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Original poster

Do you think it's important for your dc to learn another language?

84 replies

Earlybird · 12/03/2007 12:50

Listening to a debate on radio about whether or not it is important/valuable for our dc to learn another language. One side says 'yes' because we must be well educated to compete with graduates from other countries. Opposing view says 'nice but not necessary' as English is universal language for International business.

Your thoughts? Are your dc learning a language atm, and if so, which one?

I'm hearing an awful lot about Mandarin Chinese - lots of leaflets for it around my part of London, but I don't know anyone whose child is doing it.

OP posts:
MrsPhilipGlenister · 12/03/2007 22:26

Gosh, Marina, I didn't know that! Am a bit of an ignoramus.

Marina · 12/03/2007 23:40

Neither did I until I read words to that effect in an article on the Dearing Report MrsPG. Am woefully ignorant about non-European MFLs myself

fireflyfairy2 · 12/03/2007 23:53

DD does Irish 3 times a week for 30mins at a time. She is getting good at it She knows how to say her name, where she lives, how many sibs she has, what colurs things are, how to count to 20 etc.....

She does Spanish at school, which is only hello & goodbye & a few phrases, nothing as good as her Irish.

I do think it's important for her to have a hobby, Irish language is her hobby

idlemum · 13/03/2007 08:58

I have just read in to-day's 'Guardian' that a modern language GCSE is a requirement to get in to Cambridge University - for any course. Worth being aware of if your child has aspirations to go to Cambridge but is unlucky enough to attend a school which doesn't encourage take up of languages.

maveta · 13/03/2007 09:04

Yes... if he doesn´t he won´t be able to communicate effectively with one or the other of his parents!

I think it´s really important and I´m so glad that life worked out so that our lo will naturally be exposed to more than 1 language from a young age. I think it is a wonderful ability to have which helps understanding of your own language/ grammar structure and opens up so many more opportunities.

maveta · 13/03/2007 09:04

sorry, his languages will be english, spanish, catalan.

Anna8888 · 13/03/2007 09:21

Definitely, learning languages is lots of fun as well as great at improving people's overall cognitive skills.

I did French, German, Italian and Latin at school, and Spanish at university. My daughter is being brought up bilingual (father is French), and will go to a bilingual school where she will learn to read and write both languages in primary school and start Spanish in the final two years. I'm so happy about this.

winniepoo · 13/03/2007 09:40

Not at all - a bit of fun but that's all! My mum thought I should have a second language so made me take french o level I hated it and failed miserably probably would of passed another subject that I had chosen myself.
I have learned sign language as part of my job and to be fair have had many more situations in life when this has been useful ( not just work related) and I have never have been in a situation where a foreign language has been that important!

Piffle · 13/03/2007 09:44

DS is 13 and does french spanish and mandarin chinese - mandarin which is offered after school as an optional GCSE level course.

I value languages highly, but it is subjective, no point pushing languages onto a child who isn't interested IMO

Twiglett · 13/03/2007 09:46

ds goes to after-school french club ..he's in yr 1 and just turned 6 ... ~I think its crucial that they start early

Rhubarb · 13/03/2007 12:35

I agree that it should be seen as fun. If your child doesn't like it then they shouldn't be forced.

It really does depend a lot on the teacher too, you can either make languages boring and hard, or you can make them fun. You can spend hours learning the grammar and pronounciation, or you can have fun playing language games and learning about different cultures.

dd was a fluent French speaker and we are trying hard to keep her that way because I feel that at her level of fluency and her perfect French accent is a gift and I should hate to see her lose it.

The BBC website is a great place to start. Not keen on the Muzzy stuff btw, I used them in France to teach English to the kids there and they got quite bored. Might be ok one2one though. A lot of kiddies sites in France are better and you can get LeapPad books in different languages which dd loves.

clerkKent · 13/03/2007 13:02

DS does German at his grammar school. One modern foreign language is compulsory to GCSE (French or German), but they can choose to do both. He also does Latin, and will do Ancient Greek in his lunchtimes next year. He wants to do Latin A level.

I studied French from primary school to A level, and ended up able to read and write fairly well, but there was never much of a requirement to speak it.

DW has bought MUZZY German for DS and DD, but we haven't opened the box yet...

