Americans are disadvantaged of learning second languages because we have little means to exercise using the second languages. As English is used world wide, this gives non-english speaking people plenty of opportunities to practice the language. What many people with your perspective fail to understand is that Hollywood has had a huge influence in the spread of the English language. Kids and adults grew up watching American TV with their respective subtitles. It is much easier for children to pick up second languages early than waiting until high school or college. That said, there is no excuse for us not studying other cultures.
21.5% of East German votes for AfD (2nd highest voted party), feel ashamed. I'm originally from Brandenburg and still spend a lot of time there, so it's sad to see AfD gaining such attraction there, but it was to be expected. Although Brandenburg has the lowest numbers of refugees, low-income households tend to be the most vocal right-wing bunch, it's sickening. Fear of the unknown and blaming your own shortcomings on external factors.
Watching ARD right now and Schulz with one of the most embarassing and childish performances I've ever seen in modern politics, absolutely horrible behaviour. SPD should think realllllllly hard about dumping him.
I am a big fan of Lindner, but that video of him as an 18-year old is just so embarrassing . Then again, if someone pulled up a video of me at 18, I would probably cringe today as well (yeah, before you say it, any other age, too ).
Thanks! I'll give it a shot. Learning a second language here varies from region to region, state to state and, heck, school district to school district, as well as within a district, and there are untold thousands of school districts in this country. Back in my day in Houston (a very long time ago), we didn't sniff a second language until perhaps junior high (middle school), or even high school (usually learning Spanish), and by then it was too late to hope for fluency unless you had friends or relatives you grew up with who were Spanish speaking, had an unusually progressive public school district (which certainly didn't describe Houston's), were one of those lucky few with a knack for languages, or went to a private school, which could be an entirely different ball game. That's all based on personal experience and are my opinions. Some might disagree, of course, and probably will. Today? It's much different. It was for our two kids in Austin, at any rate. They went to public schools, but middle school and high school were both what we call magnet schools (I won't attempt to explain magnet schools right now, like why they exist - it's complicated). It's like a public school on steroids, and the high school is nationally recognized, if your kid can get in (you have to apply, write an essay, etc.). The youngest ended up speaking Spanish rather well, far better than his parents, and the oldest speaks Japanese, having asked for Rosetta Stone in the language (a language learning system that's apparently pretty good) when she was beginning middle school, busy learning Spanish. She subsequently took two years of Japanese at the out of state university she went to, and aced the courses. We've been very lucky with our kids. Hope that all helps a little. Oh, and a third language? You've got to be kidding!
Me - 6th grade. My kids - Kindergarten. The problem is it's easy to lose the language skills in the US, because other languages aren't common in everyday life - with the exception of Spanish. Roughly 30-40% of the Houston area are Spanish speakers, so there are opportunities to use it.
I agree with you here, even as a little kid in an Eastern European country, I could already speak "broken English" by the age of 9 mostly due to watching hours and hours of Cartoon Network. Hollywood and the American music industry have also had a really big effect on spreading the language across the globe. That being said, I don't think there's any reason for the Americans not to learn Spanish. That's one language that can definitely be benefitial if you're an American.
Why aren't you comparing it to Merkel's approval rating instead? It was 69% in July and 59% in August I think.
That's not how our system works and her approval rating is at 59%, as mentioned above. It's not similar to the no-substance popularity contest or personality cult that many US voters are falling for.
lol you're a treat. I don't have a vote in German politics, but I'd describe letting over a million non skilled refugees into the country with limited vetting and no plan for them as poor substance. The resulting rapes, killings and crime qualifies as "substance". But she's politically correct so forget about all that, right?
Putting words in my mouth again, I see. And you don't vote for a party based on a SINGLE issue, this is not how politics should work. Germany hasn't become a burning warzone full of violence and rape, as FOX, Trump and other "sources" try to insinuate, so people actually vote based on what affects them most currently (social, economical issues etc). Sorry that we didn't fall for cheap propaganda and divisive slogans, like you guys did.
If the 2016 election proved anything, Americans vote for their party regardless of issues or candidate.
lol at you. You put the words in my mouth that your country has become a warzone. Of course I didn't say that. I will think twice before going to a Christmas Market this year, or hanging out near the cathedral in Cologne during a holiday event. You're definitely naive if you think the crime situation hasn't deteriorated. Frog in boiling water issue... you've become numb to it, I guess.
