From: mike@fionn.lbl.gov (Michael Helm)
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 1996 20:51:29 +0800
To: Rich Graves <llurch@networking.stanford.edu>
Subject: Re: Why Americans feel no compulsion to learn foreign languages
In-Reply-To: <llurch@networking.stanford.edu>
Message-ID: <199603281708.JAA05726@fionn.lbl.gov>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


On Mar 27,  1:05pm, Rich Graves wrote:
> Undeniably true. I think Tim's point was more, "Who cares?  Everyone *I*
> want to talk to speaks English."

Maybe; & who someone talks to & how they do it is of no particular
interest to me.  However, he said something else: that foreign
language speakers were unavailable to most Americans.  This is easily
shown to be false.  That many other people in our English-speaking
community also believe it is interesting.  Often, they can provide
counterexamples themselves without too much trouble (& you may recall
that Tim May did).  This says something about this culture.  What, I don't
know, but it's some kind of cognitive dissonance.

It occurs to me that members of certain large language groups
in the US, who don't speak English, sometimes make the same
statement -- "Everyone I want to talk to speaks X".

I don't know why this disclaimer is necessary, but please note that I
don't think for a moment that you all are "bad" if your beliefs are in
accord with what Tim May wrote.  Nor do I think you should
go out & learn some random language.

> One may quibble with the wisdom or morality of such a statement, but if
> the second statement is true in your case, then there is no reason you
> should have to learn another language. Most upper-income Americans have no

I'm not sure what the "second statement" is you're referring to.
Anyway, there are a lot of reasons one might choose to study
a foreign language, and many levels of fluency.  There are many
economic issues that could apply, & some non - economic arguments
as well.  There are very good reasons not to bother, as well.