Annasmami - is that table the number of native speakers, or the total? I would guess it is native speakers.

Fauve · 13/03/2007 13:07

ClerkKent, dw has just opened the box and watched Muzzy with dd. I think it's pretty good, and dd is fairly enthusiastic. She likes the cuddly Muzzy doll

Fauve · 13/03/2007 13:21

Blimey, she's filling in the booklet now.

Pamina · 13/03/2007 13:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Fauve · 13/03/2007 13:54

Hi Pamina! Mandarin, that's impressive. I can't believe there'd be much uptake at our primary, but maybe I'm wrong.

ThursdayNext, having only watched the first DVD of German Muzzy once, I think it would be good for pre-schoolers - you'd have to sell them the Muzzy doll, then hopefully they'd be hooked. It would work as a kind of immersion - the language would enter their little heads imperceptibly over time, with repetition.

I'm hoping it'll help ds (13) with basic vocab and more importantly perhaps pronunciation. He is reluctant to do the kind of exaggerated mouth effort needed for most languages. Fear of ridicule (at school) presumably inhibits him. Dd (8) has no hesitation in doing the required pronunciation - it helps having a v talkative mother no doubt.

Muzzy is expensive. But you get it on a 30 day trial basis, so it can go back if not popular.

Pamina · 13/03/2007 14:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Fauve · 13/03/2007 14:54

I'm hoping to remind myself of some basic vocab! And get my ear in, so to speak.

SenoraPostrophe · 13/03/2007 17:13

probably way too late, but exmouth, where does that quote come from? Because it's just not true that 42% of 16 year olds "fail to achieve a basic level of functional English"

Marina - right, see the problem then. I did wonder where all the teachers were going to come from. maybe I'll volunteer to teach spanish when we come home. it'll stop mine going rusty

batters · 13/03/2007 19:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

snorkle · 13/03/2007 20:07

Message withdrawn

Frizbe · 13/03/2007 20:14

yep think its a fab idea, dd1 does french (basic) at nursery, hope she takes up spanish as well.

JanH · 13/03/2007 20:39

DS2's school has just become a specialist language college and is now offering Spanish as well as French, German & Latin at GCSE. (Move here, SP! ) They still have to do one language at GCSE; I can't decide if that's a good idea or not. Some people, however smart, just don't get languages and forcing them to do one when they could do something more useful to them instead seems counter-productive, but then I suppose there are lots of kids who wouldn't choose to do one but who ultimately benefit from having to.

This (selective) school has always taught both French and German from day 1, with classes conducted in the language - they get a bit confused that way to begin with, with French words emerging in German work and vice versa, but my 3 older kids all managed good grades in German GCSE (they didn't take to French, to my sorrow, because I did and I loathed German!)

DS2 is in Y9 and actually seems to have a flair for languages - he is doing quite well with Latin too. (His primary school started very occasional French lessons when he was in Y4 or Y5 but I think that's just coincidence.) Anyway he is probably going to take both French & German at GCSE (I couldn't persuade him to try Spanish). From what I have seen the work they do (lots of entertaining creative writing, using the computer) and the textbooks they use are vastly more enjoyable than when I was at this stage, and even if French and German aren't particularly useful languages outside France & Germany, it's all excellent mental exercise!

SenoraPostrophe · 13/03/2007 21:09

wow - sounds good.

But French is v useful outside france - will half of africa do you? It might not be the first language in those countries, but it is the second language and is often spoken where English isn't.

can't move there though: you're on the rainy side of the peaks aren't you? we downloaded a rainfall map and everything you know!

ernest · 13/03/2007 22:27

I'm all for too, I learnt French and Russian as a yoot, and now living in Switzerland and can speak German (some days feel victoriously brilliant, others like a total muppet) my boys (3, 6 & 7) have 3 languages, English, obv. High German ans Swiss German. But they are mad for languages. When we went on holiday to France, they insisted on spending 5 mns learning and practising thier order before going to the bar themselves! And if ever hear any of their 'foreign' (ie non swiss) friends speaking mt they get v. excited. They're really interested in languages and I think this is brilliant.

It really opens up your eyes to the world around you, if nothing else, but of course has many benefit in brain/mental development, memory, cultural understanding, balh blah blah.

Big thumbs up from me. I'm passionate about the topic.