Why can't the English teach their children how to speak?

Tiffany   Tue Sep 12, 2006 5:42 pm GMT
Correction to an above statement: Eliza Doolittle was played by Audrey Hepburn, not Julie Andrews, who was her singing voice.
Roxie   Thu Sep 06, 2007 7:57 pm GMT
Actually, Audrey Hepburn played Eliza in the film version (with Marni Nixon as her singing voice), whereas Julie Andrews played her in the Broadway version.
K. T.   Fri Sep 07, 2007 3:08 am GMT
That song is a lot of fun, but if it were NOT a song, it would be (lol) deleted here.
K. T.   Fri Sep 07, 2007 3:17 am GMT
Liz,

You mentioned that you are studying linguistics. People often use "linguist" for "polyglot" and I am quick to point out that I am not a linguist. When I lived overseas, a graduate in linguistics applied for a position at our school, but she could not speak any languages except English. I was a little surprised by that. She had studied French, but couldn't manage the spoken language. Is that unusual? Is proficiency in a foreign language required for a degree in linguistics? I know English majors only have to take foreign languages for two years at some schools, not be bilingual. Is it something like that?

Sorry, I know this is probably a "Linguistics for Dummies" question.
Liz   Fri Sep 07, 2007 11:57 am GMT
K. T.,

Actually, I'm studying English and German philology, that is, mainly linguistics and literature and a bit of history / culture, but I'm studying pedagogy, too, as I'm training to be a teacher. Both are foreign languages to me as I'm a native speaker of Hungarian.

In Hungary, you need to learn / speak another foreign language(s) no matter what you are studying. If you are studying German linguistics / literature (i.e. philology) in Germany, you are supposed to learn Latin and probably a modern language - the same thing applies to students of Hungarian in Hungary. I can't really speak for Britain as I've never attended a university there.