Ever wonder why you’re required to take two or more years of a foreign language? It is now mandatory for high school students to take a foreign language and they don’t fully understand why. Learning a language may help develop empathy in some people toward others, however, gaining insight for other nationalities may be realized by learning about their traditions and history instead of learning to speak their language. A second language could expand job opportunities, although, for the most part,
The Need for Mandatory Foreign Language Study in America "Cultural isolation is a luxury the United States can no longer afford." -Senator Paul Simon Americans have hidden behind the excuse that everybody important knows English for too long. The United States is the only country in the world where a student can graduate from college without ever having learned a foreign language. Most countries start foreign language instruction at ten years of age or younger. It is time we did something
States’ number of foreign language enrollment diminished significantly. Voulez-vous apprendre une langue étrangère? In the post 2013 findings, we saw that the U.S. dropped 111,000 spots meaning that only 7 percent of college students are enrolled in a foreign language. Since this is the first drop since 1995, people are in a flurry to find out who is to blame. Being the Head of the student committee charged with recommending how to best update and adapt the University of Oregon’s foreign language departments
of the conventions, customs, beliefs, and systems of meaning of another country, is indisputably an integral part of foreign language learning, and some researchers have seen it as their goal to incorporate the teaching of culture into the foreign language curriculum. Language reflects the cultural values of the society in which it is spoken; this is why second language learners need to be aware of culturally appropriate ways to address people, make requests, agree or disagree and express gratitude
To learn a Foreign language is always overly pushed upon students in High School. Some states require students to earn the credit before being able to even graduate and move on to further their education. In the opinion of many people this required standard is irrelevant. Why should the students who live in the United States lose time on other helpful subjects to learn a language who only less than half of the world speaks? I will narrow it down to specifically the languages that are taught in school
understanding. Most students are taught foreign language during their time in high school. learning a new language has been taught in high school where more students start their couple of year first starting a new language that they may have never heard of before. Although foreign language may be difficult for high school students, it helps them get a job, gain opportunities, and provide a different perspective of the world. First, many high school students can learn a foreign language to help them
language. Learning foreign languages from a young age is much easier than trying to pick one up later in life, researchers say that their elementary brains are most receptive to picking it up and enabling them to speak the language fluently with little or no hint of a foreign accent. Schools around the country are struggling to keep their foreign language programs alive. My interest in this topic has developed from my cousins, who live out in California who have been taught a foreign from a younger
Culture in Foreign Language Teaching. Teaching the role of culture in foreign language classrooms should be considered just as important as all other lessons. According to Zimmermann (2012) Culture is “the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.” Culture is not just learning their holidays, religious beliefs, traditional food or even their language, it is much deeper than that, it is showing our students another
use different languages to communicate. Students in different countries have many opportunities to learn any language they desire; however, in America, there are not as many opportunities as other countries. No matter the country, students should be given the chance to learn whatever language their heart desires, and students should be able to travel to different countries to become appreciative of the country they are visiting. It is important for students to learn different languages to help their
OVERCOMING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY By Saranda Nuredini Instructor: Luiza Zeqiri Course: ESP Communication I January 2012 “Sweaty palms, shaking hands, dry mouth and muscle tension mean for many of us, that we are about to speak in public. Couple this fear of speaking in public with performing or speaking in another language and the success of the speaker may be dramatically compromised” (Leigh, 2009). By having to speak in a foreign language, the amount of fear in us grows and transforms