3rd Languages and You

[Salem1]

I'm personally quite tired of being forced to learn either French, German or Spanish.

Really, what the hell? English is the international language, English is what every single nation on this earth should learn in second priority to their native language. I think it's so dumb that it's acceptable for some people not to speak English just because their own language is forced upon me, which is then twisted into it being an ''opportunity'' for me. If a Spanish guy can't speak English, then he should learn English - I should not learn Spanish.

As for the individual arguments I tend to hear:

''But you might go to X, and then it's good to be able to speak that language'' - This is so dumb that I don't know where to start, I really don't know. This is basically saying that it's acceptable for some nations not to learn English, just because I can be forced to learn their language instead. Of course, you won't ever hear anyone say ''forced'' to learn because it's twisted into being an ''opportunity''. You try going to college and ignoring 3rd language, tell me how well it went. Arguing against anything in school is discouraged and ignored.

''Some nations don't speak English'' - Yeah too bad for them ey? it's not my duty to make up for their lack of knowledge regarding the international language. I think it's pure humiliation actually, that to make up for some hypothetical guy in Mexico not speaking English, I in Sweden need to learn Spanish. You heard me, humiliation - I don't care that my language is spoken little outside Sweden and parts of Finland and Spanish is spoken over more than 2 continents. English is what anyone should learn if they want to communicate internationally. I should not have to make up for some nations not learning English, and if they do know English, then what's the problem?

''It's good for business if you can communicate in their native language'' - basically just a more diplomatic way of saying ''it's good for asslicking if you can communicate in their native language''. Oh fancy that, I can speak German to Germans. Wonder what I'd reply if a German asked me why I spoke German to him and not English. ''Because it's uh... uhm.. well.... you're German'' I'd say, right? ''But I speak English dude'' he replies. What do you say now? Again, this is a poorly disguised way of subservience.

''Because it's already a subject in school'' - the most sheepish argument of them all. This represents the person that doesn't think of his own opinion, but merely the estabilishment. It's the same reasoning used by women that voted against women's voting rights, or serfs that didn't support abolishment etc. I really shouldn't have to explain why this is an utterly flawed way of thinking. ''Because it's already there''... a pathetic excuse to keep something.

3rd language is like a hobby. You should choose it if you want to engage in it, it should not be forced upon you. And it should not indirectly punish those who choose not to learn it, seeing as others still do and thus get grades for it. Your native and the international language are what really matter, which in my case is Swedish and English. I have no need to nor will I ever want to speak French, German or Spanish.

Sure you will say, some of those of you whose native languages are French, German or Spanish. Sure I should learn your language, it's important after all, many people speak it around the world, do they not? To you I ask, would you want to learn Swedish (doesn't actually matter if you want to or not, since you're forced) if we theorize that 500 million people spoke it, taking into account all that means and not just passing it off as ''oh sure I could''. Would you really do it? in the case that you would, I accept your opinion. In the case that you wouldn't, go away.

If you wonder about my age, I'm 16. 01/03/1993 (that's dd/mm/yy for you Americans who for some reason don't arrange them in a logical order, took me a while to figure that one out ).

[Boyar Son]

You're not American, but is using the "i don't have to speak Spanish" argument? that Americans usually use?

besides learning a second language helps alot, brah. believe me.

[Salem1]

You're not American, but is using the "i don't have to speak Spanish" argument? that Americans usually use?

Why should I speak Spanish when it's not my mother tongue and I speak English? it's a perfectly understandable argument.

[Boyar Son]

Why should I speak Spanish when it's not my mother tongue and I speak English? it's a perfectly understandable argument.

i just meant that its the white Americans that complain about learning Spanish. the school wants you to learn another language because they recognize people need to be bilingual when dealing with others from other nations. but of course that's if you're planning to actually be somebody in the world.


you live in europe, i'd imagine everyone knows how to speak at least another language.

[S.L.I.G]

Why should I speak Spanish when it's not my mother tongue and I speak English? it's a perfectly understandable argument.

I agree. Learning the language of major groups of unassimilated immigrants is just another example of the pathetic multicultural philosophy that is quickly proving to be a danger to virtually every country on the planet. In Canada they pander so hard to unassimilated immigrants that there are talks to making punjabi a national language. ****ing punjabi. French is one thing, and even that I disagree with, but at least there are social and historical tensions to make such a decision pragmatic. Punjabi is spoken by like 100k immigrants who just ****ing refuse to become a part of society. Just like Mexicans in the southern United states, and im sure a host of ethnic groups in Europe living their or simply visiting. Either learn your nations national language or learn a language virtually everyone should know. Theres no sense in a native speaker accomodating the foreign. Ever.

