I have recently spent a four-day holiday in the commonly known as
the Pyrenees Country, Andorra, with about 100,000 all-year-round residents in a bubble
on the mountain range dividing France from Spain. Funnily enough it is the only
country in the world whose only official language is Catalan, one of the Spanish
languages, also spoken in the Roussillon area in the South of France, in areas
in Sardinia and Alger in Italy, the Balearic Islands and Catalonia in the North
East of Spain. Andorra is a non- EU country with less than 1.5 % unemployment
rate where the European currency € is used. Vat is under 5% compared with the
21% in Spain. French and Spanish are also widely used.
The more languages the kids use the more
brain resources will be put into use out
of the unfathomable possibilities of this organ. All languages studied
seriously before the age of 8 remain in the brain for the whole individual's
life. Much evidence amongst children of diplomats who have travelled the world.
However in Spain there is still the virus of
a war of languages where the Government of the state is against the linguistic immersion applied with success in Catalonia and
also in the Basc country. The Government is still afraid of losing their
hegemony on their history and geography point of view and language and culture
is dangerous when it is at variance with a unique way of thinking.
Notwithstanding the level of Spanish language performed by Catalan students is
higher than the State average.
Learning languages is good for us all,
mentally and culturally. Don't give up.
More info about Andorra in www.visitandorra.com
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