The Science Behind Our Topic
Why Do We Have Language in the First Place?
Language developed as a way for people to communicate with one another. People developed verbal languages to get others to respond to them. This is why children pick up their first language. By observing their parents speak, they learn that if they also speak their parents or other people around them will respond to them in turn. (Catania, 1991)
How Do We Learn a Language?
The human brain processes spoken and written language to allow us to understand others and learn to communicate with them. There are many different parts of the brain that are responsible for language processing. A few of the major parts are the frontal regions, which processes sentences, and the left dorsal inferior frontal gyrus, which processes syntax. As you are exposed to language overtime, your brain will pick up and process the information it is receiving to allow you to use language yourself. (Sakai, 2005)
Is it Actually Easier for Children to Learn a Second Language?
Many people believe that it is easier for young children to learn another language than teenagers or adults. While there are multiple factors that help children learn languages, anyone at any age can learn a second language. (Spinks, 2002)
One theory for a child's ability to pick up languages is the critical period. The critical period is the best period of time for a child to learn a skill. It is theorized that there is a critical period for language learning before puberty. (Spinks, 2002)
Another reason for the belief that it is easier for children to learn languages is that people have the perception that children learn languages faster. When a child learns a second language, they are learning it at a rate that aligns with the skill level of a native speaking child. Teenagers or adults, on the other hand, have a higher English vocabulary, so when they try to speak a foreign language they find that they do not have as high of a skill level in that language as in English, which can be discouraging. (Tarr, 2017)
Are There Health Benefits for Being Multilingual?
Studies show that having a multilingual brain can actually benefit your health. Not only does it increase your brain's executive function (i.e. problem solving, etc.), it can actually delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, possibly for up to five years. (Nacamulli, 2015)
The English-Only Movement
The English-Only Movement is an American movement dedicated to making English the official language of the United States. The movement has also made attempts to hinder the teaching of foreign languages in the US. (White, 2012)
What is the English-Only Movement?
Why is the English-Only Movement a Problem?
Local Situation
Less than 1% of American adults reported that they learned to speak a language other than English proficiently through school (Devlin, 2015). However, over 300 languages are spoken in the United States (White, 2012). There is no official language of the United States (White, 2012).
Foreign language education has become a controversial topic over the last few decades, sparking many conflicting viewpoints. Some people view the topic as important, needing attention to be brought to the issues with the education system. Others view it as an obsolete subject that does not need to be taught anymore.
Global Context
This is a problem because not only does the movement hurt foreign language education, it also promotes xenophobia, the fear of foreigners. By discouraging the teaching of languages, the idea that other languages-and their cultures-are lesser than English can be spread to American students. (Arias, 2008)
As of 2016 the typical European student has a requirement to study multiple foreign languages before they are nine or ten years old. In fact, in more than 20 of the 51 European countries, it is compulsory to study a second foreign language for at least one year. (Devlin, 2015).
In Australia, there has been an ongoing discussion about requiring students to take one of four Asian languages. These would be Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian, and Japanese. The importance of Asian languages in Australia is that much of their business and trade is with Asian countries (Singmaster, 2013).
In most Asian countries, children begin learning a foreign language in primary school (Jackson, 2013). However, even in Japan there are parents who feel that their child's foreign language education is lacking. According to a study done by Rakuten Research, nearly 90% of respondents are not happy with Japan's language education. The study also showed that "93.6 of parents [in Japan] want their children to have a global viewpoint and 83.3% want their children to be globally competitive" (Singmaster, 2013)
Students in St. Mary's county are able to begin taking a foreign language in 7th or 8th grade depending on the middle school that they attend. Foreign language instruction continues on through high school. The middle schools only offer two or three languages but once students enter high school they are given the opportunity to study a wider variety. Language offerings vary by school.
Social Benefits
Knowledge of languages is helpful for a variety of careers. The formation of a global economy has increased the value of speaking a foreign language (Chau, 2014). When doing business with a foreign country, there are often instances when it is necessary to travel to a different country. As a guest in other countries not only is it more respectful to speak their language, it also makes trade easier. Sometimes there can be confusion that erupts from the translation that makes it difficult to successfully communicate. Elimination of the language barrier can help make communication easier. According to Ryan McMunn, language expert and CEO of BRIC Language Systems, those who entered the workforce in 2014 with second language fluency saw an additional 10 to 15 percent pay increase (Chau, 2014).
Communication is also key in diplomatic negotiations between countries. When there is a language barrier, effective communication becomes much more difficult to achieve. Diplomatic negotiations are delicate and are often very complicated without the added difficulty of translation issues. Having the ability to speak the same language as another person helps simplify one aspect of diplomatic conversations.
When international organizations assign an official language of their organization, they are making an important decision. For example, the official languages of the United Nations are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. By choosing these six languages rather than just one, they made a statement that all of these languages are equally important. (Official Languages, 2017)
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is another international organization that designates its official languages. The three official languages of the WTO are English, French, and Spanish. Once again, languages besides English are designated, showing the importance of languages that are foreign to English speakers (WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, 2017).