[Каие]

In Canada they pander so hard to unassimilated immigrants that there are talks to making punjabi a national language. ****ing punjabi.

Link.

[DAVIDE]

Why should I speak Spanish when it's not my mother tongue and I speak English? it's a perfectly understandable argument.

The so called mental-laziness

[Salem1]

The so called mental-laziness

So you're basically saying that I'm lazy, for not wanting to waste my time and resources learning something completely uninteresting that won't aid me at all?

[DAVIDE]

So you're basically saying that I'm lazy, for not wanting to waste my time and resources learning something completely uninteresting that won't aid me at all?

Learning a foreign language, is a way to enrich your own culture and vocabulary

[EpicJon]

Why should I speak Spanish when it's not my mother tongue and I speak English? it's a perfectly understandable argument.

Exactly, everyone needs to speak English. Its the language of America - and lets face it people, we're the top dogs in the world, and we're gonna be for a long long time. So get used to us, and if you don't like it, you'll be suckin on sour grapes for a long time. Kids in American schools shouldn't be forced to learn the language of 2nd and 3rd world countries. We're the dominant country.


-EJon

[Central Asian Qaghan]

Exactly, everyone needs to speak English. Its the language of America - and lets face it people, we're the top dogs in the world, and we're gonna be for a long long time. So get used to us, and if you don't like it, you'll be suckin on sour grapes for a long time. Kids in American schools shouldn't be forced to learn the language of 2nd and 3rd world countries. We're the dominant country.


-EJon

For a world power, you are owned alot by China. Should they decide to cash it all in, America is over.

[Player989random]

For a world power, you are owned alot by China. Should they decide to cash it all in, America is over.

LOL.

You realize that would be like cutting off your nose to spite your face right?

Without China, USA has issues, and vice-versa.

Besides, if China decides to be smart, we will have a few lead fulled talks about it.

Yet learning Mandarin wouldn't be a bad idea at this point in time.

[Ishoss]

Exactly, everyone needs to speak English. Its the language of America - and lets face it people, we're the top dogs in the world, and we're gonna be for a long long time. So get used to us, and if you don't like it, you'll be suckin on sour grapes for a long time. Kids in American schools shouldn't be forced to learn the language of 2nd and 3rd world countries. We're the dominant country.


-EJon

[Erik]

I think it's good when people learn a 3rd and even 4th language.
But I agree it should not be mandatory.

In my country everybody has to learn 3 foreign languages in "high school" (normally it's English, German and French).
And that's great for a trading nation: Dutch people who can speak 6 or more languages are very much in demand in all sorts of businesses.

But not everybody needs to know 4 or more languages to have a functioning society.
It's better to have some people who are great at maths, chemistry, physics etc. and others who are great at foreign languages and others who are great at other skills.

Sometimes I feel they only keep French and German mandatory to keep all those teachers employed.

edit: I think there should be once exception: if you live in a multi-language country like Belgium or Switzerland I think everybody should learn all the major languages in your own country + English.
I was pretty shocked when I first discovered most Walloons can't speak Dutch at all, and hardly any English either.

[Kjertesvein]

We have 3 lanuages in my own country: Bokmål (the normal used in the capital and in the most northern parts) and Nynorsk (another lanuage used by the other 50%), at last the Sami lanuage used alot in the most northern part. We have 5 close naighbours; Russian, Swedish, Finish, Icelandic and Danish.

I can speak Bokmål, English, Danish and (understand some)Swedish. It's a bit tragic, I don't know 2 of my own lanuages Sami and Nynorsk, and naighbours like Russia, Finland and Iceland(but they understand me for some reason). I have traveld all over the world(40), on every continent, but not in the last 3; Russia, Finland and Iceland.

[Ishoss]

We have 3 lanuages in my own country: Bokmål (the normal used in the capital and in the most northern parts) and Nynorsk (another lanuage used by the other 50%), at last the Sami lanuage used alot in the most northern part. We have 5 close naighbours; Russian, Swedish, Finish, Icelandic and Danish.

I can speak Bokmål, English, Danish and (understand some)Swedish. It's a bit tragic, I don't know 2 of my own lanuages Sami and Nynorsk, and naighbours like Russia, Finland and Iceland(but they understand me for some reason). I have traveld all over the world(40), on every continent, but not in the last 3; Russia, Finland and Iceland.

