Bilingual Education
When I went to Honduras as a Peace Corps volunteer, I was subjected to three months of intensive, six hours a day “immersion” Spanish training in which it was prohibited to speak English. This was not insensitive nor did it degrade my native tongue, and it enabled me to communicate in the dominant language of the country far faster.
While it certainly would behoove all Americans to speak a second language other than English, it behooves us just as much to ensure that all Americans can communicate intelligibly in English. From the Soviet Union to Canada, language barriers are a source of tension and division within a country.
LEON KOLANKIEWICZ, Santa Ana
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
