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NewCanadianMTurker t1_j9rozwe wrote

Eh, doesn't that just mean more and more people are learning English? I'd imagine not knowing English in this day and age would put people at a disadvantage in various ways (especially in the job market), so I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing.

Cultures are built around people not languages, so I don't think if everyone starts speaking English rather than their historical languages then their cultures would somehow disappear.

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Archberdmans t1_j9rrzzm wrote

Language is a part of culture it’s not independent, language loss is a sign of cultural erasure. American Indians most definitely have been harmed and their language loss is, in some cases, a direct result of that harm. In a vacuum you’re right but in the context of American Indians it’s a bad thing

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NewCanadianMTurker t1_j9rsqut wrote

Good point. I'd still say that the benefits of knowing English outweigh the drawbacks for most Americans. But for people like the American Indians who have cultures which are vastly different than most Americans, yeah they wouldn't benefit from cultural adaptation.

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sjiveru t1_j9ruiic wrote

You don't have to speak only one language (^^)

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NewCanadianMTurker t1_j9rv4vy wrote

True. But I can understand why parents with different cultural backgrounds would prioritize their children learning English over their more obscure native languages. Excellent English skills are a requirement for most jobs in America.

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sjiveru t1_j9rvh96 wrote

It's an extremely common misconception, though, among parents from linguistic minorities that trying to teach both their own language and a more socially connected language will somehow disadvantage their child, and they should focus exclusively on the prestigious language and leave the other one behind entirely. This is of course entirely false, though, and is often rooted in their own internalised prejudice towards their language and culture. You can quite effectively teach kids two languages, especially when they have clearly segmented domains of use.

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NewCanadianMTurker t1_j9rvpde wrote

Yeah, the brains of children are much better able to handle learning multiple languages than adult brains.

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sjiveru t1_j9rw7rr wrote

I'm not actually sure that's true - I suspect it's much more that 1) adults are usually much less comfortable just Trying Things Out and want an explanation rather than a demonstration they have to mimic, and 2) adults are very, very much less frequently in situations where they absolutely cannot communicate in a language they already know and tend to intentionally avoid such situations. If you're willing to put yourself in much the same situation as a kid learning their first language, you'll be able to learn pretty much as well.

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NewCanadianMTurker t1_j9rwow8 wrote

Hmm, you may be on to something. What you said would explain why immersion is considered the best way to learn a new language.

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