You should speak the language of a country if you live there.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I think it is common sense that you should learn the language of commerce in the country you are in. After all, how would you buy things easily?

I think that in the US, English should be predominent in schools. Multilingual schools have problems, in that the kids learn neither Spanish nor English that well. There should be a greater focus on English... instead of 50-50, it should be 75-25 (English being the 75%).

[David Floyd]

I have an inherent problem with paying for the education of US citizens who insist on being taught, at all, in a foreign language.

Actually I have a problem paying for anyone's education, but that is beside the point.

[KrazyHorse]

Why? If a Spanish-speaker pays the same taxes that you do, then why the hell should you be able to tell him that his kids can't be educated in Spanish?

[David Floyd]

Simple - it's everyone's taxes that pay for Spanish-only courses, not just Spanish speakers'.

To use a more emotional argument - THIS IS AMERICA FOR CHRISSAKES!

[KrazyHorse]

Right, but their taxes are being used to pay for your (hypothetical) kid's English-only classes too. Not allowing Spanish-only or bilingual (this actually works well, BTW; I was in French immersion from kindergarten to grade 9) schools where the population demands it is silly and smacks of minding other peoples' business...

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Asher

That's so incredibly stupid I don't know where to start.
French is absolutely useless anywhere near where we live. No one speaks it, and if they do, they speak English as well. Requiring us to learn French on the basis that some *******s thousands of miles away speak it primarily, and we live in the same country, is simply stupid.

Pssst. Asher...

Maybe so that the kids may be qualified to hold a job in the federal civil service, or the RCMP, or a senior rank in the military.

If you work for the feds you must be qualified to work anywhere in Canada. Ditto for serving with the RCMP. If you want to hold a senior rank in the military, you must be able to communicate with ALL of your subordinates and superiors.

BTW. There are significant Francophone population centres very much closer to you than Quebec.

[Spiffor]

Davis Floyd :
Your "rational" reason comes from the fact you don't like to pay taxes for anyone's education :
"It's not my community, so this community has to pay alone for its education" is like saying :
"It's not me, so this person has to pay alone for his education"

[Ramo]

I ask for ILLEGALS to be deported, unless we are willing to dispense with social welfare and the minimum wage.

How can you possibly re-concile this with anything resembling libertarian principles?

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by nationalist


They should. If the American wants to live in China, but doesn't feel the need to learn even a little of the language, then he should be sent back. He's disrespecting the Chinese that he is living with, as well as making Americans look like idiots.

Sometimes it is due to disrepect. I know a lot of expats in Hong Kong who refuse to learn Cantonese because they think it is a waste of time or they don't like the language, or because they're lazy.

But there are also expats like myself who find it very difficult to learn a new language.

People seem to have this idea that everyone can become fluent in another language. To me, that's like saying everyone can become a physicist.

I struggle with Cantonese because I can't distinguish between the eight different tones.

But even though I am not fluent in Cantonese, I can still make a contribution to this society. And that is what really should matter.

[Tingkai]

One of the logic of native language schools is that if, for example, you send an English-speaking child to a Cantonese school, the child will not only have to struggle with learning what is taught, but also struggle to understand what is being taught.

If you send that child to an English language school, the child will be able to keep pace with the general education while at the same time being taught how to speak Cantonese.

At the end of their education, the child who went to a Cantonese school may be way behind, not because of their intelligence level, but because they had to struggle with Cantonese. The child who went to the English school will reach their highest level of their ability while also becoming fluent in Cantonese.

That's the theory. The reality is that some schools may not produce fully bilingual students.

[Sava]

I hate to agree with a psychotic right winger like David. But I do. If you want to teach your kids a foreign language, fine. I think its good to be cultured. But.... BUTTTTTTT!!!!... Don't expect the public school system to change from the state's language. If you want to go to a foreign country and live in a neighborhood with other people of your ethnic background, fine. If you want to never speak the language of the country... fine.

The thing that is biting my ass is the outcry for the public schools to teach in any language other than English.

[Provost Harrison]

You should speak the language of a country if you live there.

I completely agree*

*excluding Wales

[Tingkai]

The funny thing is that right wingers like David should be in favour of Spanish-language schools in the US. After all, libertarian theory says the government should not tell individuals how to raise their children. So logic suggests the libertarians would say that if public schools exist then parents have the right to send their children to non-English language schools.

[Kropotkin]

Few people are consistent in their views. Most people just point at an ideology or religion as guideline when it suits them. david is hardly innocent but is not by far the worst example either.

He's usually a consistent *******