Re: "Usefull languages"
| From: | David Starner <starner@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Wednesday, February 13, 2002, 21:13 |
|---|
On Wed, Feb 13, 2002 at 12:17:31PM -0800, Clint Jackson Baker wrote:
> It's first an indicator of
> the problems in traditional second-language education,
> beginning focus right from the start on reading and
> writing, which is not a natural way to learn a
> language.
Based on what I've read, it really makes no difference in adult (or late
teen) education whether or not you include reading from the start; I've
read studies that say that over three years, it all averages out, and at
no point does the more vocal group really have an advantage. It's also
more comforting to the learner - I have no immediate need for another
spoken language. But if I can learn to read German, there becomes open
to me a great range of writings I didn't have access to before.
Anyway, do the Chinese have spelling bees, or the like? It seems like
they'd have more problem then the English at the correspondence between
the written form and the spoken form.
--
David Starner / Давид Старнэр - starner@okstate.edu
Pointless website: http://dvdeug.dhis.org
What we've got is a blue-light special on truth. It's the hottest thing
with the youth. -- Information Society, "Peace and Love, Inc."
Replies