The Index-Journal from Greenwood, South Carolina • Page 9

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 The Index-Journal, Greenwood, S.C. Insights Outlooks aflat, IF too fr PltK I'D rVEGOTTHE NOMIMATICN INTHEBN3. Learning new languages children love it Robert Greenwood Stevenson rapid university problem student pants complicated fabulous rapido universidad problema estudiante pantelones complicado artiste artist fabuloso to learn a new language; the importance of hearing authentic accents and inflections of the spoken language can't be overstated. You might also enroll in a foreign language course. There are also numerous online sites that ari, weU worth exploring.

A few online sites are http7www. loquella.comlearn-spanish, http:www.studyspanish.com, and http:www.rosettastone. com. Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating making America bilingual.

On the contrary, I believe English should be our official language. However, I am firmly behind the notion that we improve our appreciation of the world around us if we learn to speak more than one language. Felicitaciones. Listed ha tornado la primera medida. Robert F.

Stevenson is Associate Professor of Mqss Communications at Lander University. He also serves as Director of Student Publications and chair of the Lander American Democracy Project. He is the 2006-2007 Lander Distinguished Faculty of tion international trade and tourism. Now let's try one more quiz. Translate the following terms into English: Asistir Carpeta Exito Largo Parientes Recorder Vaso This was tricky.

The terms in quiz 2 were examples if "false cognates," words that look similar to English words, but have an entirely different meaning-Answers: Asistir to attend Carpeta file folder Exito success Largo long i Parientes relatives Recorder to remember Vaso drinking glass This second quiz serves as a reminder that while Spanish is one of the easier languages to learn, learning a new language takes commitment. There are a variety of methods to learn a foreign language. Probably, the best way to learn a new language is to immerse read recently, "Second Language Learning Theories," mentioned that learning a second language opens a window of reference to a whole different culture and experience that people couldn't have had without knowledge of a certain societal language. Spanish is a wonderful choice for a second language. It is already the most popular second language in the U.S.

and Canada. It is one of the easiest foreign languages for native English speakers to learn. There are plenty of similarities between the two vocabularies. Furthermore, written Spanish is simple to pronounce. It is almost entire-.

ly phonetic. You may already know more Spanish than you think. Below is a short quiz. Give it a try. rapido universidad problema pantalones complicado artista fabuloso geografia All the terms in the above quiz are examples of "cognates." Cognates are words that are, Learning another language can be a fun and satisfying experience for the entire family.

Moreover, the joy of communicating with foreigners in their own language can be contagious. Just observe your kids or your neighbor's kids. With the steady influx of immigrants and international students to our neighborhoods, children are picking up new lan-guages from their friends and classmates right before our eyes. And, they're loving it Just because most of us in the U.S. don't need to learn a second language, we might be missing out on a really cool experience.

More than half of European citizens speak a second language. However, in the U.S. a measly 9 percent of Americans are fluent in a second language. Perhaps it's due to our geography, or perhaps it's the global influence and status of the Eng-lish language; whatever the reason most Americans have not felt the need to learn a second language. Have you ever wondered What we are missing by remain-ing monolingual? Why should we deny ourselves the ability to fully appreciate the global, muhi tyllmagine a a participant rather than as a visitor.

A book I geography geografia Besides the fun and satisfac I chances of being ripped off. ''Immerse yourself in a different culture. Almost every Mexican restaurant has Spanish-language newspapers and periodicals available. Pick one up and see if you can translate any words. As you learn more Spanish, you're enjoyment will grow.

The ability to learn about a different culture in their own language is a ticket into a new culture. By the way, I've noticed nearly all the workers in the local Mexican restaurants will go out of their way to help us Gringos learn a little Spanish. In terms of jobs, learning Spanish can bpen numerous doors. A variety of opportunities are available to Americans who speak Spanish as a second language. Such employment can be found in health, education, communication, and service industries, not to men- tion derived from learning a new language.

There are other benefits to being bilingual: a second language is an excellent way to learn English grammar, for the study forces you to examine how English is structured. Spain and Mexico are. very popular vacation destinations. While visitors could have a wonderful time without knowing a the Year. He has been employed vourself in that culturebv inter af Lander for 17 years.

He single word in Spanish, speak easy to translate and recognitor hg the language multiplies the acting with native speakers, received his Ph.D. in higher 'i In myopinion. printed books education from the Universitypf are the least effective method South Carolina in 2003. fun. It also facilitates price nego-.

in English. The answers are as. follows: tiation, thus diminishing your maim 4MB 1 V8, power windows, power locks, cruise, chrome wheels and More! vi iik xi i i I II LT trim, leather, 2nd row bucket seats, full power options A more! Autonutic, AC, cniiie control aid Man rcrrmr mmm FuU pew opooni, power nat, alloy wheeii and Automatie, AC, power windows, locks, tilt cruise morel I Full Power Options. II il I- i ll I inritrti WW ILMlsWaWaHMi til)f fMfi Full power options. Full Power Opfiotu.

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