Foreign Language Class For Graduation Requirements

The United States is becoming more and more bilingual every day. It is important for students of the United States of America to keep up with the advancing world. The easiest way to learn a second language is when a person is young. This is why it would be beneficial for schools to start teaching a foreign language in kindergarten and continuing it through twelfth grade. Students are more likely to learn and remember a foreign language if they are introduced to it at a young age. A majority of other countries teach foreign languages to their students throughout their school lives. Most students coming out of high school in other countries are totally

Many Americans believe their is no point to learning a second language, as they believe english will soon be the world's only language (Johnson). According to Betty Birner of PBS:

First of all, English should not be the only official language because a lot of people in the United States need to acquire skills and be able to exchange knowledge and communicate effectively. Uniquely, the nation of the United States is formed of people from different cultures and backgrounds, and hence one official language is not enough for people to learn well. For instance, when you walk on the street and someone asks you where the bus stop is, you need to answer him/her. If he/she speaks Spanish or Urdu and you only speak English, you may not understand each other or you may even misunderstand each other negatively(which may have negative consequences). Therefore, when people speak and understand more languages, they will be more educated and better connected.

There are about 7,000 languages in the world today. In America, there are 350 languages alone. However, only about 25% of Americans can speak a language other than english. Despite the majority of Americans being monolingual, 43% of the nation believes it is important to learn a second language. Being bilingual has many benefits for the future. Knowledge of foreign languages can expand career potentials, help improve one's native language, and can aid opportunities to travel and experience new culture. Learning a foreign language is one of the most beneficial experiences for people in the future.

Having different languages in a country, they say, would isolate those foreign-speakers from the rest of the country. Plus, since a knowledge of English—albeit a limited knowledge—is required for American citizenship, they argue that these immigrants might as well learn English proficiently. Economically, having one official language would be cost effective. Translators for both spoken and written language can be expensive, especially for good translators since an poor translation can lead to miscommunication and all kinds of unfavorable problems. English-speaking immigrants would also promote America’s economy because they would be able to secure better jobs. Lastly, the promoters of Official English argue that life would basically be unchanged since English is already the most-spoken language in the US. It would only affect the government and its documents, but it would not lead to a decline in usage of foreign languages nor would it require people to speak English only. Yet, others still argue that Official English is

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 ourselves and stopped letting everyone else do the work. One credit of foreign language instruction should be required in order for graduation from high school in Laramie County School District Number One.

In the article “America’s Foreign Language Deficit” by David Skorton explains how learning another language can have many effects. The author, David Skorton, claims that by having the next American generation learning a foreign language, it will prepare them for success in the future. This is a logical claim. First, as the author points out, “[America] need[s] diplomats, intelligence and foreign policy experts, politicians… who are proficient in languages other than English” (Skorton). For example, the military often needs people who can speak a different language for many different reasons, such as having an important meeting with another country. In addition, American businesses need to know how to communicate with other businesses outside

In “language study as a National Imperative, “Colleen Flaherty writes about the language education of the in the U.S. She explains the report, which was written by the American Academy of Arts and sciences (AAAS). The Article was published in Inside Higher Education on February. The Reports explain that foreign language must be required in the school system starting in kindergarten. The Academy of Arts and Sciences or the AAAS believes that Second languages should be required it opens up more opportunities for getting a better job in the future. And also understand the other better like none English Speakers. AAAS also believes it could help economic growth and competitiveness. Flaherty also says the language learner will build a good Skill and improvement with other people around them. According to AAAS Report strongly emphasizes work with schools to promote language classes. Also In the report it says that the government should help teacher’s education and increase the more opportunities.

High school and college students should be required to take a foreign language class for at least two years because being bilingual strengthens cognitive skills, makes traveling easier, and it can open up job opportunities.

The United States has always been the land of the free, a quality that attracted many immigrants in search of a new life. As a result, the U.S is one of the most heterogeneous countries in the world. Today, three hundred and eleven languages are spoken in the U.S (Rhein, 2007). While the U.S has no official language, English is the most commonly spoken language in the country. Ever since the 1980’s, there has been a phenomenon known as the English-Only Movement, which is driven by those who believe English should be made the official language of the U.S. This phenomenon began in the 1980’s when Americans started to fear that immigrant languages would take over English (Crawford, 1998). For the past three decades, this movement has continued to have an impact in the U.S. Some of the common justifications for making English the official language is that it would make America more unified and it would improve the lives of immigrants (Brice, 2014). Another common justification is that it would save the federal government billions of dollars. The government spends large amounts of money every year to keep multilingualism alive, and it is in turn hurting the economy. Multilingualism has also had a major effect on the grades of school children who do not speak fluent English. Since the 1980’s, many governments have made efforts to reduce multilingualism. In order to improve the lives of immigrants, the economy and the grades of students in the U.S, English should be

In order for the United States to compete in the new global markets and maintain a strong diplomatic and economic position, the country needs a cadre of professionals fluent in todays critical languages and cultures such as Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Hindi, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), and Turkish. Traditionally, most school in the United States teach Spanish, French, and Latin. Encouraging students to learn these language is no longer a priority for the U.S. because, 37.6 percent of the U.S. population already speaks Spanish (Gonzalez-Barrera), and French and Latin are no longer the lingua franca they once were. Because Central and South

Although there is no official language in the United States, the English language is the most widely spoken. Language helps to shape our identities, define and limit our expectations of the world around us and who we are. You might ask yourself, how does our language shape our identities and influence our perceptions of the world? Through language, we are able to make meaning, understand, and define ourselves. We are able to communicate what we feel, our ideas, our hopes, and our dreams with others who can respond to our feelings and thoughts. However, our choice of words cannot always capture what we are feeling to the full extent.

A survey done by the Center for Applied Linguistics in 2008 found that "The findings indicate a serious disconnect between the national call to educate world citizens with high-level language skills and the current state of foreign language instruction in schools across the country"(Cal:Research). This is concerning as all of the competition for the U.S. is gaining a step and we 're doing nothing . If the U.S. expects to continue to be competitive in the global market we need to have bilingual citizens. In order to ensure this, we must require a foreign language be learned in high school.

Requiring two years of foreign language study for high school graduation would benefit students greatly as they move onto college. Acceptance rate, ability to succeed in and graduation rate would increase greatly if all college students were bilingual.

Language is universal. People voice their ideas, emotions, and thoughts across to the world through language. Multitudes of people across the country speak a varierty of languages. However, a foreigner is reduced to their native language, and sometimes has difficulties mainstreaming English into their dialect. A native language is a foreigner's blueprint for the world to hear. Native language gives homage to a foreigner's culture and home life. Native tongues open doors for education and job opprutunities. A native tongue is translated in books and plastered on signs across the communites. Imagine if language decreased to just English, and no another language existed. People would mirror each other, and have no idea of diversity. So where