Mandarin and poetry from age 9

[norrahe]

They are as useful as each other.

Why? Once someone gets used to learning another language young picking up another one isn't hard.

Would certainly agree on this, if for example you have learnt a language such as French a romance language it gives you a good basis for other languages such as Spanish or Italian.

I've been learning Dutch for a while now and while it won't have much use outside of certain countries and certainly only in The Netherlands, South Africa and certain former carribean colonies of the Netherlands. But it will help with German and French from a grammatical point of view ( already speak French).

Though why the OP has a problem with kids learning a foreign language at an earlier age is beyond me??

Britain and Ireland are certainly behind the rest of Europe in their attitude towards encouraging youngsters to ensure they are fluent in another language. I don't know how many other Europeans I've met and they can at least speak one other language.

Why on earth are we so insular in our attitude towards languages?

[escapeUK]

Why on earth are we so insular in our attitude towards languages?

Because we speak the dominant language of the world, it is more beneficial for the rest of the world to learn our language than it ever could be for us to learn just one of theirs.

[SueEllen]

Because we speak the dominant language of the world, it is more beneficial for the rest of the world to learn our language than it ever could be for us to learn just one of theirs.

You speak the dominant language of the world until you want to do business or get a job with someone.

I have multi-lingual friends and family who wouldn't have got their jobs if they didn't speak an additional language. That's how they stood out from other applicants.

[norrahe]

Because we speak the dominant language of the world, it is more beneficial for the rest of the world to learn our language than it ever could be for us to learn just one of theirs.

Btw the empire folded years ago and while English may be used internationally as a business language currently, it is slowly being replaced by domestic languages.

[norrahe]

You speak the dominant language of the world until you want to do business or get a job with someone.

I have multi-lingual friends and family who wouldn't have got their jobs if they didn't speak an additional language. That's how they stood out from other applicants.

WSES

If you want to get ahead in Europe, you certainly have to have an additional (if not two additional) languages otherwise you will not make the cut for gigs.

[TimberWolf]

Though why the OP has a problem with kids learning a foreign language at an earlier age is beyond me??

Perhaps because the OP didn't say anything of the sort. As far as I'm concerned Mandarin is fine, but poetry is tulip.

[doodab]

Perhaps because the OP didn't say anything of the sort. As far as I'm concerned Mandarin is fine, but poetry is tulip.

Much madness is divinest sense, to a discerning eye

[doodab]

They are as useful as each other.

Why? Once someone gets used to learning another language young picking up another one isn't hard.

There are more general cognitive benefits to bilingualism as well. It actually makes you smarter.

[Doggy Styles]

They are as useful as each other.

Why? Once someone gets used to learning another language young picking up another one isn't hard.

Very true. Arguing that one language should be learned because it is more widely used than another misses the point.

[TimberWolf]

Much madness is divinest sense, to a discerning eye

Go on then, show us your best poem. Hopefully a short one