Australian kids need to learn another language

The Herald Sun had an interesting article today about the need for Australian children to learn languages. Apparently due to the country's remote location, and the increasing global dominance of English, most Australian kids drop second-language instruction once they are out of primary school. Educators are calling on Prime Minister to include compulsory language instruction in a new education plan, suggesting that each child learn one Asian and one European language to better compete in the international workforce. Certainly the United States is not an island, but many feel disinclined to learn another language unless it is for pleasure travel. It's still important to realize, wherever you are, that you can speak many languages in the most unlikely of places.

The Writing is on the Wall: Mandarin is the next big thing

For those with an eye to the global economy, Mandarin Chinese has been the likely candidate for the biggest new language to learn and use for quite some time. The International Herald Tribune just came out with an article (As China rises, demand grows for Mandarin) which lays out some of the sheer numbers for Mandarin.

• Worldwide, 40 million people are learning Mandarin right now
• In 2006, a full 100,000 foreigners went to China with the purpose of learning the language
• Back here in the US, high schoolers can now take Advanced Placement (AP) Mandarin Chinese as a course, and 3,000 kids did this past year, the first year it was offered.

It's kind of incredible that the language could grow in numbers so fast, especially since it's often tagged as being incredibly difficult, both to read and pronounce. Many people start off learning to speak with audio courses like the Pimsleur language method, and then move on to trying reading and writing. Knowing how to speak Mandarin can put a serious plus on your resume, or add nicely to your transcript, but most importantly, it opens up a huge culture (and country) to explore and better understand.

Wisconsin Believes English is getting a Raw Deal

When I saw this gem come across the wire (Wisconsin votes to make English the official language) I knew there would be something in it to make my blood boil. Sure enough, a few paragraphs down, I read:

"[The state] must take steps to ensure that these immigrants are on the road to learning English and not being misled by the crutch of perpetual government multilingualism." -Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc.

Are you serious? Now I don't like to stereotype, but my spidey-sense says that perhaps Mauro Mujica's family doesn't trace a line directly back to the Mayflower. What is it about us Americans that causes us to try and dominate the world with our language? Having spent some time in Madison, Wisconsin this past summer, I can tell you that it is a pleasant place to be. Did I have any problem getting around due to lack of signage in English? Did I get confused when I asked for directions in English? Uh, no. The point is, the mandate of an official language has always been a political tool, and has even been used around the world to squelch dissent and encourage ethnic and racial conformity. There is no real purpose or value to declaring English the official language in Wisconsin, except to reassert dominance of the already hegemonic powers that be. I hate to break it to you Mauro, but "perpetual government multilingualism' is really the least of my problems come tax-time.

The last little bit of the press release (in case you mistook it for a real news item as I did at first!) speaks for itself, and its irony knows no bounds:

"U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa..."

Here's to multilingualism, and all its supposed evils!

Utah Does Immersion

I think most people believe that there's usually something strange going on in the state of Utah. This week, there most definitely is.

This article explains that the Utah State Legislature approved a bunch of cash for dual-immersion language programs in schools. What's that, you may ask? It's an innovative program that teaches kids half the time in their native language, and half the time in the foreign language. That's some serious language immersion, and the programs are for elementary on up to high schools. Kids can choose from Chinese, Russian, Arabic, French, Spanish, and Navajo. If I had started learning Chinese in kindergarden, well, I just don't know what might have happened. Either way, this could be a great model of language education in the years to come.

The internet is your language learning friend

I was looking for a way to brush up on my Spanish skills the other day, and did a little Googling of the various options out there for language tools you can use on your iPod. Apparently, the NY Times beat me to it with a little article called Learning from a Native Speaker, Without Leaving Home. I'd seen the SpanishPod site and just didn't get around to using it. LiveMocha was news to me though, and I plan on signing up soon. There's so much information to be had on the internet (well, duh) but it's really awesome to see websites start to leverage the possibilities of new media and high bandwidth connections for education purposes. There's a real advantage for someone learning a language with a native speaker, whether virtual or real. Learning French from a Texan (it happens) is not really a great way to start out, because then someday you'll have to correct what you've learned already.

Also a lot of places are letting you try before you buy, which is great when you're looking around for which program would be right for you. One such retailer, TheLanguageStop.com has free first lessons of each title (including the great Pimsleur series) and now has downloads, so you can digital purchase and receive your language course instead of paying for shipping and ripping CDs to the iPod the hard way.

Of course, the secret ingredient for learning a language successfully is discipline. No matter how many programs you purchase or sign up for, you have to do the homework consistently if any magic is going to happen!

Welcome to Discourse Recourse

So I've been thinking... along with my new year's resolutions came an idea of how to stay motivated and interested in learning languages and traveling through the winter, and the months to come.

I decided to start this here blog as a way to keep ideas and inspiration flowing. Already it's working pretty well. For instance, the Times wrote a nice little piece called The Other Iran, a travelogue about being American and going to one of the more unlikely tourist destinations these days. The author manages a great faux pas:

“Excuse me, ma’am,” I sputtered in phrase book Farsi to the first person I met — a bearded soldier.

which pretty much sums up the difference between practice and reality when learning a language! I personally would not have relied on just a Farsi phrasebook to get around, but that's just me.

This leads me to another anecdote about Iran--never buy a Persian rice cooker. No matter how much money you think you're going to save, you're going to end up getting rid of it. Why? It browns the bottom of the rice. Intentionally. This is great for making Persian cuisine, but if you're looking for sushi or stir-fry, it's not going to treat you right!

I hope you find some enjoyment or amusement here in the months to come. Don't be afraid to subscribe to the RSS feeds, and avoid the pesky reload button.

Cheers!