English only

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by dar512

There's more than a bit of German (from the Saxons):

"English is the result of Norman men-at-arms attempting to pick up Saxon barmaids and is no more legitimate than any of the other results."
- H. Beam Piper

I'm teaching English in Japan and I loved this quote. It's the most pithy explanation for the inconsistencies in English.

Seriously, though, being unable to speak the language of the country where I have moved is very limiting and I am sure I miss out on a lot. But I chose to come here and if I were planning to stay long-term I'd be studying Japanese much more than now. If you migrate to a country, learn the language. Even a few mangled basics can get you by.

But it's great business to have an English speaker on staff. Most Anglophones in this city are with the same phone, internet, travel agent and computer companies, for this reason.

So to apply this to US schools:
Everyone must learn the official language (English). Without it you're at a major disadvantage. But lots of people should learn common minority languages (Spanish, etc) too. And I recall (but can't cite, sorry) claims that English-only schools are less effective at teaching minority students than mixed language schools. Remember they're also learning math, history, science etc - and social skills.

now let me end with the universal language ...