Language - the key to better International relations
Media
Part of Panorama
- Title
- Language - the key to better International relations
- Language
- English
- Source
- Panorama Volume XVII (Issue No.7) July 1965
- Year
- 1965
- Subject
- Foreign language education
- Conversation method (Language teaching)
- Second language acquisition
- Rights
-
- Abstract
- How and why foreign languages should be taught. This article supplements Andre Maurois’ article at page 17
- Fulltext
- ■ How and why foreign languages should be taught. This article supplements Andre Maurois’ article at page 17. LANGUAGE-THE KEY TO BETTER INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS The great up-surge in the training of the men and wo men of our country in the fields of mathematics and science has meant increased success in the race for aggres sive and defensive power in the world of growing unrest and conflict; yet little has been accomplished in the dev elopment of better interna tional relations and under standing, largely because Am ericans generally are unable to communicate in the same language with people of other nationalities and do not know what is really in the minds of the people with whom they come in contact. Although the daily news, periodicals, and research stu dies are constantly pointing to the great need for language instruction, some communi ties call such programs “fads” or “frill” or “impractical” in clusions. Educators and community leaders must dispel this falla cy with a well-planned lan guage program and carefully developed publicity through lay curriculum planners, Pa rent-Teacher Associations, ci vic organizations, and the press. What is a well-planned lan guage program? First, the most important of all, there must be a well-planned pro gram for our own language and culture, which will extend from the first through the twelfth grade. It must in clude not only the tools of speaking, writing, and read ing, but also the literature, the history and geography of the country, and a study of our beliefs and our ideals as stated in the three great char ters of freedom — the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Cons titution. All students should July 1965 49 know the real meaning of our type of government and have information and experience which will develop in their minds and hearts such devo tion and loyalty to the Am erican way of life that “brain washing” of our citizens and defection to another type of life under pressure will no longer be possible. Because millions of Am ericans are either residents or travelers in other lands, and our people have dealings in all parts of the languages besides our own is particular ly important. Most schools today are offering too few languages and too little of any one language, and it is important that this situation be studied and improved. There must be a program which will assure some de gree of mastery if any value is to be gained from the study of another language. This means that the study of “foreign” language will begin early in the school sys tem and continue without a break through the high school. There is little of va lue in a conversational course of any language in the ele mentary schools unless there is a follow-up in the second ary schools. Just what languages will be studied and in what grade the study will begin will de pend upon such important factors as time, school faci lities, and qualified teachers. Some schools which are pro perly equipped begin with 15-minute daily sessions in the third grade. Others pre fer to start in the fourth or fifth grade when the student has learned to speak, read, and write his own language reasonably well. If condi tions are favorable, it seems best to begin in one of these elementary grades because here the child is uninhibited and imitative and will readily catch on to the sound and meaning of the strange lan guage. Language study in the ele mentary grades should be oral with no emphasis on rules of grammar. It will in clude conversation, folk songs and folk games, playlets and the like, and, in the fifth and sixth grades, reading which shows something of the ha bits and customs of the peo ple whose language is being studied. 50 Panorama In the secondary schools the same language should be continued with increased em phasis upon the structure of the language and the study of the culture and literature of the country in its own language. Students must con tinue talking, listening, and reading, for it is through what people say and write down that one learns the emotional, spiritual, and in tellectual life of a nation. These things people need to know if they are to live in harmony in our increasingly smaller world. Many administrators are not yet convinced, however, that there is need for more language study in the public schools. They give as their reasons the lack of class time for the regular subjects, the questionable use of another language, and the shortage of well-qualified teachers. While these are valid rea sons in many instances, it is possible that the whole school program needs a re-evalua tion. There may be too much time-consuming repeti tion from grade to grade in the subjects now being taught. Considerable time might be saved through closer coordination of the several branches of one subject and of related subjects or a re duction of one area of study to one period daily instead of two or three, which is the case in some so-called popu lar subjects, The need for other lan guages is so obvious that ar gument seems unnecessary. Diplomats, statesmen, mili tary personnel, business men, laborers, stenographers, tech nical experts in many fields, exchange teachers and stu dents, and thousands of tra velers are in every part of the world today. Their lack of ability to communicate with the people of these coun tries is a constant stumbling block in their efforts to con vey to these people our mo tives, our intent, our way of life and to understand what they are thinking and what they believe and want. Know ledge of their language and culture could save our peo ple embarrassment and loss of prestige the world over. There is every reason to be lieve that intensive language program planning should be gin at once. The lack of adequately trained language teachers is July 1965 51 the real problem. No pro gram at all is better than one poorly taught. No longer is the grammar-translation type of language instruction suffi cient. Teachers must be able to speak the language fluent ly, know the people and the country well, and be skilled in the best methods of instruc tion. New laboratory methods have been developed and training in these modern teaching processes is avail able to teachers in almost any of the leading colleges and universities of the country. When teachers and funds are available, the language department will need labora tory equipment consisting of tape and disc recordings, pho nographs, tape recorders, and sound-proof booths with head sets through which students listen to .tape or disc record ings. The cost of this equip ment is not exorbitant as compared with science labo ratory equipment, and it is essential in developing cor rect pronunciation and in enabling students to under stand normal speech in an other tongue. These aids provide means for students to engage actively in learning the language during the en tire class period, relieve teachers of much oral drill, save class time, and help to compensate for the shortage of teachers. More and more of the stu dents now in school will be living and working all over the world, and it is the duty of the schools to prepare them adequately to live har moniously in these other countries. Training in lan guage is no less important than training in science and technology, and it is chiefly through the schools that this training may be obtained. — By Edyth M. Salvesen, Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin. 52 PANORAMA,