May 7, 2008
Hablas Espanol? Why not? - The Kaleidoscope
| While I agree with some of the article referenced below, I do not agree with all of it. For example, while I do agree that "… children who learn a language at an early age adapt better than those who study languages after the age of 12," and that "…Spanish has ranked the highest in choice among the foreign languages" being offered in U.S. public schools. However, I believe that making Spanish, or any other single foreign language mandatory would be a great mistake. We live in a much more multi-cultural world than just a Spanish/English one. We need to be diverse in our foreign language studies. Events can suddenly make one or more languages vitally important to U.S. interests. For example, at the moment, we have a great lack of U.S. citizens with linguistic skills in Middle Eastern languages and culture, much to our detriment.
Therefore, I do not agree with the article that the study of Spanish should be made mandatory in our school system, however, I would argue that the study of at least one foreign language should be required from elementary school through high school.. We ignore the study of foreign languages at our own peril. Hablas Espanol? Why not?
The Kaleidoscope, AL - May 7, 2008 Among the languages offered to students, Spanish has ranked the highest in choice among the foreign languages. This shows that it is not a problem among the … |
Tags: Spanish, Spanish Language, foreign language, foreign languages