|
Laurel, I agree with you immensely, but... this country is so large that it would be hard to get enough language teachers in all the levels of the school who could even pronounce the language well. My French teacher in junior high had a strong American accent in her French -- even the students could tell that she didn't come close to the native sound, and that doesn't serve anybody well.
I've taken seven years of French (can read well, write a bit, and am totally out of practice in speaking), a year and a half of German (cannot read, write, or speak except in absolutely minimal phrases), a year of Spanish (well, I was 9 years old at the time, guess how much I can remember?), and have listened to audiotapes to learn Russian (only to find that the Ukrainians in this area speak a different language and got some good laughs out of my attempts to speak Russian).
Over time, I've learned that body language and a good sense of humor can get you a long way with someone who speaks no English. Laughing at yourself translates nicely into any language.
|