Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!uunet!munnari!uniwa!vaxa!d_volaric
From: d_volaric@vaxa.uwa.oz
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Foreign languages/PhD Reqs
Message-ID: <568198@vaxa.uwa.oz>
Date: 21 Mar 89 21:55:21 GMT
References: <7287@spool.cs.wisc.edu> <2851@eos.UUCP> <401@rb-dc1.UUCP> <21572@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> <132@sopwith.UUCP>
Organization: University of Western Australia
Lines: 33

In article <132@sopwith.UUCP>, snoopy@sopwith.UUCP (Snoopy) writes:
> In article <21572@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> loving@cs.ucla.edu (Mike Loving) writes:
> 
> | I personally think that it is sad that so few people in the US speak
> | ANY foreign language.
I thought US English was a foreign language :-)...

I would of thought that most of what was happening in 
computers was happening in English-speaking counties, or if that is a gross
mis-statment, most initial development was in English, so It's become a
de facto standard (I don't bvelieve I used that phrase) of communication.
Although understanding of other cultures and languages would enhance under-
standing, would it yeild a substantial benefit in a field like computers?

> 
> Isn't it supposed to be much easier to learn (natural) languages when
> you are young?  Post-grad is a bit late, foreign languages should be
> taught in grade school.
I guess ages 0-4 are optimum, but at grade school, although the mind is more 
of a sponge (soggy :-) the motivation is not there. I was force-fed French in
grade school and spat it right back. Now I wish I hadn't.
> 
> It would be nice if natural languages were as easy to learn as computer
> languages.  (more logic, less memorization)  Someday I expect to turn
> the TV on and hear, "I'll take German irregular verbs for $500."
Actually, when I recently tried to lean a foreign language, I was very 
frustrated by the fact that the teacher was tring to teach by example, rote, 
etc instead of by algorithm and noting exceptions.

>    /_____\    Snoopy  (not a Jeopardy fan)

Darko J. Volaric
Discliamer: Spelling is a virus from outer space...