WhGroup 8- Sophia, Matthew, Bibianne, Julia, Valentina, Daniella

Podcast Script/Ouline

Topic: Why is it important for other countries to learn English and about English, but teachings of other languages are not enforced in American schools?

Hosts: Hello Everyone! Welcome to the group 8 podcast! Today we would like to discuss the important topic of why it is important to have students take or be taught a foreign language in school.

It is important for other countries, more specifically in Europe to learn another language, more often than not being English, so why are Americans not expected to learn the languages of other countries?

Kicking us off with why English is almost seen as a universal language is Matthew!

Matthew- Imperialism started around 1760
The Effects of Politics & Imperialism on Language
“Language has long been connected to imperialism. Empires often forced the imperial language onto colonies and education systems as a way to transform people's cultures and identities.” (Muscato).
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-effects-of-politics-imperialism-on-language.html
The Meaning of Linguistic Imperialism and How It Can Affect Society
“Linguistic imperialism is the imposition of one language on speakers of other languages. It is also known as linguistic nationalism, linguistic dominance, and language imperialism. In our time, the global expansion of English has often been cited as the primary example of linguistic imperialism”. (Nordquist).
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-linguistic-imperialism-1691126

Final question- How do you think the world would be different if the Imperialistic Era never existed? Would language diversity become a bigger subject in our schools and have a bigger impact on society?

Julia- so I guess that’s why people in a lot of different countries speak English, because they were colonized by the English and the settlers forced their language onto them. The same probably goes for Spanish, since I know that Spain colonized a lot of land in Central and South America. I think that the world would be alot more linguistically and culturally diverse if the Imperialistic Era never existed.

Host: Thanks Matthew and Julia! Now we move onto the topic of English in classrooms and throughout the world.

Julia-
The Globalization of English and the English Language Classroom
https://academic.oup.com/eltj/article/60/2/204/402242
“The term ‘the globalization of English’ can be interpreted in at least three ways. It can refer to the increasing intrusion of the English language into the lives of town and city dwellers all over the world. This is a worrying phenomenon. Not only does it threaten to contaminate or wipe out local languages and cultures, but it also skews the socio-economic order in favour of those who are proficient in English. How should the non-English-speaking world react?”

Bibianne- I agree the globalization of English has made it seem like there is a priority of English over other languages. A lot of multilingual children in the classroom may see it as if they need to perfect their English and find ways to fit in with the majority in order to avoid being picked on.

Julia- Yea exactly, bilingual students may feel the need to speak English instead of their first language in order to be successful in school. And students who speak non-traditional English may feel like they need to “code switch" or change the way they speak in order to fit in. This leads to a loss of linguistic diversity and individual cultural identity.

Host: Thanks Julia and Bibianne! Now, onto Daniella where she explains what language barriers are and why there is such a language gap in the US.

****Most Americans have a mindset that, as a country, we're not good at languages, that they're tough, they're challenging, that maybe only academically gifted students can do it. And that's a false idea. Most of the rest of the world grows up bilingually, with the knowledge of more than one language. It just hasn't been normal in the United States. We need to enforce creating a new norm, where it's perfectly normal for someone to grow up learning two languages. We as a whole population should raise that awareness among parents and students that there is a critical link to learning another language and having success in your career and being much more employable if you have another language.
*********These language barriers are so significant and important and it is unfortunate for those who deal with it as the people who are not part of the problem are not as understanding as they should be. Language barriers are a serious challenge faced by many foreigners. They often create misunderstandings and can make foreigners feel isolated. In an article written by language integration barriers it states “ Language barriers can make refugees feel isolated, hopeless, and anti-social, which often leads to depression. Struggling with speaking and comprehension makes it difficult for refugees to make friends with American peers and can unfortunately make them a target for bullying. It also leads to a lack of confidence, inhibiting many from speaking up and participating in class, and ultimately missed job and educational opportunities. Young refugees are impacted by their parent’s language barrier as well. If their parents struggle with English, the children often have to serve as an interpreters and take on more responsibility at home.” We dont sit back to understand and really take in the amount of parents, students, and families in general who need people to hear them and let them know they are not alone and that we want to fix this norm we have got in our society these days.

Sophia: I think what Daniella said is really important when talking about the way Americans view other languages and how people automatically assume they’re difficult and only students that are “academically gifted” can learn a new language and how untrue this is. These language barriers create a stereotype for Americans about how language is difficult and not something everyone could and should learn, thus not many people want to take a new language or learn one in school, especially if they think it is too hard.

Matthew: I completely agree with you and Daniella. Breaking down the idea that learning a language is too challenging is a great way to have people try a new language.
Start learning a new language at a young age

Host: Thanks Everyone! Now moving onto how administrators and teachers feel about foreign languages being incorporated into schools and in the classroom.

