In the tall stucco schoolhouse here with its big, airy classrooms and views of Lake Zurich, English has become part of the daily routine. Students as young as 7 are learning multiplication or discussing the weather in English.
Parents are delighted.
Everywhere people are speaking English, not just abroad. Throughout Europe, English is growing in use and acceptability. Beyond the schoolhouse here, European universities, particularly in northern Europe, are giving courses in science, philosophy and business in English. But the growing use of English is not going down easily everywhere. The English program here, for instance, has caused an uproar in other parts of the country where critics have questioned why English should be taught before another one of Switzerland's four national languages.