OPINION & EDITORIAL
Foreign language requirement unnecessary in college
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Also by Mark Murphy:
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- Foreign language requirement unnecessary in college (January 30, 2006)
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by Mark Murphy
Monday, January 30, 2006
Earlier this month, President George W. Bush announced an initiative to promote foreign-language study in the United States.
The president framed the estimated $114 million initiative as a necessary step in ensuring national security. He proceeded to say that it was also a "kind gesture" to learn someone else's language. This latter justification stems from the all-too-common multiculturalist notion that Americans should feel guilty about English becoming increasingly common around the world. However, this fact is nothing to feel guilty about, as it stems from little more than economic necessity.
Here at the University of Wisconsin, students are often required to take three or four semesters of foreign language to receive a degree in a subject that does not require proficiency in a second language. Proponents of the requirements claim that learning a foreign language advances the general liberal-studies goals of a four-year university. They also argue that students can reap substantial rewards from branching out beyond their native language.
However, students are unlikely to receive such rewards after instruction is limited to just a few semesters. Instead, students are more likely to land in a limbo where they retain just enough knowledge to inquire about the location of el baño.
Research suggests young children are much more capable than adults in achieving foreign-language proficiency. Accordingly, by the time students reach college age, most have missed the crucial window where learning a foreign language comes at little cost. Instead, the quest to learn another language becomes quite expensive in terms of time, energy and missed opportunities. If educators for some reason insist that students learn other languages in addition to English, elementary and middle school curricula should incorporate these measures. College is simply not the place.
Today, English is the uncontested lingua franca. It is the third-most-spoken language and the most widely learned second language in the world. English dominance has expanded even more in the Internet age. As more and more individuals learn English, the practical value of American students learning other languages decreases. The practice truly amounts to little more than a "kind gesture."
To his credit, President Bush's foreign language initiative does ascribe more value to certain languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Russian. Obviously, speakers proficient in any of these languages are valuable assets in terms of national security. Here at the UW, however, multicultural subjectivism reigns supreme, as no distinction exists between languages of more or less practical importance.
It is easy to dismiss criticisms of foreign-language requirements as ethnocentric and xenophobic. However, this is not at all the case. Legitimate criticism of the requirement simply stems from an assessment of the world as it is.
Evidenced by the economically fueled explosion of English around the world, learning English is obviously of great importance to non-native speakers. They do not learn English as a "kind gesture" or out of some deference to the American way of life. Instead, it is understood as a prerequisite to success.
Besides, at the end of the day, any language — English or otherwise — is simply a means of communicating ideas. It is the ideas, not the language, that truly count.
What's more, many of today's students have, at best, a mediocre grasp of the English language. American students also continue to lag behind their foreign counterparts in the universal languages of math and science.
With this in mind, the UW's foreign-language requirements seem even more misguided. Whether these requirements stem from an effort to appease the multiculturalist racket or from some other less pernicious pedagogical motivation, across the board, foreign-language requirements misdirect resources that could certainly be invested in more valuable endeavors.
Mark Murphy (mmurphy@badgerherald.com) is a junior majoring in economics and finance.
Anonymous (January 30, 2006 @ 9:18am):
Mr. Murphy:
This was probably the most uninsightful, poorly argued piece of drivel that I've been exposed to in quite a long time. Not only have you exposed your own ignorance in this column, but you have exposed the ignorance that countless others before you have already argued! That makes this doubly shocking!
Now, if we take a few of your arguments on a point by point basis, we can see just how flawed they are, long before we even get to the part where you realize the real problem here, and print a retraction in an upcoming edition of the Herald. Let us begin:
1. "[It is a] 'kind gesture' to learn someone else's language. This latter justification stems from the all-too-common multiculturalist notion that Americans should feel guilty about English becoming increasingly common around the world. However, this fact is nothing to feel guilty about, as it stems from little more than economic necessity."
This is only thinly veiled cultural imperialism, Mr. Murphy. What is so terrible about multiculturalism? Are you, perhaps, devoid of culture? I bet that your family has no interest in its roots, that you never eat foods from other cultures, or that you never experience other cultures in film, tv, or other media. And these are just the most basic ways of being exposed to other cultures. The fact is, Mr. Murphy, learning a language is so much more than simply learning another way to communicate. Learning a language means learning about and understanding another culture, and understanding the people that are a part of that culture. You don't seem to understand this fact, and merely chalk it up to others forcing a "multiculturalist notion" on you. If we read between the lines a bit, we see that you might just mean that other cultures are a problem, that they make you think about something else other than yourself, and that you can't be bothered to understand others' ways. And sadly, you don't seem to realize that all of these other cultures are around you all the time, in all the small ways (and some much larger) that I earlier mentioned.
2. "However, students are unlikely to receive [rewards by branching out from their native language] after instruction is limited to just a few semesters. Instead, students are more likely to land in a limbo where they retain just enough knowledge to inquire about the location of el baño."
