Gunnora wrote

> My experience in teaching Latin to Americans tells me that most of

us

> here in the US don't have a clue <snip> It
> comes of most Americans being "linguistically crippled", i.e.,

never

> learning any other language than English.

Just like the old joke..."What do Europeans call someone who only
speaks one language?" An American!

This is certainly true in my case. The entire school district (a
very small rural Kansas one) I went to as a grade and high schooler
offered NO foreign languages at all...not even a semester of
Spanish! Majoring in Music Education (it's a heavy major and
colleges often cut out classes that are required for the 'average'
B.A....like foreign languages) taught me rote pronunciation (singing)
of a few selected words in French and Italian (long since forgotten
=( ). Now I'm considering finishing a different Bachelor's
(history...such a suprise from a SCAdian, no? ;o) ), and going to
grad school, and certainly facing learning a foreign language for the
first time in my life, in my late thirties...not the 'prime time' to
learn new languages!!

Being mono-lingual has always been a sore spot on my
conscience...I've always felt inadequate and inferior to those who
speak 2 or more languages.

I appreciate that this course will be geared for the rank beginner! =)

Elizabeth / Asleif (SCA)