Why learn English?

Robin Michael   Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:46 am GMT
You cannot blame the English language for faults in the Japanese educational system.

I think there are benefits for learning the English language even for Japanese people. I know there is a saying that 'ignorance is bliss', which has an element of truth. But in reality, most people wish they were not ignorant.

Where would the Japanese economy be today if it weren't for English? Have you ever heard of Glover?

Glover House. Aberdeen's Independent Tourist Attractions
Glover House in Aberdeen was the home of Thomas Blake Glover, The Scottish Samurai, who was one of the founders of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd in ...
www.aberdeen-treasures.org/glover.shtml - 11k - Cached - Similar pages


Japanese tourists flock to Brooklands.

Brooklands Museum
The birthplace of British motorsport and aviation.
www.brooklandsmuseum.com/ - 16k - Cached - Similar pages
Robin Michael   Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:50 am GMT
Why don't you read?

"Empire of the Sun" by J. G. Ballard

Empire of the Sun Summary and Study Guide - J. G. Ballard

Empire of the Sun Summary. The novel opens on the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, in Shanghai's International Settlement. ...

www.enotes.com/empire-sun/ - 13k - Cached - Similar pages


I know you come from a very civilised country.
Damian London E14   Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:03 am GMT
***"Empire of the Sun" by J. G. Ballard***

J G Ballard

Sadly, this writer and novelist died at his home in Shepperton, West London, yesterday 19/04/09 at the age of 78.

I reiterate Robin's words - a read of Ballard's work is time well spent as the man was a wordsmith in the English Language and he had tremendous insight into so much of what makes life interesting and fulfilling. God rest his soul.
Edward Teach   Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:11 am GMT
Clearly English sucks has no intent of ever leaving his home country and plans to speak only one language all his life. If that is the limit to his ambition than I suppose learning English was a waste of time for him/her.

However I very much doubt that learning anything else would have been of more benefit.
The negative attitude displayed by both English sucks and Angry ESL student leads me to suspect that finding ny kind of decent employment is highly unlikely for either of them.
Perhaps they should focus a little less on languages and more on maturing emotionally.
I mean, come on! How old are you? If its older than 15, then you need to start thinking about your life.
Danilo   Tue Apr 21, 2009 8:55 pm GMT
What question stupidy!
What do you think about, we need to learn OnoLuLu because is more exotic? No!! We need stop studing and become more and more ignoramus!
Edward Teach   Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:59 am GMT
O.........K.....
Does anyone have the faintest idea what danilo was talking about?
idiotA   Tue Apr 28, 2009 2:58 am GMT
<<O.........K.....
Does anyone have the faintest idea what danilo was talking about?>>

He is proving the fact that only idiots learn this stupid language - English.
Edward Teach   Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:31 am GMT
Noticed you didnt tell us your native language, big man.
Also what language did you just write in? exactly. So that makes you a.....
idiotA   Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:48 am GMT
you talking to me? Didn't you read my name - idiotA?
I just wrote in English. Yeah, I was turned into an idiot -- after learning English.
Edward Teach   Tue Apr 28, 2009 4:06 am GMT
Hmmmm, i see......
let me guess.... you are bitter because your language is not as widely spoken, right?
idiotA   Tue Apr 28, 2009 4:16 am GMT
... I'm bitter because I had been a genius before I was turned into an idiot...I mean before I learned English....
Edward Teach   Tue Apr 28, 2009 4:19 am GMT
Dont suppose you would like to say exactly how learning English affects your intelligence.
Or perhaps present some kind of evidence?
Oh, by the way.... you still never mentioned your native language.
idiotA   Tue Apr 28, 2009 6:14 am GMT
One very obvious evidence:
Ten students set out to learn English, at least nine of them never make it.
Yeah, many people study English, but how many of them are able to write or speak English without making stupid mistakes here and there ...

Another evidence:
Learning English simply takes up too much time for a foreign student. English has too many loan words from many other languages. Learning English is like learning many foreign languages at a time.

My native language? Let me give you a clue - it's not English.
Edward Teach   Tue Apr 28, 2009 8:01 am GMT
Wow! Your native language is not English, that narrows it down.....

Your 'evidence' is not exactly convincing though is it?
If someone fails to achieve a goal (say, learning English for example) they alone are responsible for this, you cannot blame a skill for being difficult to master.

also..... "Ten students set out to learn English, at least nine of them never make it." is a laughable concept.
Are you really claiming that 90% of those who start to learn English never make any progress whatsoever? Can you back this statement up with anything?
Takes up too much time? I will admit that learning any language is a time consuming affair, but "too much"? How much time is that? Isnt it a matter of opinion rather than a fact?

Why do you tedious nationalists even come to this site if you have nothing positive to offer?

By the way, If you are ashamed of your nationality or native language, its okay. You dont have to tell us.
Johnny   Tue Apr 28, 2009 8:08 am GMT
Whoever thinks English is useless is very likely to be a fairly uneducated person. It's ok, but don't insist English is useless in general just because it's only useless to people like you.

Whoever thinks English is a difficult language must not have learned any other languages or is just not motivated or doesn't have any reason to learn it. English is among the easiest languages (most polyglots agree on that). It just seems difficult to reach native fluency, but that's actually true for EVERY language.

Whoever thinks English is ugly, thinks they wasted their time learning it, complains they were forced to learn it, etc., and then comes here and writes in English on a forum about English... is both a troll and a crybaby.

Every open-minded educated person knows that English is the most studied language in the world and knowing English allows you to access the greatest amount of information, and allows communication with the most people, compared to any other single language.

Denying all that would mean denying clear evidence and showing great ignorance once again.