A multilingual President

Video Response

Facebook Pages

http://www.facebook.com/pages/FLR-Techniques-Foreign-Language-RoadRunning/197...

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Moses-McCormick/222599411144

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Foreign
• languages
• Obama
• multilingual
• Polyglot
• video
• response
• open
• mind
• culture
• peace
• war
• misconceptions

[steve4nlanguage]

Moses, here's a trivia question: Which US President and his wife learned Chinese while working in China, and sometimes spoke to each other in Chinese when they wanted their conversation to be private?

[laoshu505000]

@steve4nlanguage not so sure about that one.

[EscapeMonotony]

You seem to completely neglect the fact that knowing a foreign language could aid a nation's leader in collaborating on a war with another leader.

Mussolini spoke with Hitler in German. How well did that understanding turn out? He also knew opposition languages such as French and English.

It seems foolish to draw the conclusion that speaking another country's language would prevent wars.

[laoshu505000]

@EscapeMonotony I see what you're saying. You do have a point. Thanks for viewing and commenting.

[MrScotchpie]

Our deputy Prime Minister in the UK speaks 5 languages, English, of course, Dutch from his mother who is from the Netherlands, Spanish, his wife is from Spain, German and French.

When a student he studied in Belgium, Austria, Germany and the USA and before entering politics worked in Belgium and Hungary.

No wonder he has been reported as saying "There is not a shread of racism in me,,, " I can understand why. Learning languages allows people to become more tolerant and understanding..

[punchofdeath09]

Although all it took to get the 'cultured' people who didnt want to go to war in the middle east, was electing a 'cultured' president who now talks them into it and they easily changed. So maybe its just a lost cause. Although I dont really believe that and actually I want to someday teach linguistics in high schools cuz i have the same theory as you that it will create more understanding. And thats probably why they dont already.

[punchofdeath09]

I think the leaders knowing languages, doesnt indicate much. But the people as a whole knowing more languages and open to more cultures, would prevent being able to demonize other cultures and shape public opinion into wanting going to war. Also its not so much just the language, but understanding the culture. Basically not being able to dehumanize others.

[EscapeMonotony]

@JohanRegus12 Why do people feel the need to keep giving me their input on my comment? Obviously people are more welcoming if someone has taken the time to try and learn their native tongue, but that was not the question Moses asked, so that wasn't the answer I gave. The history of the world constantly shows that wars are fought for power, territory, religion and "stuff". Certainly never because of miscommunication and that was why I gave the answer that I gave.

[JohanRegus12]

@EscapeMonotony Indeed, understanding other languages doesn't help prevent wars to any greater extent. But it's a means of getting closer in contact with people of other cultures. For example, I've found it much easier to make business agreements with French people speaking in French; you're greeted with more goodwill when you speak to them in their own language.And Hitler and Mussolini waged wars because they wanted more power - different languages wouldn't have prevented it.

[EscapeMonotony]

@Llavez Perhaps you should watch the video. Moses asked for opinions concerning whether or not leaders knowing other languages would result in less wars, peace and understanding.

My response and opinion was given along with a disproving example of such. If you'd like provide an example where people took up arms because of miscommunication then feel free. It certainly wouldn't be an example from recent times if you were able to find one at all.

[Llavez]

@EscapeMonotony You are taking isolated events and assuming that the failed outcome somehow disproves a present element in the event when it is in other events which succeed. Being a polyglot might not prevent all confrontation or war, but one could also make the claim that all other wars which were between people of different languages were because of misunderstandings. The point is being a polyglot is just another advantage and tool for a president. Also polyglots score higher in IQ tests.

[LearningFrenchNow]

No, that's not correct. Let's look at the wars our country has been in. The American Revolution and the American Civil War were both cases of native English speakers fighting each other. Roosevelt spoke German in WWII. In Korea and Vietnam, both cases had native speakers fighting while we backed one side. In Libya both sides spoke Arabic and we backed one side. In the Arab world, we also support Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Qatar.

[EscapeMonotony]

@TheSeductiveArts Conflict between the two sides has absolutely nothing to do with a language barrier or misunderstanding of the use of certain words, but rather a very strong hate of the US for interfering where they don't belong. So again, the cause of a war, especially in the 21st century, will not be because of a language issue.

[MrScotchpie]

@TheSeductiveArts

I agree, but its better than mono-lingualism any day.

Even though he knows only European languages, he would have learnt from his studies and travels that people/countries think differently and behave differently, even when they are as closely related as European people/countries.

These cannot be bad qualities for a politician, whether or not you believe in their policies.

[TheSeductiveArts]

@MrScotchpie, But let's not be fooled. He is quite Eurocentric, which when dealing with non-Europeans it can still be quite problematic, since the whole world is not built on just traveling around Europe and speaking European languages. With Europeans overall having the same general mindset and philosophy it's not the same as an European knowing a European language or two, then knowing and living in Asia, Africa, Central or South America that is more impressive in signs of toleration.