It's why I love the English Language

ellal said:
And given it was imposed on most of the world, it also instills a feeling of superiority and the reluctance to teach/learn other languages in it's origin country. Because of that 'other languages aren't really needed' approach...
A sad loss of interaction, and probably why we are currently where we are!
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That is true; it isn't really necessary unless at 11 you know where you will be going later in life.

I was taught (bits of) Latin, French and German at school. It would certainly have been better to concentrate on either French or German yet neither is much use for living in Portugal.

As it is, the Portuguese shop assistant and Dutch customer converse in English.
 
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EFLImpudence said:
That is true; it isn't really necessary unless at 11 you know where you will be going later in life.

I was taught (bits of) Latin, French and German at school. It would certainly have been better to concentrate on either French or German yet neither is much use for living in Portugal.

As it is, the Portuguese shop assistant and Dutch customer converse in English.
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But that is the point...

Languages aren't usually taught until a later age in the UK and that is then too late...

People in other countries are immersed in English from birth wherever they live because of early lessons, media, and latterly computer language...

Thus we don't bother, although Spanish and Mandarin have been recently making an appearance. But mainly in private schools.

We are educationally poorer for this, and as a whole more inward looking!
 
ellal said:
But that is the point...
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Sort of.

Languages aren't usually taught until a later age in the UK and that is then too late...
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True, but which would you choose at an earlier age?

People in other countries are immersed in English from birth wherever they live because of early lessons, media, and latterly computer language...
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Yes, because they virtually have to be; it is necessary.

Thus we don't bother, although Spanish and Mandarin have been recently making an appearance. But mainly in private schools.
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Handy if you then go and live in Russia. That is the point.

We are educationally poorer for this, and as a whole more inward looking!
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That is unfortunately true - although inward apart from the US; the same as anywhere else but you speak the language already.
 
Spanish & Mandarin are pretty standard in all schools and have been for decades. Because English is a language that can be used more or less universally, we are in the "unfortunate" position of living in the country that created it hence it is not deemed as essential to learn an additional language from a low age. Muppet.
 
I was doing Spanish in the early eighties. Where did you grow up coz it wasn't here obviously
 
Dangee said:
Spanish & Mandarin are pretty standard in all schools and have been for decades. Because English is a language that can be used more or less universally, we are in the "unfortunate" position of living in the country that created it hence it is not deemed as essential to learn an additional language from a low age. Muppet.
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My two went to (comprehensive) school in the eighties and learnt no languages.

They barely taught English.
 
I was in the eighties. Choice of French German or Spanish. On the standard curriculum.
 
One of my interests is grammar, specifically, English and Latin. As a bricklayer this has proved useful.

I have a Latin dictionary dated 1797 that belonged to (in his own hand) a "Captain N. Surtees Commander in Chief of his Majestyes Forces at 5/97" who lived at "Redwich(?) Hall Mitton(?) le wear County of Durham."
I have confirmed his status/existence by the Army List for 1797, and the location of his home.

It is recognised that English grammar lacks a precise or formal structure found in the Latin. I was not taught grammar at school; today, even reading is considered deviant.
 
Grantx said:
It is recognised that English grammar lacks a precise or formal structure found in the Latin.
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Perhaps that is because Latin "died" centuries ago, is so limited and infrequent in its use nowadays, and is only used by specifically-educated persons (of a certain mind-set), that the opportunities for it to evolve (be misused through general (ab)use) are pretty-much non-existent?
 
Brigadier said:
Perhaps that is because Latin "died" centuries ago, is so limited and infrequent in its use nowadays, and is only used by specifically-educated persons (of a certain mind-set), that the opportunities for it to evolve (be misused through general (ab)use) are pretty-much non-existent?
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Latin is used by scientists for naming organisms and there are many latin terms in law. But for day to day communication FB rules. :mrgreen:
 
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