Languages at school

europeans   Wed Feb 22, 2006 2:26 pm GMT
Hello Everybody.
I want to know when children start to learn a language at school, how many languages are compulsory and which are the studiest languages.

I come from Italy
on Primary school (scuola elementare) from 6 to 10 years, they study English.
on middle school (scuola media) from 11 to 13 years, we study English and another European Language (the 2nd language is usually choose from the school), that usually is French, but sometimes also Spanish and German.
from 14 year it dipends from the school you choose:
if you choose a "liceo" (scientific, classical, ..of art etc.), or a professional school, you study only English.
but if you choose a touristic or a linguistic high school, you study English, a second language (usually french) and also a third language (Spanish or German)
In two years' time, with a new reform, everybody in high school will study English and a second language
Tiffany   Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:57 pm GMT
From the US:

I began Spanish when I was six, along with my classmates. I don't know how usual my experience is (that is learning a foreign language from a young age)

This continued on until high school where you had the choice of French or Spanish. We also had a teacher that had lived in Japan and offered Japanese lessons after school. In other schools, there are different choices built into the curriculum like German, Japanese, Russian, Arabic etc, though French and Spanish are the most popular nationwide I think.

I don't know that the government has made it compulsory to learn a foreign language, but I think most schools offer at least one foreign language. Most universities will want to see a foreign language on your transcript, so most students tend to take it. Can someone with more knowledge of the US government comment on whether foreign langauge is compulsory?
Mark   Wed Feb 22, 2006 8:17 pm GMT
There's no nationwide requirement for kids to study a foreign language in US schools, although I believe a few states have a requirement for one year of a foreign language to graduate from high school. Unfortunately, in most school systems in the United States, foreign language classes are not offered until high school. At least that is the way it was when I was in high school (in the 1970s), although nowadays foreign language classes are increasingly being offered to younger students.
JakubikF   Wed Feb 22, 2006 9:34 pm GMT
In Poland where I live, English is a main language which is tought. Most of young ppl learn English till Primary High School (Gimnazjum). Then we have another one (German, rarely French) and in High School all of us learn obligatorily two languages (mostly English and German sometimes Russian or even Spanish). But e.g. I have at school as I said English and German (I'm in High School) but I learn also Russian privately.
Joel   Thu Feb 23, 2006 9:05 am GMT
In New Zealand from Primary to Intermediate school, the Maori Language is apart of our education programme. Such programmes also include non language topics eg. weaving Maori mats, cooking traditional Maori food, etc.

From College (High school) onwards other languages are introduced into the school programme such as German, French, Spanish and Japanese. For the first 2 years in College languages are compulsory followed by the option of continuing or dropping the language class all together.

There have been ideas put forward by the New Zealand public and also the Government to make students take another language along with Maori. An idea I completely agree.
Johnathan Mark   Fri Feb 24, 2006 2:34 am GMT
Here in the Upper Midwestern USA, we are not seen as being very internationally inclined, but 2 years of foreign language is required to graduate from high school. There is a trend in introducing Spanish to younger students, but that rarely gets beyond basic vocabulary.

Most high schools offer Spanish, German, and French, with Spanish being by far the most studied, as it is very likely the only foreign language most students will encounter in their daily lives.
Benjamin   Mon Feb 27, 2006 2:08 pm GMT
In England, everyone has to learn at least one foreign language for at least three years starting from age 11 (it was at least five years until 2002, but then they reduced it because... I don't know). All pupils still have the 'right' to learn a language for at least five years if they want to, and it's still compulsory in about 25% of schools. Although schools are only obliged to offer one language, many offer two or more. The most widely taught language by far is French, followed by German and Spanish, followed probably by Italian.
Ben   Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:35 pm GMT
Yeh, as Benjamin said. ;)

The problem I see with learning languages at school (at least here) is the atrocious way they are taught. People go through at least 3 years of education in a foreign language (but most people learn for 6 or more) and they have forgotten it a couple of years after leaving school. (My friends and I certainly have)

Obviously this isn't the same everywhere. I'd be interested to hear from people about their thoughts on the way languages are taught at schools in countries other than those of Britain.

Ben.
Gwyn   Tue Apr 25, 2006 4:16 pm GMT
In Wales if you aren't in a first language Welsh school then you have to learn Welsh from Year 1, which is 5/6 years old. When you turn 11 and go to high school you continue to learn welsh but then have to study another foreign language for 3 years as well. Then, after those 3 years are up, you have to continue learning Welsh, for one lesson a week, but don't have to take an exam in it at the end.
knewman   Wed Apr 26, 2006 5:51 am GMT
In chinese, almost all the students learn English from 9 years old, and some study English since kindergarten. During university, almost 98 student study english, some study Japanese, French, German. Only very small people study other languge.
knewman   Wed Apr 26, 2006 6:12 am GMT
In china, there are about 200,000,000 people are learning English, 300,000,000 people are learning Chinese(Mandarin).
Bianca   Mon May 08, 2006 12:46 pm GMT
In Romania, some children start learning a foreign language as soon as kindergarten. In the last couple of years, Russian was the most studied language, due to the communist region that banned everything else, but now English is buy far the most studied language. Two languages are usually the case for students, plus a third (Latin) in the 8th grade (just one year) (We study Latin to improve our Romanian and to have a better understanding of the language). Second languages are most commonly French and German, with Ukrainian in rural areas. Most high schools have intensive language programs, with over 8 hours a week dedicated to each language.
Kory   Fri May 12, 2006 10:53 am GMT
In New Zealand the situation is terrible. You have to learn some Maori in Primary School but it's only of use if you go to a Maori friendly school, which is not common. I had to study Maori for 6 years and I don't remember a thing because the teaching was so bad. At high school it was only compulsory to study a language for one year and then after that 90% of people drop it.
a.p.a.m.   Fri May 12, 2006 1:37 pm GMT
While attending high school, I took Spanish. I was amazed at how similar Spanish was to my parents native Italian. The two languages are so close that I very seldom studied Spanish, and I always got straight A's.
Guest   Thu May 18, 2006 2:20 pm GMT
in France, it is spanish or italian at 1st, english or greman at 2nd