Q: What do you call a person who speaks three languages?A: Trilingual.Q: What do you call a person who speaks two languages?A: Bilingual.Q: What do you call a person who speaks one language?A: An American.
The late Paul Simon, senator from Illinois and a champion of foreign language learning, once called the United States “linguistically malnourished” compared with other nations (Simon, 1980). People from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds have always come together to season the American melting pot, yet we have nevertheless held monolingualism in English as the gold standard of U.S. citizenship for immigrants, often at the expense of heritage languages.
Sadly, a chronic case of xenoglossophobia—the fear of foreign languages—has marked U.S. history. Only a few generations back, 22 states had restrictions prohibiting the teaching of foreign languages; it was not until 1923 that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned those laws. In 1954, only 14.2 percent of U.S. high school students were enrolled in foreign language classes; most public high schools (56 percent) offered no foreign language instruction at all (Clifford, 2004).
Studies have frequently reported on this area of national weakness. In 1979, the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies noted that “Americans' incompetence in foreign languages is nothing short of scandalous, and it is becoming worse” (Clifford, 2004). Two decades later, a senior Department of Defense official said that the United States' greatest national challenge was its “general apathy toward learning foreign languages” (Clifford, 2004). In August 2001—one month before the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States—the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland noted that the country faced “a critical shortage of linguistically competent professionals across federal agencies and departments responsible for national security” (Simon, 2001).
This apathy plays out in the education landscape as well. Fewer than 1 in 10 students at U.S. colleges major in foreign languages, and most of those language majors choose French, German, Italian, or Spanish. Only 9 percent learn Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or Indonesian—languages that are spoken by the majority of the planet's people (Strauss, 2002).
The current lack of accurate U.S. intelligence has heightened awareness of our lack of foreign language prowess. Many are hoping that the United States will finally change its priorities and find new and better ways to encourage and support language learning. Multilingualism carries many benefits. Individuals who speak, read, and understand more than one language can communicate with more people, read more literature, and benefit more fully from travel to other countries. Further, people who can communicate in at least two languages are a great asset to the communities in which they live and work. Jobs today are increasingly requiring workers who can interact with those who speak languages other than English and who can adapt to a wide range of cultural backgrounds. Every year, more than 200,000 Americans lose out on jobs because they do not know another language (Simon, 1980).
Allen Over Geld
So are we putting our money where our “tongues” are? Total federal funding for foreign language education was approximately $85 million for 2003, which represents less than one-sixth of 1 percent of the overall Department of Education budget. This means that for every $100 spent by the Department of Education in 2003, approximately $0.15 went to foreign language education (Keatley, 2004).
According to Thomas Keith Cothrun, president of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), there is clearly a disconnect in the government: On one hand, the military and intelligence communities decry the lack of language experts; on the other hand, the Department of Education underemphasizes the importance of language learning. A recent study by the Council for Basic Education (CBE) indicates that the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has forced a narrow focus on reading, math, and science at the expense of languages. Instruction time in foreign languages has decreased—particularly in schools serving minority populations—as a direct result of NCLB (CBE, 2004). The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) also recently reported that both arts and foreign language education are increasingly at risk of being eliminated from the core curriculum (NASBE, 2003).
Non è Facile
Foreign language learning is not something that happens overnight; it takes a commitment of time and money. U.S. schools compound the problem by waiting too long to start foreign language instruction. According to ACTFL Professional Programs Director Elvira Swender, U.S. students often start learning foreign languages at puberty, “an age at which their brains are least receptive to language learning.” Swender also notes the relative unimportance that schools assign to languages. “It doesn't occur to anyone that we should wait to teach students math,” she points out, “so why do we wait with foreign languages?”
ACTFL recommends that elementary school language programs include classes three to five days a week for 30 to 40 minutes; middle schools should hold classes daily for 40 to 50 minutes. Few public schools do this even in Spanish and French, the most commonly taught languages (Strauss, 2002).
Further, some of the languages that are most crucial for Americans to learn are the most challenging for English speakers, thus requiring the greatest commitment of time and effort. Research estimates that it takes between 2,400 and 2,760 hours of instruction for someone with a superior aptitude for languages to attain the highest level of achievement in Arabic, for example (Strauss, 2002).
