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I guess that's sort of what I was saying too, lurkette. Similar, at least. Learning the 'minimum', being taught (or learning, I suppose there can be a difference*) is only going to get people so far. It's a shame on so many levels. People are (presumably) going to be less and less likely to convey what they really feel, speak eloquently, etc., and as time goes on people are going to have a hard time talking without emoticons. This sort of stuff fascinates me.
It reminds me of that question about how language evolved. Do we really think in our first language? Or is it instinct that is then conveniently put into words once we learn language? If a baby can't speak, can it think as well as we can? Can an adult who has never learned a language really think as well, or on the same level, as someone who is fluent in a language?
* I put an asterisk here because I'm unsure of the definition of 'taught'. If you teach someone something, do they have to then understand it? Can I teach math to a class, and if they all fail, have I taught? Is the act judged by its success?
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