Again we come back to the notion of understanding another culture, Mr. Murphy. Language courses reveal so much more than just another way to communicate, as I mentioned earlier. Language itself contains culture, and understanding the link between these two things gives one the ability to understand other people, a real asset in the modern world. As an economics major yourself, you should understand this. You will, after all, seek to understand how the world works in order to understand how to better order its money, right? Well, then you'll definitely need to understand what other people think and how they approach their economic realities, so that you can better do your job!
3. "Today, English is the uncontested lingua franca. It is the third-most-spoken language and the most widely learned second language in the world."
This is perhaps the funniest of your assertions, for the simple reason that you use another language in it! Yes, we did borrow that phrase "lingua franca," as well as the majority of our other words. Languages grow and change with one another, and sadly, they're sometimes utterly changed or destroyed by the influence of larger languages. Take an old English class, Mr. Murphy, and you may just discover that through time and the influence of other languages, English isn't exactly what it used to be.
4. "To his credit, President Bush's foreign language initiative does ascribe more value to certain languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Russian. Obviously, speakers proficient in any of these languages are valuable assets in terms of national security. Here at the UW, however, multicultural subjectivism reigns supreme, as no distinction exists between languages of more or less practical importance."
So we only need to learn a language because it's important for national security? A very small, insignificant and irrelevant point, indeed. Perhaps you should tell this to someone from any other language and see what they think. I bet many an Indonesian thinks of him/herself as impractical. Or maybe Icelanders think of themselves as impractical. Or maybe any other speaker of one of those languages that isn't valuable to our national security. They aren't important, we don't need to understand or interact with them, and we certainly don't have to worry about them interrupting the cultural imperialism you advocate here.
5. "Besides, at the end of the day, any language -- English or otherwise -- is simply a means of communicating ideas. It is the ideas, not the language, that truly count."
I think that I've already covered this one quite thoroughly, Mr. Murphy, but let's reiterate to be certain that you understand the point. Language is not simply a means of communicating, but within itself holds quite a bit of culture. Where do you think we get the names of the days of the week? Where do you think we get the names of the months? What do you think of the word "gemutlichkeit?" All of these small examples contain meanings and associations that are linguistically and culturally specific, and therefore embody an identity far beyond simple gesturing towards meaning or concrete ideas. Some ideas are difficult to communicate, and some can't be communicated at all in translation. Different cultures quite often have different worldviews, and language is an excellent example of such.
6. "What's more, many of today's students have, at best, a mediocre grasp of the English language. American students also continue to lag behind their foreign counterparts in the universal languages of math and science."
I'm not even going to waste my time on this one, because you've done nothing here but call us all stupid. If we can't even learn our own language, how can we learn others'? Well, you'd be surprised how much you can learn about your own language, your own culture, and yourself simply by studying another language. It really wouldn't do you much harm to try one out.
Well, I think I've written enough about your flawed logic and irrational argumentation, so I'll bid you adieu. Aha, another foreign word we use all the time! I hope that you read some of these comments and think about what you've written, and maybe come to the realization that you're wrong. We do need to learn languages, even at the university level. Other people in other cultures do it because they want to have a better understanding of the world around them, so why shouldn't we? It's a sad state of affairs when we say that others should simply understand us, and that that's enough.
Oh, and one more thing. Your last name, Murphy, is that Irish? I bet it is, and I bet that your Irish ancestors (and maybe even your current Irish relatives) might take offense to your assertion that the dominance of English is a good thing. I've heard somewhere that the Irish weren't and still aren't too happy with English cultural imperialism...
Sincerely,
A lover of languages (I'd have signed this personally, but I really did feel the need to attack you personally in a few instances for being such an ignoramus.)
Anonymous (January 30, 2006 @ 3:17pm):
As a returning adult student I couldn't agree more.The foreign language requirement is the only reason I haven't graduated already.Between dropping the class or failing it I have 146 credits completed with 2 semesters of language left to pass!When I know damn good and well I'll never use a single bit of it ever.
Anonymous (January 30, 2006 @ 4:04pm):
"The foreign language requirement is the only reason I haven't graduated already."
Why did you decide to attempt earning a degree here if you can't handle the requirements??? Saying that you know that you'll never use another language is lame and shows why you don't deserve a UW degree.
Anonymous (January 30, 2006 @ 4:11pm):
How about instead of a foreign language requirement we have a financial literacy requirement in college? In an era, where the vast majority do not know how to balance their checkbook, invest wisely, and understand financial trade-offs, clearly our priorities are not where they should be. Foreign language and cultural skills should take a backseat to more pragmatic skills that college students (and in fact the entire public) really need to survive today's economy. Mark seems to know this and this is why he showed us that foreign language skills should take not take precedence over other priorities.
-Tim Schulz
Anonymous (January 30, 2006 @ 4:43pm):
Tim, you're missing two crucial concepts.
First, setting a foreign language requirement in no way took away from other requirements directly. It's not a trade-off, one-or-the-other scenario here. I don't think the deans sat around deciding what curriculum to cut out in order to pop 2 semesters in Spanish in.
Second, higher education isn't about "pragmatic skills." It's about expanding cognitive capacity and growing as a thinker. Learning how to balance your checkbook doesn't quite cut it.
