of God learn the language. I wouldn't move to Russia and expect everyone to learn English so they can communicate with me; I would instead learn Russian.
I think that learning a new language improves a person a speaking and writing for their first acquired language. I do not think it is necessary to learn a language if there are no plans on leaving the country. However, being bilingual would make a person more marketable in the business world. Therefore, I feel that it is not necessary to learn a new language but it is beneficial.
I definitely agree that learning a new language is essential when it comes to your education. It promotes or encourages diversity but it does not make some one appreciate the diversity that it made on the students own accord. I think that learning a new language can help with understanding grammar better or the difference in grammar among languages.... however it could be confusing for those who do not have a strong grasp on grammar...
I think it is good to at least become associated with other languages because it enables you to perceive the world in a broader way. There are languages with words that just don't have an equivalent in any other language.
Post a Comment