admin[TWIAN (i.e., This Week in Anthropology) focuses on issues of anthropological practice that are of interest to the NAPA Anthro membership. The following post from Ethnography.com reminds us of the value of languages.
I was reminded of the importance of foreign language learning twice in the last week or so. This morning I read a commentary in the New York Times about how poorly Americans do at foreign languages. Several of the authors remind us that Americans have long done poorly at foreign language learning, and that demands for foreign language learning are declining in the United States, despite attempts by the Chinese government (and others) to get Americans into language classes.
I am also on a Facebook group emphasizing the importance of German language learning in the United States. Last week, someone from the “Standup for German Language” Facebook Group sent me a message reminding me to re-emphasize the importance of that language. Consider this post part of this re-emphasis!
The problem with language learning in the United States is that pragmatic Americans believe that science and math are the fields that have the greatest demand for jobs in the immediate future, and therefore schools are justified in beefing up math and science requirements, and canceling foreign language programs. This may be true in the short-run. But foreign language learning is not divorced completely from the development of cognitive abilities in other fields as well.
The best piece of evidence of this is that the countries which do best in various kinds of cross-national testing in math and science skills, like Finland, and South Korea, also have stiff requirements for foreign language learning. Both require English in primary school, and push their children in to third and fourth languages as well, even as they cram on science and math. While correlation does not always imply causation, it contributes to my belief that language learning as a cognitive process contributes to our abilities in other fields as well.
If nothing else, language learning also contributes to our sense of humility, too, which is always a good thing!
