Many Children NOT Encouraged to Acquire a Foreign Language
While nearly a third of UK parents do not actively encourage their children to acquire a second or foreign language according to a study by the National Centre for Languages (CILT), foreign language learning should be encouraged and developed to a much higher degree in schools worldwide. True, many parents, both in the UK and the USA, may harbour their own personal prejudices on foreign language learning, this should not be allowed to alternatively shape the growth, development and education of their children. Globally aware parents really need to consider the long term view of what their children may well face in the coming decades.
How has your occupation, livelihood and daily life been impacted by changes on an everyday basis which you couldn't even have dreamed of as a youth, young adult or even just a few short years ago? As a youth, I swore I'd never be a teacher. Now I'm a university level English as a foreign language professor. Go figure.
Which Foreign Language Should Your Child Learn?
But just which foreign language should your child learn? The question is much more complex than you might initially imagine. Just because you bombed French in junior high school doesn't mean that the only "French" your child should learn is "French fries". If "caramba" or "Ole" are your only Spanish, that shouldn't be the root cause of your child not becoming fluent in Castellano. The world has changed and continues to morph at what may well be an alarming rate for many teachers, parents and even children themselves. Acquisition of a foreign language can be one way of allowing our children and ourselves to cope with the almost constant barrage of new cultures, foods, music, fashion, technology and ideas which pour down on us like the rain of a hurricane gone wild.
What's a foreign language teacher or concerned parent to do?
The ethnic makeup of cities, neighborhoods and in some cases, entire countries is shifting in ways we could never have accurately predicted. The local news stand might now stock newspapers and magazines in foreign tongues. From French and Spanish to Arabic and Punjabi, the media is changing to reflect the altering makeup of our communities. Stroll through your local supermarket. Notice anything new on the shelves of late? Even the meat counter now sports "cuts" of beef like cow's eyes and lungs, pork, lamb and chicken parts like chicken feet among others, that were noticeably absent just a short time ago. Plantain, yucca, a widening variety of hot and mild peppers, jicama, mamey, and a host of other "imported" offerings now routinely grace shelves once reserved only for more "traditional" fare.
Foreign Languages Come in Families
So as far as foreign language learning is concerned, what should you be considering for your child or children? Well, look at how the ethnic makeup of your area is changing, then consider what foreign languages might be useful to know in the short and long term. Remember, if you can speak one language fluently, there's absolutely no reason why you (or your child) can't learn two or three or more foreign languages. Yes, some foreign languages a re more difficult to learn than others, depending on what your first language is, but that's not to say a foreign language outside the linguistic family of your first language (L1) can't be learned. There are approximately 6712 languages spoken worldwide at present. Consider well and choose wisely, grasshopper. Your child's depending on you.
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While nearly a third of UK parents do not actively encourage their children to acquire a second or foreign language according to a study by the National Centre for Languages (CILT), foreign language learning should be encouraged and developed to a much higher degree in schools worldwide. True, many parents, both in the UK and the USA, may harbour their own personal prejudices on foreign language learning, this should not be allowed to alternatively shape the growth, development and education of their children. Globally aware parents really need to consider the long term view of what their children may well face in the coming decades.
How has your occupation, livelihood and daily life been impacted by changes on an everyday basis which you couldn't even have dreamed of as a youth, young adult or even just a few short years ago? As a youth, I swore I'd never be a teacher. Now I'm a university level English as a foreign language professor. Go figure.
Which Foreign Language Should Your Child Learn?
But just which foreign language should your child learn? The question is much more complex than you might initially imagine. Just because you bombed French in junior high school doesn't mean that the only "French" your child should learn is "French fries". If "caramba" or "Ole" are your only Spanish, that shouldn't be the root cause of your child not becoming fluent in Castellano. The world has changed and continues to morph at what may well be an alarming rate for many teachers, parents and even children themselves. Acquisition of a foreign language can be one way of allowing our children and ourselves to cope with the almost constant barrage of new cultures, foods, music, fashion, technology and ideas which pour down on us like the rain of a hurricane gone wild.
What's a foreign language teacher or concerned parent to do?
The ethnic makeup of cities, neighborhoods and in some cases, entire countries is shifting in ways we could never have accurately predicted. The local news stand might now stock newspapers and magazines in foreign tongues. From French and Spanish to Arabic and Punjabi, the media is changing to reflect the altering makeup of our communities. Stroll through your local supermarket. Notice anything new on the shelves of late? Even the meat counter now sports "cuts" of beef like cow's eyes and lungs, pork, lamb and chicken parts like chicken feet among others, that were noticeably absent just a short time ago. Plantain, yucca, a widening variety of hot and mild peppers, jicama, mamey, and a host of other "imported" offerings now routinely grace shelves once reserved only for more "traditional" fare.
Foreign Languages Come in Families
So as far as foreign language learning is concerned, what should you be considering for your child or children? Well, look at how the ethnic makeup of your area is changing, then consider what foreign languages might be useful to know in the short and long term. Remember, if you can speak one language fluently, there's absolutely no reason why you (or your child) can't learn two or three or more foreign languages. Yes, some foreign languages a re more difficult to learn than others, depending on what your first language is, but that's not to say a foreign language outside the linguistic family of your first language (L1) can't be learned. There are approximately 6712 languages spoken worldwide at present. Consider well and choose wisely, grasshopper. Your child's depending on you.