Great point! In Norway most students spend more time learning 3rd language than they do their own (in 12th grade we have 5 hours Norwegian, 3 hours 3rd language. That's 2.5h for Nynorsk and 2.5 hours Bokmål). We don't even have the choice of learning Sami at my school.

[Pallantides]

We have 3 lanuages in my own country: Bokmål (the normal used in the capital and in the most northern parts) and Nynorsk (another lanuage used by the other 50%), at last the Sami lanuage used alot in the most northern part.

Actually there are 5 Sami languages in Norway, the Finnish Kven language is also recognized as a miniority language.

[eddy_purpus]

I'm personally quite tired of being forced to learn either French, German or Spanish.

Really, what the hell? English is the international language, English is what every single nation on this earth should learn in second priority to their native language. I think it's so dumb that it's acceptable for some people not to speak English just because their own language is forced upon me, which is then twisted into it being an ''opportunity'' for me. If a Spanish guy can't speak English, then he should learn English - I should not learn Spanish.

As for the individual arguments I tend to hear:

''But you might go to X, and then it's good to be able to speak that language'' - This is so dumb that I don't know where to start, I really don't know. This is basically saying that it's acceptable for some nations not to learn English, just because I can be forced to learn their language instead. Of course, you won't ever hear anyone say ''forced'' to learn because it's twisted into being an ''opportunity''. You try going to college and ignoring 3rd language, tell me how well it went. Arguing against anything in school is discouraged and ignored.

''Some nations don't speak English'' - Yeah too bad for them ey? it's not my duty to make up for their lack of knowledge regarding the international language. I think it's pure humiliation actually, that to make up for some hypothetical guy in Mexico not speaking English, I in Sweden need to learn Spanish. You heard me, humiliation - I don't care that my language is spoken little outside Sweden and parts of Finland and Spanish is spoken over more than 2 continents. English is what anyone should learn if they want to communicate internationally. I should not have to make up for some nations not learning English, and if they do know English, then what's the problem?

''It's good for business if you can communicate in their native language'' - basically just a more diplomatic way of saying ''it's good for asslicking if you can communicate in their native language''. Oh fancy that, I can speak German to Germans. Wonder what I'd reply if a German asked me why I spoke German to him and not English. ''Because it's uh... uhm.. well.... you're German'' I'd say, right? ''But I speak English dude'' he replies. What do you say now? Again, this is a poorly disguised way of subservience.

''Because it's already a subject in school'' - the most sheepish argument of them all. This represents the person that doesn't think of his own opinion, but merely the estabilishment. It's the same reasoning used by women that voted against women's voting rights, or serfs that didn't support abolishment etc. I really shouldn't have to explain why this is an utterly flawed way of thinking. ''Because it's already there''... a pathetic excuse to keep something.

3rd language is like a hobby. You should choose it if you want to engage in it, it should not be forced upon you. And it should not indirectly punish those who choose not to learn it, seeing as others still do and thus get grades for it. Your native and the international language are what really matter, which in my case is Swedish and English. I have no need to nor will I ever want to speak French, German or Spanish.

Sure you will say, some of those of you whose native languages are French, German or Spanish. Sure I should learn your language, it's important after all, many people speak it around the world, do they not? To you I ask, would you want to learn Swedish (doesn't actually matter if you want to or not, since you're forced) if we theorize that 500 million people spoke it, taking into account all that means and not just passing it off as ''oh sure I could''. Would you really do it? in the case that you would, I accept your opinion. In the case that you wouldn't, go away.

If you wonder about my age, I'm 16. 01/03/1993 (that's dd/mm/yy for you Americans who for some reason don't arrange them in a logical order, took me a while to figure that one out ).

Is this political ?
No
Is this a rant about not wanting to learn something new?
yes!


No one is forcing you , no one from the so called society is forcing you to learn spanish...
Just your teachers , but that's for your own benefits and because its their job to teach "students"...

[Salem1]

Is this political ?
No
Is this a rant about not wanting to learn something new?
yes!

No one is forcing you , no one from the so called society is forcing you to learn spanish...
Just your teachers , but that's for your own benefits and because its their job to teach "students"...

I'm being practically forced. In theory I can abstain, but in practice that's off limits. If I don't learn Spanish I will get worse grades than those who learn Spanish will, and it shouldn't be like that. Knowing a 3rd language is just like knowing how to fix a broken car, it's not something fit to force people to learn. It's a specific skill.

It's supposed to be for my own benefit, but it isn't.

Doesn't surprise me to find out that you speak Spanish or an offshot of it.

[Chlodwig I.]

Americans....
why do you learn Math if a calculator can do the math for you?
why writing if typing on a pc is enough?