> Say what you will about American schools, but nobody
> who goes through 5 years of high school french *and
> really applies himself* enters college unable to utter
> a single intelligible sentence in french, but this
> does happen in Taiwan, where children spend 10-15
> years "studying" english (read: preparing for
> standardized tests that ostensibly test ones english
> ability) and come out of high school unable to
> communicate with a foreigner.
They must use the same method that schools in Ireland use to teach Irish. It's a compulsory subject all the way from primary through secondary school here and yet not even 10% of adults can speak the language fluently.