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To: marcos who wrote (8921)	4/14/2002 2:58:31 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21057

Not only that, but truly bilingual students surpass their contemporaries on tests after about 7 years. It takes longer for bilingual students to master everything, but when they do eventually achieve mastery they perform very well indeed. The worst performing students tend to be those students who were fluent in one language, and then that language was completely cut off and they were forced to learn another language. Studies show these students are are worst performers, and they never catch up. We have schools in our area that are truly bilingual- where English only students are learning Spanish and Spanish only students are learning English, and where the students by the end of elementary school achieve proficiency in both languages. That is, imo, the ideal.

To: marcos who wrote (8921)	4/14/2002 3:18:42 PM
From: Lazarus_Long	Respond to of 21057

they know this in the Netherlands, Danmark, you don't get a ticket out of high school there without english They know this because their tongue is spoken by only a small fraction of humankind. English is already by far the dominant world language. We are raised speaking it. We don't have to learn it as a foreign language. occupied México If the Mexicans care for a rematch, they need only let us know. We'll be in Mexico City within the hour.

To: marcos who wrote (8921)	4/14/2002 3:21:35 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 21057

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.