Learning a new language: It's a small world after all

[Francis Hult]

Ledger-Enquirer

 

Learning a new language: It's a small world after all

 

When my younger daughter and I were in Disney World earlier this year, we jokingly spoke to each other in our broken Italian - as if to fit in with the cacophony of different languages being spoken in our midst.

 

We are in a global society all right, in ways that affect not just commerce, but our daily lives. Think of the conversations with calling centers on the other side of the world.  Or how many time you press 1 for English.  Or go to a place like Disney, a make-believe world that spotlights the reality of world convergence.  

 

Recently, the Huffington Post published a commentary by U.S. Rep. Rush Holt, a New Jersey Democrat, on the subject of why foreign language education matters.  Holt made many of the familiar points on this topic - about how we need to understand world languages for everything from protecting national security to competing effectively in a global marketplace.  Holt also noted that learning a language is a long-term process and there is no short-cut to acquiring fluency.

 

Full story:

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/259/story/457106.html

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