Why don't American children learn multiple languages?

[hkem1]

Living in an international dorm for the past two years has taught me many things about how America differs from the rest of the world. But the one thing that stands out the most, is that my American peers and I all only know one language, while the Asians and Europeans are practically fluent in 3 or 4 different languages.


It's difficult once you reach high school or are past high school to become fluent in a foreign language. So what I want to know is why does the U.S. seem to be the only country of its stature in the world, that doesn't teach young children multiple languages.

Also, all the Chinese kids I know tell me that all of the "elite" in China already know English. so is it really necessary for me to learn Chinese?

My public elementary school had Spanish class but all that we learned how to do was say chicken and count to ten. So it was kind of useless.

 

[GoodWitch58]

I think it is a real shame that we do not learn other languages routinely...I think it puts us at a disadvantage in many areas, and many of us don't even realize it!

The only reason I've ever been able to come up with: arrogance...it's the same attitude that wants every place one travels to be the same as 'Home".

It causes us as a country to misunderstand a lot of things--and to build walls, and pass laws that profile people, and insist on English only. It is a very nationalistic attitude in a global world.

 

[Mango]

My sister lived in Holland for 7 years and I visited often. It was not unusual for us to drive to 3 different countries in an extended weekend and it made it a lot easier to pick up the language because in many cases you had no choice. In all fairness, where in the US can we drive to a different country, hear a different language and experience a whole different culture? Short of a few places like Texas, or NYC for that matter, there aren't many places where more than one language is spoken. One has to admit that this does make it a lot easier to learn a foreign language. I also don't feel that we, as Americans, have the license on language arrogance in the sense of learning it properly. Go to Holland and speak Dutch to someone and they catch on quickly it is not your native language. They will reply in English to you because English is taught from your first day of school. This country is a melting pot of different cultures. Who can say they are truly blooded Americans short of the American Indians? I think this is one of the reasons we have an arrogance, if you want to call it that, about learning English.

Also, as far as some Chinese and Japanese "elite", as you state, learning English, you have to also look at the culture. They have different views on education than we do. I lived in area with a large Japanese population in NY and they had their own schools for their children to attend after regular school. Their kids did not breathe for a second during the day. They often got home from their second school at 6 pm and still had homework to do. In their secondary school, Japanese only was used so the children didn't start to lose their skills. Even though a second language may be spoken at home, it is still important to study and read that language on a regular basis so it becomes as natural as breathing.

What it boils down to is that American students are at a disadvantage when it comes to languages because most students are not introduced to it till middle or high school. IMHO, it's much harder to learn a second language, or third for that matter and also because of all of the above, like exposure. In turn that is why I believe Americans are arrogant about foreigners learning English who wish to reside here in this Country.

We should start language studies, especially Spanish, starting in kindergarten; however, I wouldn't be surprised to see a backlash of complaints from parents about it.

 

[scooterbug44]

You don't have to go to another country to hear a foreign language spoken - you just go to an ethnic neighborhood, watch a foreign film, read the side of a box or product, you name it. It is all around us, we just ignore it.

I studied Spanish and Italian and then used them by living and traveling abroad, but I still remember how to say "open and closed" in Spanish because it was on Sesame Street decades ago.

Half of my (admittedly limited) German is from Grandpa Scooterbug using phrases (eat, hurry up, put whipped cream on my dessert) or that I read on multilingual signs. My French phrases are from reading and words/phrases that are commonly used.

Most Americans are just arrogant about learning a foreign language and about other cultures - and it is biting us in the butt.

And just because others speak English doesn't mean everyone does so 100% of the time, everywhere, and that you won't miss out if you can't understand or speak the language.

 

[iwishiwasthere]

My sister lived in Holland for 7 years and I visited often. It was not unusual for us to drive to 3 different countries in an extended weekend and it made it a lot easier to pick up the language because in many cases you had no choice. In all fairness, where in the US can we drive to a different country, hear a different language and experience a whole different culture? Short of a few places like Texas, or NYC for that matter, there aren't many places where more than one language is spoken. One has to admit that this does make it a lot easier to learn a foreign language. I also don't feel that we, as Americans, have the license on language arrogance in the sense of learning it properly. Go to Holland and speak Dutch to someone and they catch on quickly it is not your native language. They will reply in English to you because English is taught from your first day of school. This country is a melting pot of different cultures. Who can say they are truly blooded Americans short of the American Indians? I think this is one of the reasons we have an arrogance, if you want to call it that, about learning English.

