Lacking Language
Written by Shannon McManus, Culture Staff Writer
My grandmother used to volunteer at her church to help mentor and tutor young children with their schooling. She would often rave about a certain boy she mentored, saying he was a genius in all aspects. There was one area he did not excel in, though: language.
Even though he was of Latinx descent, he never learned Spanish in any form. His parents did not want to teach him because they wanted him to only learn English—they feared he might not be accepted by his peers if he knew Spanish.
There is something terribly wrong with the idea that numerous parents are wary of teaching and speaking their home language around their children. They feel English is the only language they should know in America in order to fit in.
America, however, is home to so many other languages—around 350 to be precise—not just English (Castillo, 2015). As a nation, we need to become more accepting of this fact and foster more acceptance surrounding other languages. It is important that we also start instilling these values and teaching our children more languages when they are younger.
In other countries, such as Switzerland, children begin to learn German in addition to French, or vice versa, around the age of eight. Both languages are not spoken everywhere in Switzerland, instead they are taught for the benefits of communication (Devlin, 2018).
In Europe overall, 92% of students learn a second language in school (Devlin, 2018). If other countries can effectively implement such learning, why can’t America? Human brains are more malleable when we are younger, meaning schools need to begin teaching students early in their schooling. The sooner they begin teaching children, the easier it will be to learn, and the more natural it will be to speak (Myles, 2017).
Not only do schools need to start teaching students earlier on in their educational careers, but the programs also need to improve—and exist to begin with. On average, only 20% of K-12 students are enrolled in a foreign language class in America (Devlin, 2018). While many of the larger public schools in major states may have more programs, that does not mean students are learning those languages well.
From my personal experience with Spanish in high school, I remember very little of the language. In fact, in my four years studying the language, I barely learned anything other than the basics. That is not so much my teacher’s fault, rather the language requirements of my school and the language program overall. Still, I was lucky my school even had a Spanish learning program.
When learning languages, children expand their brains and learn useful ways to communicate with a larger audience in the world. Not only this, but children that have heritage outside of English-speaking countries and study the native language can now connect with their families overseas. Yes, we do have language classes, but we do not teach children at a young enough age to foster an appreciation for the languages.
Acquisition of a second language will help with communication in any job as well—the United States has globalized rapidly in the past few years and the need for bilingual communicators only continues to grow. As Skorton and Altschuler note, “We need diplomats, intelligence and foreign policy experts, politicians, military leaders, business leaders, scientists, physicians, entrepreneurs, managers, technicians, historians, artists, and writers who are proficient in languages other than English,” (Altshuler & Skorton, 2013).
This list is not exhaustive either, as new opportunities for language use open as we become more involved within the diverse world.
Parents should not be wary of teaching their children a language other than English. Everyone deserves to live in a welcoming environment that fosters native languages and does not cast them away simply because they are not English. America needs to accept the fact that learning other languages is important and begin to fund said programs.
Maybe I’m just salty that I am struggling to learn French now, but it’s more than just me. People deserve to explore other languages and communicate with other nations. People deserve to know their native languages, and not feel like English is the only “acceptable” one. People deserve to speak in America, no matter their language.
Sources:
Glenn Altschuler & David Skorton. “America’s Foreign Language Deficit.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, Feb 19, 2013.
Juan Castillo. “At Least 350 Languages Spoken In US Homes: New Report.” CNBC. Nov 4, 2015.
Kat Devlin. “Unlike in US, Most European Students Learn a Foreign Language.” Pew Research Center. Aug 6, 2018.
Myles Florence. “Multilingualism: Empowering Individuals, Transforming Societies” MEITS, May 21, 2017.