21 Oct 2009

Having a Second Language

Hola, a lectores de Carolina Divina. ¿Cómo están Uds. hoy? Those of you whose mother tongue is Spanish will recognize that simple greeting. How many of you who have spoken only English since birth can understand, or respond to the question being asked?

Most Americans, unfortunately, speak only one language, English. In the EU, in non-English speaking countries, an astounding 93 percent are fluent in a second language. A second language, often English, is a required part of the school curriculum, and that education begins early on, sometimes when the students are as young as six. In the U.S., most students don't become exposed to a second language until high school. The majority of students take only the minimum requirement for graduation. Upon completion of the necessary credits, the language is quickly forgotten, and all the doors it opens swiftly slam shut. What a loss!

Find out how the writer quickly learnt Spanish