Also, as far as some Chinese and Japanese "elite", as you state, learning English, you have to also look at the culture. They have different views on education than we do. I lived in area with a large Japanese population in NY and they had their own schools for their children to attend after regular school. Their kids did not breathe for a second during the day. They often got home from their second school at 6 pm and still had homework to do. In their secondary school, Japanese only was used so the children didn't start to lose their skills. Even though a second language may be spoken at home, it is still important to study and read that language on a regular basis so it becomes as natural as breathing.

What it boils down to is that American students are at a disadvantage when it comes to languages because most students are not introduced to it till middle or high school. IMHO, it's much harder to learn a second language, or third for that matter and also because of all of the above, like exposure. In turn that is why I believe Americans are arrogant about foreigners learning English who wish to reside here in this Country.

We should start language studies, especially Spanish, starting in kindergarten; however, I wouldn't be surprised to see a backlash of complaints from parents about it.

Well said! I do not see most Americans as committed to educating their children as the Asians that we are being compared to constantly. In my experiences in ecucation, sports are far more important than academics. I cannot imagine sending home 2-3 hours of homework at night, but parents allow hours of practice for a sport. Seems some of our values are misplaced.

 

[happy2Bme]

why don't more American children learn more basic good values and common sense?....that'll get them further in life (and beyond) than being able to speak multiple languages.

 

[Koa]

I took Latin in the 9th grade and Spanish in 10th and 11th. Unfortunately, much of what I learned I soon forgot because there were no Spanish or Latin speaking people living in my small town.

If I had to guess why more American schools didn't/don't teach foreign languages would be because English is still considered to be the International language. Also, in Europe, people commonly travel just a short distance to another country where the people speak a different language. Here in the US, we don't travel much to border countries, and those who do, typically speak that language. To the point, we don't speak more languages because we haven't had to yet. If I were going to encourage my kids to speak just one other language, it would be Chinese.

 

[BeachbumAggie]

I really wish we had learned languages at a younger age. I studied French for 2 years in high school and I could read and write it well but I have a tin ear and my East Texas accent does horrid things to the language so understanding and speaking it were much harder but many words/phrases stuck with me till this day. When hubby and I went to France a few years ago, I found with a little prep work that I could read and come up with words pretty quickly, hubby has a musician's ear and picked up what was said and could repeat it to me to figure out!

I have a friend who was in the army, his son's mom is from Germany so the son speaks German and English perfectly. They were stationed in Panama for several years so he picked up Spanish. They were stationed in Germany for a while where he picked up a great deal of French and Italian. The son is grown and went into the Airforce; he tested into a linguist position and last I knew was learning Chinese.

I think the early exposure to languages makes the brain more flexible to learning languages. Now, I don't know how my tin ear and thick accent could be improved upon so early exposure might not have been the answer for me!

 

[Koa]

I'm not so sure that it is early exposure that makes the brain more flexible to learning languages. I think it is more necessity that makes it so. If you travel to Russia and no one there speaks English, you will quickly learn to speak Russian as it becomes necessary to learn how to find a bathroom, how to order food, how to find specific locations, etc. In America, and much of the world where we travel, it isn't a necessity to learn other languages because they tend to speak enough English for us to get what we need.

 

[scooterbug44]

It is easier to learn languages when you are younger, but nothing will make you learn like NEEDING to learn.

I must say that though many people speak English, I have been in many situations where I would have been screwed if I didn't know their language. English is fine if you want to stick to the same old tourist places and the beaten path - anything else, you need to know some other languages.

Frankly, I have traveled in groups where some people didn't know the language and they had a very different experience - they constantly had miscommunications, didn't know what was happening, and had to get myself or one of the guides to interpret everything.