I was raised in an old Spanish-speaking area of the southwest. Many people ended up having a grasp of both English and Spanish. At the time, we had to take 2 years of Latin in school. This helped immeasurably with gaining a proper grasp on English. I now live in Canada, but the western part, where bilingualism has little part, because the small French enclaves (both Quebec and direct French immigrant) are unknown to the average English-speaking dominant group. The French that is taught in the public schools is soon lost by the majority English-speaking citizen. If the soup cans are on the shelf with the French label showing, we reverse the can to see what it is. I am wandering! Language is important in international business and science as well as culturally. I regret that my foreigh language capability is restricted to a reading knowledge of German scientific material. I wish I remembered Spanish. Every nation should have one major language in which business and government is conducted. This should not stop any group from promoting cultural use of any other language. Canada has a real problem. The Two Solitudes, French and English, still exist, in spite of Ottawa's efforts.