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Before arguing the following points, the scene of Chinese shouting out loud was terrifying me. I even didn’t know how enthusiastic Chinese youth are to learning English.
For the discussion questions, I find mania sounds more positive connotation to me in the way that people are spontaneously into something excessively. In this way, I disagree with the identification of Mr.Walker with Chinese as English mania. It is more like forced brainwash which restricts students mind from interest-driven learning, but push them learning English as an obligation by using propaganda. In this sense, authentic English mania is the one who has engaged to learn English as their hobby or based on their interest, and massively passionate about learning it.
Why English? Because it is spoken by a largest number of races and that results in the most opportunities to have jobs, money, information and other tremendous benefits followed. However, these days Chinese has significantly grown its economy and been tapping into the world market. Japan, for example, use to place English as the first priority of the second language to be evaluated at job interview though, nowadays those who can speak Chinese also have a privilege to be hired by company. This tendency is projected to be increased and Chinese demand may overtake English during the coming decade.
I don’t think English mania will sweep out the other local languages. With the premise of patriotism and value own culture, people will intend to make a balance of the local language and the other language. Japanese are divided into two categories; one prompts teaching English at earlier age and the other insists no Japanese acquisition, no English to be taught. Same as China, Japanese school teaches English from Grade3, which used to be from Secondary school when I was a kid. Year by year, the starting period of learning English has been earlier. Therefore, there is a critical discussion over the decade in period of teaching English. However, sooner or later, English will be compulsory at the infant age, such as 1-2 years old and people will now discuss to how to preserve as the level of a native language as people in the past several decades.
