Educators revisit
20-year-old study of foreign-language education in the
U.S.
BY DIANE MANUEL
The changing profile of
students who are enrolling in language courses today was
one of many issues panelists addressed at a day-long
conference about the study of foreign languages on June
2.
Citing the large numbers
of children in the United States who are growing up in
homes where Vietnamese, Hmong, Cantonese, Korean,
Cambodian, Laotian, Tagalog and other languages are
spoken, Guadalupe Valdes, professor of education and of
Spanish and Portuguese, said that "in comparison to
what happened to immigrants in the early part of this
century, many heritage speakers today are simply refusing
to abandon the language they learn at home.
"They are American
and they are also proud of their ethnicity and
heritage," she said.
Valdes was one of seven
Stanford faculty members who spoke at the conference that
was sponsored by the School of Humanities and Sciences,
the Stanford Language Center and the Institute for
International Studies.
"The Study of Foreign
Languages in the New Century: Retrospective Views from
'The President's Commission on Foreign Languages and
International Studies' and Prospects for the Future"
revisited a report about foreign language learning in the
United States that was produced by a commission appointed
by President Jimmy Carter in 1979.
"In order to succeed
in this country, in order to receive a good education,
newly arrived youngsters must learn English no one is
questioning that," Valdes told conference
participants. "What is not clear, however, is to
what degree these students, in order to learn English,
must abandon the use of their heritage language."
Valdes argued that for
these students to be incorporated into foreign language
departments and area studies centers at universities,
"they must be seen as worthy of being there."
Faculty in those departments and programs, she said,
"must endorse their presence and must be willing to
work with them."
Heritage language
speakers, study abroad programs and the role of
foundations and government in foreign language learning
were among the issues panelists addressed. Other topics
came up as well, including the lingua franca that
students absorb in late-night conversations at overseas
bars, which drew some of the liveliest discussion and
loudest applause.
"The typical haunts
of students abroad are bars," Sara Saz, a professor
of Spanish from Colorado State University, said in
response to one teacher's concern about the vocabulary
students may acquire on their own. "Sure, they pick
up words they wouldn't learn in the classroom, but it's
an experience in diversity, it's extremely valuable and
it's another plus of living abroad."
Leon Panetta, former chief
of staff for the Clinton White House and a member of the
1979 presidential commission, was the guest speaker at
the conference luncheon. After talking about how he had
learned Italian at home, from his parents and
grandfather, Panetta made a plea for a focused national
strategy for language acquisition.
"The fundamental
point is that overall this nation is lacking the kind of
commitment that it needs to have in order to advance
foreign language training," Panetta said.
"If the commission
found in its famous conclusion that Americans'
incompetence in foreign languages was nothing short of
scandalous in 1979, then I'm afraid that my conclusion in
1999 is that while it may not be scandalous, it is at
best disappointing for a nation that is crossing the
threshold of a global era."
Elizabeth Bernhardt,
professor of German studies and director of the Language
Center, looked at methodologies for teaching foreign
languages and noted that there has been
"considerably more emphasis on oral foreign language
skills" in the last decade. She called for more
research on reading and writing skills and more attention
to the articulation of curricula between high schools and
universities.
Christina Einstein, a dean
for academic affairs at the Graduate School of Business
who holds a doctorate in French literature, called the
increased emphasis on foreign language courses at the
professional school a "victory for students."
"They know recruiters
are looking for candidates with solid language skills to
be part of the global environment," Einstein said,
and so have requested more language courses.
The business school
offered seven language courses last year and expects to
offer nine next year. As a result, about 14 percent of
students currently are enrolled in language courses.
Barbara Freed, professor
of French at Carnegie Mellon University, looked at
assumptions about the benefits of study abroad and
questioned the "magical and mysterious process by
which second language learning takes place merely by
being on 'foreign' soil.'"
Freed cited the
"highly individual nature of students'
experiences" and suggested that "the popular
notion of the study abroad environment is less uniform
than was once believed."
Michael Holquist,
professor of comparative literature and Russian studies
at Yale University, examined the role of foundations in
foreign language study and also spoke about the
"class differences" that exist in language
departments at most universities.
"No one has done
anything sustained to think about negotiating positions
between the people in the culture of the universities as
they are constituted who are treated as second-class
citizens the teachers of foreign languages and the
people who have occupied another stratum in the same
culture, the people who have taught literature and
prepared Ph.D.s."
In his "soft
defense" of area studies, Michel Oksenberg, a senior
fellow at the Asia/Pacific Research Center, suggested
that undergraduates should be encouraged to acquire the
skills of the social science disciplines as they pursue
expertise in particular geographic areas.
"The increased
diversity of university student bodies has introduced a
new demand for courses that illuminate their ancestral
homes: Korea, Vietnam, west Africa, Cuba, even
Guangdong," Oksenberg noted in his paper, which was
presented by David Holloway, director of the Institute
for International Studies, in his absence.
"Area studies have to
change, welcoming to the community those in professional
schools and departments who wish to immerse themselves in
foreign areas." SR
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