Re: History of French

From: Peter T. Daniels (grammatim_at_worldnet.att.net)
Date: 09/17/04 

Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 01:58:36 GMT

Herman Rubin wrote:
>
> In article <414890F7.35D@worldnet.att.net>,
> Peter T. Daniels <grammatim@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> >Mxsmanic wrote:
>
> >> Peter T. Daniels writes:
>
> >> > Why do you think your alleged profession of ESL-teacher is needed?
>
> >> Because, in some countries, foreign-language instruction is woefully
> >> inadequate in public schools, and so people must take specialized
> >> classes after leaving school in order to actually learn anything useful.
>
> >How can anyone be so dense?
>
> >If adults could absorb languages like children, there WOULD BE NO
> >FOREIGN-LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION, whether in public schools, private
> >schools, or tutorial situations.
>
> So why do we have children take courses in "English" or
> "language arts" every year of their schooling?

In order to learn the arts or skills of interpreting literature and
maybe even doing creative writing. Neither of which is important to
society generally.

> >> > If adults could learn languages like children, there'd be no need for
> >> > language-teachers ...
>
> Several years of little more? Who is going to spend that
> much time on it?
>
> >> They _can_ ... but they just don't have the time.
>
> >Some people have the time and the will, and cannot do it.
>
> Nobody is willing to crawl when running is possible.

Hunh? ESL is "running," and an infant mastering a language in a few
years is "crawling"? The tortoise really does arrive before the hare!
(or Achilles.) 

-- 
Peter T. Daniels                       grammatim@att.net
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