Language Log: English in China
Language Log: English in China
Beijing, China
This site is compelling in general and can always be counted on for good posts, but I found this article especially interesting. It's another example of how far behind we are in educating our youngsters. He mentions how common it is for 4 and 5 year old Chinese children to start learning English. Remarkable when you think that they are obviously still learning their own language at that age. With the world becoming smaller all the time, when is our educational system going to start a serious campaign to bring Asian languages to our youth. How many elementary school children do you know who are learning Chinese, or Japanese, or Korean or any other Asian language, in a structured, long-term program? Americans have always considered themselves at the center of the educated world, but sooner or later, we’ll be slapped into realizing that this isn’t true.
Beijing, China
This site is compelling in general and can always be counted on for good posts, but I found this article especially interesting. It's another example of how far behind we are in educating our youngsters. He mentions how common it is for 4 and 5 year old Chinese children to start learning English. Remarkable when you think that they are obviously still learning their own language at that age. With the world becoming smaller all the time, when is our educational system going to start a serious campaign to bring Asian languages to our youth. How many elementary school children do you know who are learning Chinese, or Japanese, or Korean or any other Asian language, in a structured, long-term program? Americans have always considered themselves at the center of the educated world, but sooner or later, we’ll be slapped into realizing that this isn’t true.
