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I hate Foreign Languages
Topic Started: Oct 29 2009, 11:04 AM (478 Views)
NRE
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Map Tsar and Southern Gentleman

Pretty straight forward I feel, although perhaps a bit wrong. Its not that I hate the languages themselves or the cultures they represent. I just hate the education system ridiculous requirement that say I have to be competent in at least one Foreign language to graduate college. Its ridiculous, I mean I'm not moving out of country, I may never get the opportunity to leave the country on vacation (or holiday if you prefer). I see nor find any perfectly good arguments which suggests to me anything I learn in a foreign language class will ever come to serve as any great use to me. In all honesty I think it should be an option class, like taking art appreciation or journalism.

I believe this shall be the greatest scourge of my existence and one that may ever well topple me in me quest for some meaningful degree.

PS. Thanks in advance for my one allotted forum rant :lol:
Edited by NRE, Oct 29 2009, 11:05 AM.
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New Harumf
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Bloodthirsty Unicorn
You have a foreign language requirement in undergraduate school?? Where the hell are you going?

Didn't you take a foreign language in High School?

If they are going to force you to take a foreign language, take something dead (like classical Greek or Latin) or something impossible, like Manderin or Arabic, where you can be on the same footing as all of the students!

Do you need a speaking knowledge or a written knowledge of the language??
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Allesandra
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Most universities seem to be doing that now. I got out of it because I had taken three years of Spanish in high school. Course, some colleges think that you should take it again to make sure you have a handle on the language.
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Draxis
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I think its most universities that require foreign language now. Thankfully I fulfilled my Language other than English requirement before my transfer. But I may still try to have another language, one which actually applies to my focus (see Arabic or Farsi).

Most people take a foreign language in High School as again its a requirement to graduate.

You just need to pass the classes, you do not need pseaking or written knowledge at the time of graduation as long as you had enough knowledge to pass the required level of the class. I believe most school have it at around a year or so of foreign language study. Though some have less probably.
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Aelius
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The universities are just trying to gouge students/parents/government aid providers out of as much money as possible.
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flumes
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CLEVELAND ROCKS!
I don't have to take a foreign language necessarily, but I do have to meet a foreign cultural requirement... Most of the classes in that are language classes... I DID have to take them to graduate high school... I took 2 years of Spanish and 2 years of German.

I've always thought it'd be cool to know a different language, but I have no desire to learn one, and I definitely laugh at anyone who says I need one. Forget that. You can learn my language if you want to talk to me. :rolleyes: ^^
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Nag Ehgoeg
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The Devil's Advocate

I've never had less respect for the US "education" system as I do now.
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Paradise
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NRE
Oct 29 2009, 11:04 AM
Pretty straight forward I feel, although perhaps a bit wrong. Its not that I hate the languages themselves or the cultures they represent. I just hate the education system ridiculous requirement that say I have to be competent in at least one Foreign language to graduate college. Its ridiculous, I mean I'm not moving out of country, I may never get the opportunity to leave the country on vacation (or holiday if you prefer). I see nor find any perfectly good arguments which suggests to me anything I learn in a foreign language class will ever come to serve as any great use to me. In all honesty I think it should be an option class, like taking art appreciation or journalism.

I believe this shall be the greatest scourge of my existence and one that may ever well topple me in me quest for some meaningful degree.

PS. Thanks in advance for my one allotted forum rant :lol:
We do not have such requirements in our universities. However, we do follow mandatory English classes during primary and secondary education (although very few students end up bilingual).

I pretty much learned English by myself, by chatting here and by watching English TV shows.

The only English I am not able to understand is Southern US English. For me, they speak gibberish.
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Al Araam
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I think Southern English is wonderful. Gibberish, yes, but it's wonderful gibberish.

As for language requirements, a year (maybe two) of a foreign language is required to get a BA here, as I believe it is almost anywhere. You could always get a BS if you don't want to do language though. Personally, I don't mind. I'm studying Turkish and I enjoy it, so it's all good. If you're concerned about not ever using your foreign language skills, you could always learn Spanish...
Edited by Al Araam, Oct 29 2009, 02:29 PM.
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flumes
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CLEVELAND ROCKS!
As far as languages 'within' the US go, "I don't have an accent." B) They teach people in radio/broadcast journalism schools to talk like me!!!

I have limited trouble understanding the deepest of southern accents, and also the deepest of inner-city talk.
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

I know at OSU, even pursuing a major in Psychology, I have to fulfill a "language requirement", which is most easily done through foreign language classes. It's kinda bullshit though, cause I took 1 year of German in middle school (8th grade) and then 4 years in high school. Granted, I only have to take the last class (German 104), which I'm taking now, to finish up but it is kinda ridiculous if all you're looking to do is wrap up that particular requirement for graduation.

That being said, I actually do like German and have always thought it was cool to know, even superficially, another language.
Edited by Porcu, Oct 29 2009, 03:48 PM.
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Ulgania
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My little private school wins then I suppose. I'm getting a pretty amazing political science degree but I have no need for a language requirement.

Mind you, I would love to take Russian or German. Might need another language for post-grad educations.
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Tristan da Cunha
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I was never particularly good at learning foreign languages. I'm planning on assimilating 10's of thousands of Chinese characters in the near future though.
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Al Araam
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flumes
Oct 29 2009, 02:42 PM
As far as languages 'within' the US go, "I don't have an accent." B) They teach people in radio/broadcast journalism schools to talk like me!!!