Bibianne-
Fostering Foreign Language Proficiency: What the U.S. Can Learn from other Countries (sagepub.com)
Christian, D., Pufahl, I., & Rhodes, N. C. (2005). Fostering foreign language proficiency: What the US can learn from other countries. Phi Delta Kappan, 87(3), 226-228.
“administrators feel that the limited time in the school day precludes offering a well-articulated language program.” (Christian, 2005, pg. 227)
In America, there is less importance placed on learning foreign languages as they choose to focus on other subjects more. It could be assumed that foreign language learning is not the top priority in American education as it is in other foreign education systems because of how English has been established as an international language.

Matthew- Sadly, most Americans don’t feel a need to learn new languages because they assume everyone else will just learn English instead. I’m hoping in the future school districts will put a higher emphasis on the importance of learning different languages.

Julia- Unfortunately I think that many high school students don’t prioritize their language class because they are focused on other classes that may relate more to the career they want to pursue. I think that teachers should make an effort to show students the importance of learning a second language.

Host: Thanks guys! Now, why does the US not have a mandatory to learn foreign language with the rest of the world? Why do students feel as though language isn’t important?

Sophia:
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2015/07/13/learning-a-foreign-language-a-must-in-europe-not-so-in-america/
“Meanwhile, the U.S. does not have a nationwide foreign-language mandate at any level of education. Many states allow individual school districts to set language requirements for high school graduation, and primary schools have very low rates of even offering foreign-language course work. Some foreign-language learning standards can be met by taking non-language classes. For example, California requires one course in either the arts or a foreign language (including American Sign Language) for all high school students.”
This is stating how the US does not have a necessary foreign language mandate like almost all countries in Europe, and some even require students to learn English, yet the US does not make it mandatory to learn another language. The quote explains how many elementary schools and even high schools in America have very low rates of foreign language courses, and some states (since the requirement depends on each state), require students to choose between a language or an art credit in order to graduate, so some students might not even need to take a foreign language. This can cause students to grow up with a narrow mindset, and not be exposed to all of the different countries and languages in the world, thus not being more open to other cultures and languages they have never heard of. Thus learning foreign languages is so important because it allows students to broaden their minds and know there are different countries and cultures, but this does not make them abnormal or inferior to the US.

https://www.amacad.org/news/foreign-language-classes-becoming-more-scarce#:~:text=Reasons%20given%20for%20the%20trend,more%20colleges%20dropping%20language%20requirements.
“Despite all these reasons to learn a foreign language, there has been a steep decline in foreign language instruction in America’s colleges and universities. Researchers at the Modern Language Association recently found that colleges lost 651 foreign language programs from 2013 to 2016 – dramatically more than the one foreign language programs that higher education lost between 2009 and 2013. Reasons given for the trend include the lingering effects of the Great Recession, declining enrollment and more colleges dropping language requirements. For the purpose of the Modern Language Association study, programs are course offerings during a given semester, not entire departments.”
“Part of the problem I see is that so few students in the United States – just 20 percent – study a foreign language at the K-12 level. At the college level, the number drops even lower, with only 7.5 percent of students enrolled in a foreign language course. And that percentage has been steadily declining in recent years. It could be due to the fact that more colleges have dropped foreign language requirements. Or students simply may not see the potential career benefits of studying a foreign language.To put those statistics into perspective, consider the fact that in Europe, studying a foreign language is a “nearly ubiquitous experience.” This is because most European countries – unlike the United States – have national-level mandates that require foreign language instruction.”

There are still not many languages being offered in the US, and this is still decreasing due to economical issues, less enrollment in colleges overall, and even colleges dropping the requirement to take a language course in order to graduate. Some students don’t even want to take foreign languages because they cannot see themselves finding careers with benefits to studying another language.

Host: Thanks Sophia! So, what can we do about trying to get kids more involved with learning foreign languages?

Solution = “Research shows that motivation is essential to learning another language, whether that motivation stems from the desire to communicate with a relative or loved one in a foreign culture, or to better understand literature or works of art, such as an opera, that were originally produced in another language.”
Motivation is a way to get children interested in learning, which helps at a young age, and this motivation doesn’t even have to be from a teacher, it can be from relatives, communities, or friends that may either take pride in their culture or want to teach others can get students more interested in learning another language.

Julia- while I agree, I feel that everyone learning English, and having some sort of a Universal language, can help people from all over the world be able to communicate with each other. But, I understand that as more people learn to speak English, smaller languages fade away.

Daniella- I completely agree with Julia, we should all work together to emphasize the importance of multilingualism in the US, and make sure kids grow up learning about all the other languages that are present in the world.

Valentina- I agree… I think that multilingualism is so important in a classroom. It has so many benefits as we mentioned before and it can even reduce prejudice. Studies have shown that students who take multicultural classes, have a better understanding of other cultures and are less likely to stereotype and be prejudice towards others. It is also known that younger kids can pick up different languages quicker than adults can, so introducing different languages in early elementary school would be easier. Teachers can make fun activities for kids to learn about different cultures and languages, especially since America is full of immigrants from all around the world. And with that being said, we would like to thank you for joining or coming to our podcast!!