For native English speakers in the United States, the skill of learning a foreign language is becoming increasingly difficult.
According to Zhang Xiang, director of the Chinese language program at the University of Alabama, it's not due to a lack of funding. When asked about the current state of language education in the United States, Zhang said, “The United States has the best resources in the world for foreign language learning.” Whether it's online platforms or formal educational institutions, the United States is not lacking.
Instead, there are constraining forces: America's vast geography and monolingualism complicate and all but eliminate the need for foreign language acquisition. As English gains dominance on the world stage, the questions for native speakers in the United States are both “how?” and “why?”
The “why?” is backed up by hard-to-refute evidence. The benefits of language learning include It improves brain health, slows cognitive decline, enhances creativity, and improves comprehension of your native language. UA Italian Language Program Director Fabio Battista said it broadens one's horizons and that “without exposure to different languages and cultures, one's horizons are limited, both materially and spiritually.”
Bilingualism and multilingualism (the ability to speak three or more languages) is common around the world. Estimation 60% of the world's population is fluent in two or more languages, 43% are bilingual, and 17% are trilingual. The 40% monolingual population is a minority, and despite its vast land area, the United States Monolingual usage rate: approx. 80%it is a conspicuous presence.
There are many reasons for this division, but a key factor is cultural diversity in geographical context. The world is made up of mostly small to large countries, each with their own distinct languages and dialects, living in close proximity to each other. However, the United States 4th largest country It is the only country in the world that borders two equally large countries.
To understand better, imagine a tourist traveling by car. In Europe, this tourist could theoretically drive from Barcelona, Spain to Turin, Italy, and then drive from Turin to Lausanne, Switzerland. On such a drive, the tourist would pass through areas in northeastern Spain where Catalan is spoken in addition to Spanish, and areas in southeastern France where both French and Italian are spoken. Occitana small Romance language. In the western part of Italy it is called Italian. Piedmontand the French-speaking southwest of Switzerland, a 12 hour 40 minute drive.
In the United States, driving from the University of Alabama to San Antonio, Texas, takes 12 hours, passing through Mississippi and Louisiana. In the same time, driving from the university to Washington, DC, passes through Tennessee and Virginia. On either trip, the traveler encounters no other official languages or recognized countries.
This is not to denounce America or make Europe look exotic, but rather to show the reality of American culture and language: there are countless colorful cultural fragments, but also an overall homogeneity. National IdentityUnlike the majority of the world's population, for native English speakers, traveling to a place where another language is primarily spoken, let alone being immersed in that language, is a daunting process. Financial obstacles You’re thinking about traveling abroad or relocating and it seems impossible.
Further complicating this challenge is the dominance of English in the United States. The introduction of foreign cultures is a pillar of the country's history, but language is Most are left behind; Even when there are populations or families who speak their native language at home, the language usually disappears within a few generations.
One trend in the data that seems to counter language loss is the rise in bilingual Americans. the study According to a survey by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, between 1980 and 2018, the percentage of Americans ages 18 and over who are bilingual (the article refers to them as “multilingual,” but the previous definition was bilingual) increased from 9.2% to 16.9%.
These figures are based on the fact that the U.S. A group of staunch monolingualsHowever, this does not include an important group: native English speakers.
The American Academy survey measured how many participants said they spoke a foreign language at home but were at least fluent in English. The survey, and surveys in general, do not appear to mention anywhere how many non-native English speakers in America are fluent in another language. That number is probably much lower, given that fewer than 20% of multilinguals come from non-English-speaking homes, the environment most associated with non-native speakers.
Ultimately, America's language proficiency problem isn't caused by non-native speakers. The country is falling behind because Lack of obligation Foreign Language Education and General attitude The idea that such education is not necessary for career success is both an issue that comes from native English speakers.
Former UA Spanish instructor Francesc Morales put the problem succinctly: “The imbalance between millions of people who can speak English and two or more languages and the number of people learning those same languages is declining.” Spanish Program Director Ana Corbalán explained how Europe is ahead in this area of education: “Everyone starts by the age of three, and in Spain, English and French classes are compulsory from junior high school onwards.”
This touches on an unfortunate truth: the relationship between foreign languages and English in America is largely one-way; native languages come in and go out without any reciprocity. Citation As Medium writer Sam Quillen puts it, “English-speaking Americans have won the linguistic lottery: TV, music, news, and everything else we want is available everywhere in our native language.” With such a luxury, why change?
This question poses a major obstacle to American language learning, and as long as English speakers are allowed to remain in their own linguistic space, the question remains as to how the country can ever overcome this challenge.
There are no specific answers, and many of the best solutions are difficult to come by.
No one can change the inherent difficulties that come with the size of a nation. The cookie of history crumbles, and as a result, America Most of Europelives through a single language. Few countries on Earth share a similar geo-linguistic situation.
When it comes to necessity, learners must take an approach that does not center around social survival or economic prosperity. The problem is that such factors are powerful motivators and often become the primary motivation for non-English speakers to learn a language. Caitlin Thomas states: EducationWeek articleThe demand for English is due to “the perception that English is a language of accessibility and opportunity.” Valentina Mora, a third-year communication disorders and French student who grew up in Colombia, supported this, saying she remembers being told that “if you don't know English, your future won't be as 'bright.'”
Language learning needs to be more than just practical: learners need to recognise compelling psychological and emotional benefits that go beyond being able to ask for directions or order at a restaurant.
It will also involve not only improved health but also a love for the people and culture.
Kirk Summers, professor of classics and program director, outlined this as one of the university's goals. Linguistics“We are training students to engage on a deeper level with people from other cultures by studying literature and exploring social history and institutions in greater depth. … Our students are trying to understand others and build bridges, and that is only possible by knowing the original language.”
For Spanish instructor and doctoral student Ana Belén Álvarez, a grand vision of intercultural relations began in the form of a hypothesis. Álvarez once had a pre-med student who claimed he was only taking Spanish because of his university's language requirements. Knowing that 20 percent of the country's population is Latino, Álvarez simply asked: “What would you do if a Spanish-speaking person came into the emergency room where you work in a crisis, and you couldn't even comfort them?”
For foreign language acquisition to approach the norm for native American English speakers, a new motivation, a fundamental emotional shift is needed. It has to go beyond necessity. Unfortunately, most people can get by without another language. Going back to Quillen's article, ” [Americans] “Even if you leave your vast home country, English makes it easy to get by. There's no strong reason to learn a new language, unless, of course, you grew up in an immigrant family.”
Overcoming this obstacle requires big, intentional change, and it is up to native English speakers to take that big step.