I have limited trouble understanding the deepest of southern accents, and also the deepest of inner-city talk.
In the East, you have enclaves where people speak with a General American. In the West, it's rare to meet anyone who doesn't speak English with a General American accent. I think Utahns have funny accents though. It's far more subtle than your stereotypical Southern accent, but I find it entertaining anyway.
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Allesandra
Oct 29 2009, 12:46 PM
Most universities seem to be doing that now. I got out of it because I had taken three years of Spanish in high school. Course, some colleges think that you should take it again to make sure you have a handle on the language.
If they think they are going to make me take another year of spanish, then hell is going to break loose. :furious:

Quote:
 
I know at OSU, even pursuing a major in Psychology, I have to fulfill a "language requirement", which is most easily done through foreign language classes. It's kinda bullshit though, cause I took 1 year of German in middle school (8th grade) and then 4 years in high school. Granted, I only have to take the last class (German 104), which I'm taking now, to finish up but it is kinda ridiculous if all you're looking to do is wrap up that particular requirement for graduation.

That being said, I actually do like German and have always thought it was cool to know, even superficially, another language.
What area of the U.S. are you from, the only languages in southern California are spanish and french. :dry: I would die to take German or any other language.

Quote:
 
In the East, you have enclaves where people speak with a General American. In the West, it's rare to meet anyone who doesn't speak English with a General American accent. I think Utahns have funny accents though. It's far more subtle than your stereotypical Southern accent, but I find it entertaining anyway.
I like the educated southern accent, like the one Doc Holiday had in Tombstone. Very classy.

Quote:
 
I've never had less respect for the US "education" system as I do now.
Well, Obama actually wants us to eat more of this crap sandwich by increasing the time we spend in school by 33%. Does more of a crap product make it any less crappier?
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Rhadamanthus
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Legitimist

I took Latin from 8th through 12th grade. I took 4 semesters of Italian as an undergraduate.

I don't recall either particularly well. :(
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Rhadamanthus
Oct 29 2009, 05:23 PM
I took Latin from 8th through 12th grade. I took 4 semesters of Italian as an undergraduate.

I don't recall either particularly well. :(
I'm in Spanish 3 right now and I don't recall anything!

In that class we get spanish names and mine is El Diablo Blanco. :evil:
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Al Araam
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Can't you test out of the language requirement? Here all you need is proficiency in a foreign language equal to that gleaned from a year of language classes. So if you're fluent in something else or have taken more than the equivalent of a year worth of college language, then you can go take a standardized language test and fulfill the requirement.
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Telosan
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I had Spanish forced on me from 1st to 6th grade, and never learned a thing. We had a different teacher each year, each one starting over and teaching us numbers and colors. Rooms of a house, and numbers. Colors and rooms. :(

In 7th and 8th grade I took French since it was the only option besides Spanish. There was a mistake, and in 7th grade I ended up in French II and, not knowing the basics from French I, very near failed the class. I took French III in 8th grade but, again, I didn't know the basics and was very, very confused.

Last year and this year I'm taking Italian. Much, much, much better. I actually understand a bit of what I'm learning, remember enough to get by, and actually care about learning it.

I'll have an extra elective in junior year and have already applied to take German alongside my Italian classes. I'd like to learn Latin, but it doesn't really have a practical purpose outside of medicine and science.
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Al Araam
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I know how that goes. I got seven years of French in grade school. We had the same teacher the whole time, so I can't imagine why this is, but all I seem to be able to remember are colors, foods, and articles of clothing. My experience with French, Spanish, and a little Latin usually allow me to glean the occasionally speck of understanding from written French, but spoken French is more or less impossible. So really they were just wasting my life, I guess.
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Filo
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Learn a foreign language is always usefull.
Not only because may be usefull to talk with some one, but, and more, because a language is very important part of a life of a people and learning its ways to talk is assimilate something about their life stules.

However if you are interested i can open a topic to teach Italian :) :) :)

Remember that Italian is one of the most difficult language in the world ;)
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Rhadamanthus
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Filo
Oct 29 2009, 05:51 PM
Learn a foreign language is always usefull.
Not only because may be usefull to talk with some one, but, and more, because a language is very important part of a life of a people and learning its ways to talk is assimilate something about their life stules.

However if you are interested i can open a topic to teach Italian :) :) :)

Remember that Italian is one of the most difficult language in the world ;)
I'd like that some time. I'm busy now, but I'd like to review and learn some more.
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Al Araam
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Italian and Spanish are mutually intelligible to a great extent, aren't they? I think I remember this from following along in an Italian movie when I still remembered any of my Spanish.
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Filo
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Yes.
Spanish and Italian are very similar(very similar story of the two country perhaps?).
And they have a very similar grammar too.

However i have decided to open a a Topic called "Italian Lessons".
I know that my mother language is speak only in this third word country that Italy is, but is a wonderfull language with a great varieties of possibilities to express thoughts and ideas.

It is hard but worth a try.


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Rhadamanthus
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Al Araam
Oct 29 2009, 05:57 PM
Italian and Spanish are mutually intelligible to a great extent, aren't they? I think I remember this from following along in an Italian movie when I still remembered any of my Spanish.
In Mexico a waiter asked me a yes or no question.

I responded "Si."

He asked if I was Italian.
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