Anonymous (January 30, 2006 @ 4:57pm):
How about the issues surrounding discounting, monetary tradeoffs, basic investments (money market, stocks, bond types), renting vs. homeowning, financial institutions, and cost-benefit analysis in general? What better way to learn/think analytically than through the clearly practical discipline of finance. The fact is that this university and public school from an early age places a much stronger emphasis on writing, reading, and culture rather than analytical and quantitative reasoning.
-Tim Schulz
Anonymous (January 30, 2006 @ 5:10pm):
"Why did you decide to attempt earning a degree here if you can't handle the requirements??? Saying that you know that you'll never use another language is lame and shows why you don't deserve a UW degree."
Thanks for the hint. I think I'll transfer somewhere else.
Anonymous (January 30, 2006 @ 5:12pm):
The only reason to learn a foreign language anyway is to talk to people who speak that language. What a waste. I plan to live and work right here in the USA. English is the mother tongue here. I say let 'em learn English. I learned it, they can too.
Anonymous (January 30, 2006 @ 7:16pm):
I don't get the foreign language requirement either. To the poster who is running through the great reasons for learning a foreign langauge, actually and completely learning a foreign language is very useful. 3 to 4 forced semesters, which will lead many to know and carry nothing of the language except for a few words with them through their lives, just seems pointless. This all started about 15 or 20 years ago, when it was a trendy thought that everyone was going to need a couple of different to function economically in the world. Is it a benefit to know another language? Sure. There are jobs that someone who has mastered a second language can do that I cannot. But to function economically, you only need one language: English.
Just from my personal perspective, taking Italian 101-203 seemed like a big waste of time. While I could have been engaged in much deeper thought on subjects I cared about, I had to spend time on vocabulary and grammar.
Anonymous (January 30, 2006 @ 8:05pm):
"The only reason to learn a foreign language anyway is to talk to people who speak that language. What a waste. I plan to live and work right here in the USA. English is the mother tongue here. I say let 'em learn English. I learned it, they can too."
Given that the US is an immigrant nation, maybe it would be good to be able to communicate with those who now work here?
Mark Dallman (January 30, 2006 @ 11:22pm):
"However, students are unlikely to receive such rewards after instruction is limited to just a few semesters. Instead, students are more likely to land in a limbo where they retain just enough knowledge to inquire about the location of el baño."
How totally not-brilliant.
And I'm sure Murphy somehow also believes that his finance/econ major somehow exhausts all there is to be learned of finance and econ. After all, he isn't taking a MERE few semesters of finance/econ classes. Nope. He's studying those with RIGOR! Now, had he only taken a few lousy semesters of finance/econ classes...he totally wouldn't be ready to graduate with a bachelors next year and become CEO of THE WORlD. But alas, he's had more than a few semesters worth of finance/econ. He's learned something substantive!
Thank you Mark Murphy. For approximately 10 whole seconds last week I was almost going to pretend the world is unjustified in thinking we're uncultured, arrogant, ignorant, morons.
Thanks for clarifying things.
Anonymous (January 31, 2006 @ 1:13am):
I find your argumentation valid up to a point, however your conclusion is flawed. Learning a second language, up to whatever level of fluency, is valuable in a fashion that learning of any other sort will not achieve. Furthermore, your arguments for the learning of English by non-English speakers only point to a greater need by English speakers to learn Mandarin and Japanese, to cite just two large, economically important languages, for simple practical reasons. But I think that the first reason cited above is sufficient.
Anonymous (January 31, 2006 @ 9:49am):
Murphy-san,
If you are studying finance and economics, you should consider how useful second language skills are, as your country continues to look for new markets further and further afield.
Many students in other countries are studying finance and economics as well; they are also studying your language. When you enter the workforce, you will be competing with internationally-savvy folk who have had to work much longer than a few semesters in college to learn your language.
If nothing else, study three semesters of a foreign language so that you can more fully appreciate the effort that someone has put into learning yours.
It's hard thing to measure, for sure; however, that understanding and appreciation can go a long way when dealing with someone from another country/ethnic group.
In the world of business and money, English is indeed the language of commerce, but I recently saw a quote that bears repeating:
"If I am selling to you, I speak your language. If I am buying, dann muessen Sie Deutsch sprechen."- Willy Brandt
You probably don't know who Willy Brandt is--but can you see the logic of his point?
I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised when your president announced the foreign-language initiative. Watching the chatter on the net though, it's clear that far too many Americans don't feel the need to 'reach out' to anyone who doesn't speak your language.
Instead, you say "it's too hard--- only kids can learn". The tragic part is that too many kids grow up listening to the more prevalent message that everybody is speaking English anyway.
a bit sad, really. So it comes to pass that yet another generation of Americans thinks that the world owes them everything, and that learning a little bit of how the rest of the world communicates is a distraction from 'more important' things.
shame on you sir. The world is changing, wake up and take a look around.
rayinasia
Anonymous (January 31, 2006 @ 8:20pm):
Learning another language also opens your mind to new ways of seeing the world, which, from the sound of this article, is exactly what Mr. Murphy needs.
Frank Bures
frankabures@yahoo.om
