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Do you think that English fluency is the new money?
english is the new money. those with money have access to the really best ways of learning english.Private classes summers abroad bilingual kid schools.Those with less money get group classes.As well those with english get better jobs.So can we say that english is the new money.?
In murcia where we work theres 2 ways to really learn english.Pay 1500 amonth to the bilingual school or private classes at home for kids and adults.The rest are trapped in 34 kid english class at school where few learn or private academias of groups of 7 where 4 fail.
In other ccities the pub schools teach in english..madrid a few barcelona a few..Other countries teach in english Israel Germany Denmark to name 3.
Can we say that speaking english,not just having a cambridge certificate, but really speaking english is so essential that it is kept away from the mass.
What are your thoughts?
Mary M. 100+
Many here on TED practice their English by participating in conversations.
So no, I don't think that English is being kept away from the masses.
And, by the way, is that really your picture?..........because you bear an uncanny resemblance to Eckhart Tolle.
Luis Javier Salvador 30+
You can undoubtedly learn English on your own, but not as fast as with the help of a qualified teacher.
Having said that, learning a language is a matter of consistency and a continuous effort from our part. Our teacher cannot make that effort for us, it's up to us to get home and start reading books, watching tv, etc...
Mary M. 100+
But as you stated, learning a foreign language is very much in the hands of the student.
You can have the best teacher in the world, and not be self-motivated, and inevitably end up wasting your money on the classes.
And the opposite holds true: you could have a lousy teacher, but be a very focused individual, and end up thriving.
There is no shortage of materials out there to learn any language you want to.
The key is to practice. You have to be fearless in practicing your new acquired language without fear of making mistakes.
Spanish is my first language. I learned English after I moved to the U.S.
I also lived in Asia for a while, and taught myself a third language.
To be fair, I am an educator, and learning languages, including sign language comes easy to me.
I have friends who would love to speak English, but they just can't master it.....they don't have the ear for it.....I know, I've tried to teach them.....
steven ira
Kate Blake 50+
Point taken, an American living in Spain?
Kate Blake 50+
I lived in India for some years recently and I can tell you the Indian nation use English as a real judgemental thing. In that if you speak English you are a well-educated upper class. If you don't then you are considered to be a poor peasant. In Delhi many speak only English so they are losing their Hindi language and other dialects. So there is definitely a lot of snobbery around speaking English.
Having said that people from all over the world flocked to a tiny village in HP because of the large Tibetan population there are many English classes, and I'm told the only free ones in the world. So people from Russia, Malaysia, Mongolia, and many many other countries come to learn. India is cheaper than most places to stay and if there is a charge for their classes it is nominal
So from this experience I would say that fluent English is the new money. People hold it in very high esteem, and most of us English speakers - okay Aussie slang - don't have the same opportunites to learn other languages
Mary M. 100+
They have done so, in my opinion, out of ignorance.
Now those same children cannot have conversations with their grandparents. Not only that, but, in a community where 95% of the people are totally bilingual, or speak only spanish, they might even have difficulty competing for a job once they enter the workforce.
Some learn foreign languages very easily........others would love to learn English, or any foreign language, but they just don't have the capability.
I think it is good to know a bit of English if you travel.
And yes, I think you are correct in stating that people hold it in very high esteem in other countries.
george lockwood 20+
Honestly, to learn a language fluently It helps to be a child - That's how the Dutch do it. I tried Spanish starting in Junior High and began Russian in college and some Japanese while on active duty in Okinawa. Believe me I am not fluent in anything except maybe Texas American English. Do your best and the only negative feedback will be from true jerks.
steven ira
Fritzie Reisner 100+
steven ira
Fritzie Reisner 100+
Forgive me if I misunderstand your question.
Robert Winner 50+
reine des violettes
Quite a lot of words are different, as well as phrases which can have alternative meanings...and I think there are very different ideas about what one can or cannot - should or should not - say.
The first thing I do with a new computer is change 'American English' to 'English' in the dictionary.
Unfortunately, as a nation, we are not very good at learning other languages. But I must say that my fluency and vocabulary with English have both been developed by
1) learning other languages including Latin, even if I discontinued them.
2) reading extensively from an early age.
I love my own English language because there are so many words with subtle meanings to choose from. But I feel sorry for people learning it from scratch, the spelling rules must be dreadful.