For us, then, since we would all like to have a job eventually, which requires consistent enrollment, our solution shouldn't necessarily be to change the unfavorable associations automatically made with French in an artificial way, but rather to look at them realistically and decide on what the best way would be to guide students who are deciding which language to study.
I don't think the best solution is to undermine the situation concerning the utility of French. For many students, Spanish will legitimately be the best option for them. For instance, those who will be living in areas with large Hispanic populations will certainly benefit most from Spanish. I feel, though, that it is just assumed that Spanish will always be more useful, and it has thus become the default. When I was deciding which language to take, my parents (and I suspect that many students' decisions are guided by their parents) thought I was crazy for not taking Spanish. My interests at that point, however, were aligned with music and the idea I might want to travel to Europe someday. I feel that whenever a student has no clear goal in life (and how many high schoolers or freshmen in college do?), a case can be made that French can be more useful if the student has any ambition to do anything related to Canada or Europe. The utility of Spanish should never be undermined, but it simply shouldn't be taken for granted or overgeneralized.
And of course, utility doesn't have to be the deciding factor. Again, unless these students already have a clear plan, or live in an area that would make it more useful, Spanish can't really be said to be the best choice by default. Also, we don't have to make this a struggle between Spanish and French. Students should be encouraged to take both. Not at the same time, of course, but if we really want to help our students, we should encourage them to be multilingual. In many cases, I think it must be feasible for non-majors to get their language requirement in one language and take at least another sequence of the other. Also, students struggling to decide which language to take should be made aware that they can always switch if they don't like French.
I strongly agree with your opinion that students should be encouraged to take French as well as Spanish. We have to emphasize that today one language is not enough. With two or three languages students become more competitive in the job market (If we include also English which is considered as an international language). Languages enable to pursue more employment opportunities. In addition to this argument, students become culturally open minded. Maybe it will sound strange, but in my opinion the 21st century requires more sophisticated range of skills than ever before. The world has become globalized and interconnected. Facing these problems students need to understand that global economy is based on communication between several countries. If we argue that the acquisition of second language will be easier because we have already learned how to study another language.
ReplyDeleteIf we compare two charts on pp. 40-41 we can notice significant differences in perception of French and Spanish. In my opinion it is necessary to change this attitude towards these languages. Students need to consider Spanish and French as two equal languages. It is not possible to state that French is more useful for travel world or cultural enrichment or Spanish is more useful for business. If we support the argument about usefulness of French with some data from “French The Most Practical Foreign Language” website (http://www.fll.vt.edu/French/whyfrench.html)
French, along with English, is the official working language of
• the United Nations
• UNESCO
• NATO
• Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
• the International Labor Bureau
• the International Olympic Committee
• the 31-member Council of Europe
• the European Community
• the Universal Postal Union
• the International Red Cross
• Union of International Associations (UIA)
I would add also:
• Association of Knights of Malta
French is the dominant working language at
• the European Court of Justice
• the European Tribunal of First Instance
• the Press Room at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium
The bi- or trilingual knowledge will help to understand better and deeply the cultural and political differences. We have to emphasize that every language is unique and beautiful at some points. Some of them are more difficult and some are easier. However, there is no doubt that more you know better and easier you study.
Kelly, I really liked your comments about the utility of Spanish vs. French. As students ourselves we all know that the FL "trend" these days is to take Spanish, and mostly because, as you said, it is touted as being "the most useful" and perhaps the most easily applicable as well. You write near the end of your post that: "I feel, though, that it is just assumed that Spanish will always be more useful, and it has thus become the default." I totally agree - always pointing students in the direction of Spanish when it comes to learning a foreign language has indeed become the "default" plan, but I think this is a mistake because the default plan is based on assumption and not necessarily fact. Granted, as you affirmed at the beginning of your post, and as the article affirmed itself, the reason for this is not hard to understand: geographically and socio-politically, our close geographical proximity to Mexico and South America, as well as the recent influx of hispanic immigrants within the last ten years, makes Spanish a language that is certainly the second most commonly heard or used in our country after English. However, as you say, not all students will enter professions that will require them to speak Spanish specifically, and I think that instead of defaulting to Spanish, students need to take a language that either 1) complements their course of study and/or 2) that they are genuinely interested in, if they don't have a professional plan in mind yet. I feel like a lot of students only take certain languages because they are "requirements" and that puts students in a very non-motivational mindset. I think if students were granted the opportunity to choose the foreign language (if it's even possible), it would be far more motivational because it automatically and immediately personalizes something that is foreign to them, making it a less intimidating/daunting endeavor. (I might even go so far as to say that students may perform better anyway, although that is not a proven scientific fact - that's a hypothesis). So yes: always defaulting to Spanish could actually be detrimental rather than beneficial to some students, and the assumption that Spanish will always be useful no matter what is inherently faulty. It's a cultural perception in the United States - but perceptions aren't always reality, are they? :)
ReplyDeleteJustyna, I really appreciate that list of organizations you provided (along with the link) - I didn't realize that French was the official/working language for all of those diverse entities. This, I think, is one of the keys in our answer to students' question "Why take French?" Showing the global utility of French, despite its lack of immediate utility in many parts of the US, will interest many students who want to explore beyond the town or city in which they live and attend school. I think French can have utility for any major - history, poli sci, music, even biology or chemistry - it just depends upon the interests and goals of the individual student. Making students aware of all these international arenas in which French is used can help to dispel the myth we tend to propagate here in the US about the general lack of utility of French.
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ReplyDeleteI am wholeheartedly in concord with the necessity to show the importance of French in the international arena, but if I may share a bit of anecdotal evidence, I think it will show that we need to cultivate the belief that travel and knowledge of international proceedings is important. Last semester, when asking several students about their desire to travel anywhere in Europe, only a small percentage of them said France, even though this was a French class. After further questioning, I was astonished to find that several students had no desire to travel outside the U.S., ever. As disheartening as this revelation was, it is understandable in that we teach 18-22 year old students who have myriad fears and insecurities that make the comfort and familiarity of life within the anglophone United States an overwhelmingly appealing prospect. Fear of rudeness on the part of the French is one of those unfortunate stereotypes that is firmly rooted in the American worldview. This is one of those small barriers that must be broken down before we can even attempt to tout the international utility of French language skills. There is quite a difference between being able to go to France and comfortably communicate, and the idea of using French in a highly specialized and technical manner. In addition, many suggest the implementation of specialized courses, but in order to teach someone how to use French in the diplomatic or legal arena would require no small amount of initial investment in training the instructors. Even with degrees in political science and French, I am not sure that I would be capable of teaching a course on French in diplomatic relations without extensive prior preparation. I agree that we should highlight the utility of French in these areas, but we should also be honest about how hard it is to teach basic grammar points on some days. I know that we are not responsible for the entire development of a students language skills, but saying that one should learn French so that he or she can go work for the UN or the ICJ belies the true nature of such an undertaking.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Kelly's idea that Spanish is becoming the "default" foreign language, particularly in high schools. I am testament to this fact. In high school, after our German teacher retired, I was registered to take Spanish. The guidance counselors all told me that Spanish would be the more "practical" choice over French. I not knowing any better and not really being presented with a proper vision of the possibilities, enrolled in Spanish. However due to budget cuts, my particular Spanish class actually was changed on the first day into a French class. Clearly after this experience, I can see the necessity of presenting the options of foreign languages to students. I rue the fact that students do not have a sufficient knowledge of the option before having to make a decision on which foreign language to take.
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