Re: Time from B2 to C1/C2? (frustrated somewhat- seeking some feedback pls)
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 4:47 am
edit - it's not always worth it to try to explain myself when at least some people, PM included, understand what I'm saying
We talk languages
http://forum.language-learners.org/
http://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=5037
Ani wrote:aokoye wrote:I don't think the kids' English will be damaged at all. It's their French that I worry about.
I have been speaking only French to my toddler. Yep, he might become a teen with awful French, or in 12 years of study we both might speak beautifully. The other option is that my kids know 0 other foreign languages. It's super easy for non-parents and and parents with lovely options like "language of choice immersion school" (and a child whose education style fits that school) to suggest better ways of raising children, but it is far enough divorced from reality to be a joke. Maybe I'll just hire an au pair. Maybe a personal chef while I am at it. Maybe I'll find that mythical f'in immersion play group and my child will be welcomed with open arms among all the native speaking children without me having to teach them a word in my faulty French.
Finny wrote:I've written elsewhere that it's often better to just stick to what you know is working rather than try to convince folks who don't believe it will.
aokoye wrote:Finny wrote:I've written elsewhere that it's often better to just stick to what you know is working rather than try to convince folks who don't believe it will.
See my general thought isn't that you'll somehow teach your kids incorrectly rather it's, here's to hoping your children have the desire to keep on using the language. That's what I wasn't able to easily get across earlier.
PeterMollenburg wrote:This is where globalisation really irritates me. English is far too dominant on a global scale, so much so, one day (even now if expats hang around in expat bubbles) the value of a foreign language even in its homeland can potentially be weakened, but that's a whole 'nother topic.
Why do you think that? What rivals do you see appearing?whatiftheblog wrote: the cultural influence of the US globally and the UK in Europe will no doubt wane over the coming years.
whatiftheblog wrote:PeterMollenburg wrote:This is where globalisation really irritates me. English is far too dominant on a global scale, so much so, one day (even now if expats hang around in expat bubbles) the value of a foreign language even in its homeland can potentially be weakened, but that's a whole 'nother topic.
I wouldn't rag on globalization too much in this regard, especially because the data suggest English will be declining in importance compared to.... http://www.forbes.com/sites/pascalemman ... -be-french This is an especially interesting projection now, given that the cultural influence of the US globally and the UK in Europe will no doubt wane over the coming years.
DaveBee wrote:Why do you think that? What rivals do you see appearing?whatiftheblog wrote: the cultural influence of the US globally and the UK in Europe will no doubt wane over the coming years.
Politics and culture are different things. None of that touches US/UK media exports, or the place of English as the default L2.whatiftheblog wrote:DaveBee wrote:Why do you think that? What rivals do you see appearing?whatiftheblog wrote: the cultural influence of the US globally and the UK in Europe will no doubt wane over the coming years.
I don't really think of it in terms of rivals appearing, but rather in terms of the geopolitical shifts I can see potentially happening. If the US pursues protectionist/isolationist policies, particularly with respect to trade and immigration, America's global stature and reputation will be affected. I see China ramping up its investment in Latin America considerably, for instance, which would obviously affect power politics in the Western Hemisphere and beyond. Sub-Saharan Africa is the next frontier, and China's leaps and bounds ahead of the US there, because all we saw for the longest time were malaria and HIV, whereas China correctly saw untapped potential. This isn't to say that China will rule us all, I think that trope has been blown out of proportion; besides China, I can see stronger economies like Chile, Brazil and South Africa expanding their reach. (I'm deliberately keeping Russia out of this analysis because I can't talk about it without getting political.) I do think that the influence of smaller regional powers will become more significant/formative, especially if the same resources we're now getting out of the Global South can be cultivated closer to home at scale. Gulf states are investing heavily in smaller economies in Africa and Asia, particularly those where agricultural production can be optimized (I read a fascinating study on massive investment in rice paddies to ensure sufficient rice for Ramadan, for instance) and that, too, will affect power plays.
As for the UK, if the footage coming out of all of the latest Brussels talks is any indication, the EU seems to have definitively adopted a "bye, Felicia" attitude. Post-Brexit, it's going to be France, Germany, and probably Poland leading the way.