TheTalkList的部落格- American English Learning

今天的作者是TheTalkList王牌導師之一Joanna

當我們談到語言時，美國人有時會有點傲慢。因為作為一種特殊的語言，英語是世界上最通用的語言。盡管在非洲法語比英語更流行，但是，當我們外出旅行時，尤其是在商業會談中，我們總會期望對方來主動講英語。

舉個例子，在德國這樣的國家，學生們從小學至高中一直都在學習英語。但是在美國，我們只會在初中或高中提供第二種語言的教學。在加利福尼亞州，為了今後被公立大學認可，高中生會被“強制”學習兩年的外語。盡管這種教育理念很好，但是我們已經錯過了最佳學語言的年齡。從生理學的角度講，一個小孩從18個月到6歲是學習語言的最佳時機。在這個年齡的小孩可以輕易地劃分出每個語言並且流利地表達出來。這種會講多國語言的人在歐洲更為普遍。因為在那裡，由於地理位置上的關系，不同的文化，語言，和經濟的相互交織更加緊密。

我的很多朋友都說他們在高中時期上過外語課，但是現在已經完全沒有記憶了。就像我說的，這是一種傲慢，而且是在這種多種文化的大熔爐下慢慢鑄成的。在美國，我見過很多特殊家庭：妻子是第一代韓國人而丈夫是法國人；或者妻子是菲律賓人，而丈夫是墨西哥裔美國人；第三代又是韓國妻子和法國丈夫。在這樣的家庭裡，每個人都在講英語而不講韓語，西班牙語，菲律賓語，或法語。但是這些家庭試圖通過送孩子去周六補習班來讓孩子學習自己祖國的語言。這種現像在中美家庭，猶太東正教家庭，又或者是父母都來自一個國家的家庭都曾出現。

一個公司裡有會講第二語言的員工也是非常必要的，我聽說，在航空的過程中如果一個中國飛行員降落在阿根廷，盡管他們在日常生活中從來不用英語，飛行員們依然會用英語來對話。Kaiser Permanente也宣告了，他們的員工幾乎可以講世界上的所有語言。因為在這個被金錢主導的資本主義社會，完全可以接受那些不懂英語卻遷移到美國的人。

對於我個人來說，雖然我只講英語，但是我在非常努力地學習西班牙語。有時我會捕捉一些我不認識的詞並試圖翻譯他們。但是，當我看到我的父親非常流利地講西班牙語甚至沒有一點口音，而我卻還在努力了解這個語言的基本結構時，我感到灰心和難過。這個悲劇讓我意識到了一件事，在美國我們有那麼多的資源去學習其他的語言，而我們卻還在用英語，而且只用英語。

導師鏈接： http://www.thetalklist.com/user/profile/uid/120/0/...

原文

Our Guest Blogger is Joanna, one of TheTalkList preferred tutors.

Why is American English so Dominant?

In the United States of America, we are somewhat arrogant when it comes to language. English more specifically, American English is considered the universal language. Yes, French is still out there, more on the African continent than the Americas; but, when we travel, we expect there to be people in the general population, especially in business, who speak OUR language.

In countries like Germany, English is taught to all children from the beginning of elementary school through high school. Yet, here in the states, we only offer a second language in high school or maybe middle school. In California, to be accepted to all pubic universities, high school students are only “required” to take two years of a foreign language. Of course, this attempt at giving students a well rounded education is introduced once our brains have passed the point where acquiring language comes easily. Physiologically, 18 months to year 6 is the best time to teach children new languages. Children at this age can compartmentalize each language and learn to speak all three of them fluently with enough exposure. The realization of this multilingual person is more prevalent in Europe where the distinct cultures and languages are much closer geographically and their economies are intermingled.

I have many friends who remember taking a foreign language in their high school years, but have no memory of how to actually speak it. This arrogance, as I call it, is in a country that prides itself on being multicultural, the big melting pot. I know of families where the wife is 1st generation Korean and the husband is Italian, another where the wife is Filipino and the husband Mexican-American and a third where the wife again is Korean and the husband French. In these families, everybody speaks English. The child is not spoken to in Korean, Spanish, Filipino, or French. I can say there are some people who try to teach their children the language of their homeland by sending the children to Saturday school. I’ve seen it in Chinese-American families and with Jewish Orthodox families. I have only seen this occur when both parents are from the same culture.

Often it becomes necessary to have employees who speak a second language. I have heard it said that in aviation if you are a Chinese pilot landing in say Argentina, the pilot still speaks English and the air traffic controller on land speaks back in English even if neither party’s native language is English. Kaiser Permanente also advertises that they have employees who speak almost every language out there. In a capitalist society, we change when money is involved. It is even accepted that the farther a person is from his/her ancestors who originally migrated to the US, the less that person knows of their family’s language.

I do speak English. I try very hard with little success to learn to speak Spanish. I use my Duolingo app often, and I pick up a word here and there and can decipher it in its written form somewhat successfully. However, when my father speaks Spanish fluently, and without an accent if his cousin can be believed, I struggle with the basic formalities of the language. This pang of inadequacy from my lack of knowledge of my own family’s culture causes me to wonder why, in the United States, with so many resources to speak other languages, our populace is so adamant that we all speak English and only English.

Joanna’s URL: http://www.thetalklist.com/user/profile/uid/120/0/...