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Usenet Posted 23 years ago
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Language dunces
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Native speakers of English should stick together, after all.
Simon R. Hughes
Hundreds of schools will drop GCSE language courses from the curriculum this year because of the funding crisis and growing apathy among students towards the subjects.
So many teenagers believe French, German and Spanish are irrelevant that continued low take-up for courses will see subjects sidelined to save depleted funds.
A senior Labour education figure said the unfolding trend would underline the British reputation as the 'language dunces of Europe'.
Native speakers of English should stick together, after all. Simon R. Hughes
Top answer
[/nq] Today, David Bell, Brenda's Chief Inspector of Schools, expressed grave concerns about the increasing numbers of parents who are failing their children by sending them to infants'/first schools with very little mastery of language, little or no willingness to accept discipline, and so lacking in social skills that they have to be taught how to use a knife and fork. My wife, a former infants teacher, said that the problems Mr Bell outlined were common enough in 1988 when she retired from teaching, but only with kids from lower class backgrounds. James Follett.
- [/nq] Today, David Bell, Brenda's Chief Inspector of Schools, expressed grave concerns about the increasing numbers of parents who are failing their children by sending them to infants'/first schools with very little mastery of language, little or no willingness to accept discipline, and so lacking in social skills that they have to be taught how to use a knife and fork.
- My wife, a former infants teacher, said that the problems Mr Bell outlined were common enough in 1988 when she retired from teaching, but only with kids from lower class backgrounds.
- James Follett.
- com
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7 Answers
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X-No-Archive: yes
[nq:1]Hundreds of schools will drop GCSE language courses from the curriculum this year because of the funding crisis and growing apathy among students towards the subjects.[/nq]
Today, David Bell, Brenda's Chief Inspector of Schools, expressed grave concerns about the increasing numbers of parents who are failing their children by sending them to infants'/first schools w
[nq:1]Hundreds of schools will drop GCSE language courses from the curriculum this year because of the funding crisis and growing apathy among students towards the subjects.[/nq]
Today, David Bell, Brenda's Chief Inspector of Schools, expressed grave concerns about the increasing numbers of parents who are failing their children by sending them to infants'/first schools w
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[nq:1]Today, David Bell, Brenda's Chief Inspector of Schools, expressed grave concerns about the increasing numbers of parents who are failing their children by sending them to infants'/first schools with very little mastery of language, [/nq]
I've never heard the term "infants' school" or "infants teacher". Here, I think we'd say "preschool" and "preschoolers". Or maybe I'm guessing the appli
I've never heard the term "infants' school" or "infants teacher". Here, I think we'd say "preschool" and "preschoolers". Or maybe I'm guessing the appli
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[nq:2]Today, David Bell, Brenda's Chief Inspector of Schools, expressed grave ... to infants'/first schools with very little mastery of language, [/nq]
[nq:1]I've never heard the term "infants' school" or "infants teacher". Here, I think we'd say "preschool" and "preschoolers". Or maybe ... dictionaries had definitions of infancy including anyone under the age of majority. What age group atten
[nq:1]I've never heard the term "infants' school" or "infants teacher". Here, I think we'd say "preschool" and "preschoolers". Or maybe ... dictionaries had definitions of infancy including anyone under the age of majority. What age group atten
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[nq:1]Wasn't there a time when infants, by definition, were incapable of any mastery of language?[/nq]
(snip)
Yes, a long time ago. Partridge in Origins says that the Latin infans, infant- was literally a "nonspeaker," from in (not) and fans, (a form of to speak). The English "infant" came from there by way of Middle English and Old French; he doesn't give each shade of meaning along the w
(snip)
Yes, a long time ago. Partridge in Origins says that the Latin infans, infant- was literally a "nonspeaker," from in (not) and fans, (a form of to speak). The English "infant" came from there by way of Middle English and Old French; he doesn't give each shade of meaning along the w
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[nq:2]Wasn't there a time when infants, by definition, were incapable of any mastery of language?[/nq]
[nq:1](snip) Yes, a long time ago. Partridge in Origins says that the Latin infans, infant- was literally a ... is quite old. Partridge says that in Late Latin, infans came to mean "youth," and eventually the foot-soldier in "infantry."[/nq]
Very interesting.
I think in the US, people
[nq:1](snip) Yes, a long time ago. Partridge in Origins says that the Latin infans, infant- was literally a ... is quite old. Partridge says that in Late Latin, infans came to mean "youth," and eventually the foot-soldier in "infantry."[/nq]
Very interesting.
I think in the US, people
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[nq:1]I think in the US, people would be far more likely to use "children" or "toddlers" than "infants" for children old enough to start school.[/nq]
A "toddler" to me is a child just learning to walk, or one who can walk but not yet run. That would be age 1 to about 2 or 3.
Main Entry: tod?dler
Pronunciation: 'täd-l&r, 'tä-d&l-&r
Function: noun
Date: 1793
one that tod
A "toddler" to me is a child just learning to walk, or one who can walk but not yet run. That would be age 1 to about 2 or 3.
Main Entry: tod?dler
Pronunciation: 'täd-l&r, 'tä-d&l-&r
Function: noun
Date: 1793
one that tod
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[nq:2]What age group attends infant schools over there?[/nq]
[nq:1]In traditional UK primary-school parlance "infants" are 4/5-ish to 7-ish and "juniors" 7-ish to 11-ish.[/nq]
The COD defines infants as up to the age of 7. Seems simple enough. Always go for the simple way.
James Follett. Novelist (Callsign G1LXP)
[nq:1]In traditional UK primary-school parlance "infants" are 4/5-ish to 7-ish and "juniors" 7-ish to 11-ish.[/nq]
The COD defines infants as up to the age of 7. Seems simple enough. Always go for the simple way.
James Follett. Novelist (Callsign G1LXP)
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