I don't know Laz well enough to figure out if he's being teasingly provocative or serious, sometimes
I agree that it's hard to tell. On this thread, though, I always assume the former. I think that's a safe bet.
they know this in the Netherlands, Danmark, you don't get a ticket out of high school there without english
There's a lot of difference between the US and Denmark.
I remember when I first started studying foreign languages, I chose Spanish. Back in those days, Spanish WAS a foreign language. I chose it because it seemed like the one I would use most given the proximity of Spanish speakers. I considered French because French was then still the language of international relations. It wasn't until much later that it became apparent that English would become universal.
In the Netherlands and Denmark, you can't go more than a few miles, or a few kilometers, without running into another country. And even in Spanish speaking countries, educated people learn English. There's really very little practical reason now for native English speakers to learn another language. Personally, I feel nourished by having studied other languages, but I can see where many would consider that a luxury. If the choice is between learning Spanish or a computer language, I think the latter is more valuable. Unless one chooses a career that requires languages. A couple of years of high school Spanish might be helpful for kids in much the way Latin was studied when I was a kid but I don't see the point of being really bilingual. |