Quel est le Problème?
It's not that people in the United States don't want to learn languages; rather, they often believe that they are unable to do so or that they simply don't need to. As ACTFL Executive Director Bret Lovejoy points out,This perception that languages are too difficult to learn can often be traced to the fact that a person didn't start early enough, didn't have enough time devoted to the language, or had a difficult time in a language course in the past. (Personal communication, April 7, 2004)
People in the United States may travel hundreds of miles in their own nation and never hear a language other than English spoken, a decidedly different situation from that of European countries, whose citizens live in a much more multilingual world. In addition, the widespread perception of English as the international language of business has contributed to a pervasive belief in the United States that everyone should learn English and that Americans simply don't need to learn another language. In fact, the international language of business is always the language of the client or customer. If businesses in the United States don't speak the language of their customers, those businesses end up at a competitive disadvantage.
Beginning language learning at an early age is crucial to increasing our language capabilities. A primary difference between the United States and nations that boast greater language strengths is the latter countries' emphasis on learning languages at younger ages. The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) issued a report on approaches to language learning that compared the United States with 22 other nations. Seven countries—Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, and Thailand—had widespread or compulsory education in additional languages by age 8, and another eight—Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Israel, Kazakhstan, Morocco, and the Netherlands—introduced a foreign language in the upper elementary grades. In many cases, a second foreign language was offered or required in the elementary grades.
In stark contrast, the majority of students in the United States do not start studying foreign language until age 14 (Pufahl, Rhodes, & Christian, 2000). Most foreign language study in the United States takes place in grades 9–12, during which time more than one-third (39 percent) of students study a foreign language. Only 6 percent of U.S. students study a foreign language in grades 1–6.
The shortage of language teachers in the United States is yet another challenge. Because early language learning has not been part of the traditional U.S. education model and most communities don't have access to foreign languages in elementary schools, there is a lack of well-trained language teachers at these levels.
El Año de Lenguas
Language learning is a complex, long-term issue. In a culture unfortunately known for its short attention span, we need to do something dramatic to draw sustained attention to this issue.
Enter “2005: The Year of Languages,” a national public awareness campaign that may be our best hope to put language learning in the spotlight and engage in a fruitful national conversation about the relationship between Americans and foreign language learning. Under the guidance and stewardship of ACTFL, 2005: The Year of Languages advances the concept that every person in the United States should develop proficiency in at least one language in addition to English. Each month of the yearlong endeavor will focus on a different area—such as language policy, higher education, language advocacy, heritage languages, and early language learning—with specific events reflecting the monthly focus.
For example, in February—the month that will tackle international engagement—a panel of Fulbright Exchange participants and representatives from other international programs will discuss the importance of study-abroad programs. There are currently more than 3,000 study-abroad programs for U.S. students to choose from. Although the number of U.S. students studying abroad for credit doubled in the past decade to more than 150,000 in the 2000–2001 school year, this number represents only 1 percent of college enrollments (Institute of International Education, 2003). Many students lack access to study-abroad programs through their institutions.
July's focus will be on languages and communities; during that month, the annual Folk Life Festival sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution will feature communities within and outside the United States and their respective languages and cultures. October will emphasize the benefits of early language learning: Activities cosponsored by the National Council of PTAs will provide parents with information on the benefits of learning languages at an early age and will feature K–12 programs that highlight language learning.
Language teachers in a school or district may choose to meet as a group to brainstorm ideas for promoting foreign language awareness, using the official Year of Languages Calendar of Events as a starting point. The calendar (available atwww.yearoflanguages.org) may be used as a guide in planning local school events. ACTFL state and regional organizations have also coordinated plans for 2005: The Year of Languages and can serve as a local resource for schools to get involved with activities planned in their areas.
Alle Sind Optimistisch
There is great hope that the 2005: The Year of Languages campaign will not only draw U.S. attention to the important issue of foreign language learning but also inspire actions like those that resulted from a similar European effort in 2001, such as an ongoing annual National Language Day/Week, a national language agenda, and an official language policy.
With so much at stake—international relations, global competitiveness, support for internal diversity, and national security—it may well be time for everyone involved in education to think about what they can personally do to make this a successful Year of Languages.
