I'm a huge language learner too, and I'm definitely the odd one out in most American social circles. It definitely feels like for us, learning languages can be a hobby, while for more interconnected areas it's just a necessity.
I'm jealous of your superior ACTFL rating! Maybe I'll go back and try again to get mine up from Advanced in Spanish ;)
I am... overwhelmed with thoughts on this. I have a master's in Linguistics, taught English in Spain and Japan, and learned a reasonable amount of 6 languages before I turned 30. And...I feel like a dinosaur. Not only has our global economic prowess made it somewhat unnecessary to learn other languages, but then came the internet, where all the good stuff for many years was in English. Maybe that's still the case, I haven't checked in a few years. So English is the lingua franca for worldwide communication. Before English, it was French - and I get the feeling the French aren't happy about losing that status. I mean, I remember in the 80s and 90s, every airport sign around the world showed the message in French, the Olympics were announced in the language of the host country and French...then they added English and eventually took away French. And damnit, this isn't even the direction I meant this comment to go, lol.
It’s so interesting how quickly things change, and how impactful globalization can be! I really appreciate hearing your thoughts on this. It’s sometimes too easy to slip into thinking that languages don’t matter that much, but that’s obviously not true. The lingua franca of any given era is directly related to the superpower exercising hegemony at the time. Languages change and evolve based on pressures from other countries and languages, and priorities change based on whose country, language, currency/economy, etc. is currently on top. It’s all so fascinating! Thank you so much for your thoughts in this.
I went to a few former eastern bloc nations in the mid to late 90s. They all had the Russian language forced on them in school, and they absolutely refused to speak a word of it once they broke free. Most had chosen to learn German as well, so that was the one I worked with the most there. I spent a couple of months in Prague in 2016, and English ruled. It's been fascinating going back to countries I haven't visited in 20+ years and seeing the huge shift in language or level of use/skill. I'm going to Spain in April...was last there to teach in 1996. Shame on me for going this long, lol.
I think we’re bad at finding programs that work for us. (Maybe because they’re not readily available?) DuoLingo is a popular language learning app, but it doesn’t work for my learning style. It wasn’t until I started using Pimsleur, which allows me to just listen and repeat, that I felt like I was actually making progress in learning a language. I think we tell ourselves if something works for others, it needs to work for us, otherwise we’re doing something wrong. That’s not true! We just need to find language programs that work for us!
I completely agree with this. Everyone is different, including our learning styles, so finding what works for us as individuals is key to actually sticking with it. Pimsleur is awesome, I’m glad we started that one! I’m probably gonna do a few future articles where I’ll try out and review certain products/programs for a week or a month at a time!
I only remember a word here and there from my high school French class, which is sad. But I think we should also consider the Missionary Training Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They teach all kinds of languages with much success and they turn them over about every six weeks.
I think Americans who are native English speakers are lazy about learning languages because for many of them, English is all they’ll need. It is the preeminent language of business around the world. Most Americans won’t live for extended periods of time outside the US. However, this attitude cheats people who remain monolingual. They miss out on so many opportunities, whether socially, culturally, artistically, or in business, to say nothing of the cognitive benefits of learning a new language.
You're so right, Ben! It can be too easy to become complacent when everyone around you only speaks English and it takes no effort to study, go to work, appreciate art (in any form), etc. I think Americans have just as much ability to study, acquire, and master other languages, but it takes some work to break away form that complacency.
Great article, Garrett. One of my biggest frustrations with the U.S. is the lack of prioritization of language learning, especially when there are so many opportunities people don’t even know about.
Thank you Ashleigh! I feel exactly the same way. There are so many benefits to language learning, personal and professional, and there are ways we can do it. Too many people just don't know! That's why I want to use my writing to help spread the word about some of these resources! I'm a fanatic language learning advocate. 👍
I'm a huge language learner too, and I'm definitely the odd one out in most American social circles. It definitely feels like for us, learning languages can be a hobby, while for more interconnected areas it's just a necessity.
I'm jealous of your superior ACTFL rating! Maybe I'll go back and try again to get mine up from Advanced in Spanish ;)
I am... overwhelmed with thoughts on this. I have a master's in Linguistics, taught English in Spain and Japan, and learned a reasonable amount of 6 languages before I turned 30. And...I feel like a dinosaur. Not only has our global economic prowess made it somewhat unnecessary to learn other languages, but then came the internet, where all the good stuff for many years was in English. Maybe that's still the case, I haven't checked in a few years. So English is the lingua franca for worldwide communication. Before English, it was French - and I get the feeling the French aren't happy about losing that status. I mean, I remember in the 80s and 90s, every airport sign around the world showed the message in French, the Olympics were announced in the language of the host country and French...then they added English and eventually took away French. And damnit, this isn't even the direction I meant this comment to go, lol.
It’s so interesting how quickly things change, and how impactful globalization can be! I really appreciate hearing your thoughts on this. It’s sometimes too easy to slip into thinking that languages don’t matter that much, but that’s obviously not true. The lingua franca of any given era is directly related to the superpower exercising hegemony at the time. Languages change and evolve based on pressures from other countries and languages, and priorities change based on whose country, language, currency/economy, etc. is currently on top. It’s all so fascinating! Thank you so much for your thoughts in this.
I went to a few former eastern bloc nations in the mid to late 90s. They all had the Russian language forced on them in school, and they absolutely refused to speak a word of it once they broke free. Most had chosen to learn German as well, so that was the one I worked with the most there. I spent a couple of months in Prague in 2016, and English ruled. It's been fascinating going back to countries I haven't visited in 20+ years and seeing the huge shift in language or level of use/skill. I'm going to Spain in April...was last there to teach in 1996. Shame on me for going this long, lol.
I think we’re bad at finding programs that work for us. (Maybe because they’re not readily available?) DuoLingo is a popular language learning app, but it doesn’t work for my learning style. It wasn’t until I started using Pimsleur, which allows me to just listen and repeat, that I felt like I was actually making progress in learning a language. I think we tell ourselves if something works for others, it needs to work for us, otherwise we’re doing something wrong. That’s not true! We just need to find language programs that work for us!
I completely agree with this. Everyone is different, including our learning styles, so finding what works for us as individuals is key to actually sticking with it. Pimsleur is awesome, I’m glad we started that one! I’m probably gonna do a few future articles where I’ll try out and review certain products/programs for a week or a month at a time!
I only remember a word here and there from my high school French class, which is sad. But I think we should also consider the Missionary Training Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They teach all kinds of languages with much success and they turn them over about every six weeks.
You’re right! I wish it was easier for those language materials to be available to the public because a lot of them are really helpful.
I think Americans who are native English speakers are lazy about learning languages because for many of them, English is all they’ll need. It is the preeminent language of business around the world. Most Americans won’t live for extended periods of time outside the US. However, this attitude cheats people who remain monolingual. They miss out on so many opportunities, whether socially, culturally, artistically, or in business, to say nothing of the cognitive benefits of learning a new language.
You're so right, Ben! It can be too easy to become complacent when everyone around you only speaks English and it takes no effort to study, go to work, appreciate art (in any form), etc. I think Americans have just as much ability to study, acquire, and master other languages, but it takes some work to break away form that complacency.
Great article, Garrett. One of my biggest frustrations with the U.S. is the lack of prioritization of language learning, especially when there are so many opportunities people don’t even know about.
Thank you Ashleigh! I feel exactly the same way. There are so many benefits to language learning, personal and professional, and there are ways we can do it. Too many people just don't know! That's why I want to use my writing to help spread the word about some of these resources! I'm a fanatic language learning advocate. 👍