I’ve got a family membership to the online language learning platform Duolingo.
One of my offspring is learning German and Japanese, so combined with my studying Italian, we have the Axis Powers covered.
You can study a wide range of languages in Duolingo, including some fictional ones (Klingon, High Valyrian), but unfortunately not Māori currently. Nor, presumably, does it teach sign language, so that means two of our three official languages are out.
The app constantly reminds the users that it’s doing a better job than the poor beleaguered American education system. Considering the woeful state of science understanding over there, I wonder what they do teach well, apart from pledging allegiance to the flag?
When I was growing up, we used to all watch TV together as a family every evening, balancing our dinners on our laps, much to my mother’s chagrin. She’d watch with us though, often doing her knitting or crocheting at the same time. (Why did I never learn those skills, I wonder?)
One of the shows we used to watch was an old British sitcom called “Mind your language.”
I loved it, especially because the teacher was so cute. We all found it hilarious, but I’m guessing if I rewatched it now, it would be full of cringeworthy jokes, since much of the humour derived from making fun of other cultures. I’m not going to whinge here about modern humour being too PC, I truly believe that it’s not that hard to make jokes that don’t rely on picking on somebody else, AKA “punching down”. Could you make a modern version of the same sitcom that didn’t depend on the cheap laughs of lazy stereotypes? I wonder.