The cultural diversity within our society and hence within
our schools is so great and should be recognised within our curriculums. The
difference between Western and Eastern language is so vast and yet it would
seem that participation in learning these languages is dropping. A recent
article in the Sydney Morning Herald suggests that students are studying
foreign languages at a much lower rate than previously, and this rate is
continuing to drop. While the NSW government states that all high school
students must study a 12 month language course, fewer than 8% of students
complete a language course in the Higher School Certificate. (McNeilage & Tovey, 2013).
The difference between English and Asian languages is substantial and it seems as if this difference in the written form, the syntax and the phrasing is difficult for English speaker to grasp and understand the inner workings of the language. Only 52 students took Chinese for beginners this year, as 663 students studied French for beginners. McNeilage and Tovey suggest that this could be due to the similarities between, and the common roots of the English and French languages.
It would appear as if studying a language to be beneficial in the workplace and to gain a student a competitive edge has diminished as technology grows and meets the demands of markets with varying languages. This statistic is so interesting as it would seem that English speakers struggle to learn a new language that is vastly different to their own. While this is interesting within itself, I personally believe that by learning a language you gain so much more than communication skills. By learning a language, students can gain a deeper understanding and respect for cultures and nationalities vastly different from their own.
While I only learnt European languages throughout my high schooling and discontinued in my studies before sitting the Higher School Certificate, I had considered studying an unfamiliar language vastly different to English. After travelling to Africa while I was in year 9, I desperately wanted to learn Swahili for the inevitable day when I would return to Kenya. When I looked into combining my study of Swahili for leisure and joining it with my schooling, I found that it would be extremely difficult as I was in an area that meant I would need to study via correspondence with little verbal and face-to-face contact with a fluent speaker. To this day I still haven’t learnt any more than the common phrases.
The learning of a new and unfamiliar language should be encourage within our schools, not just for the economical value it may pose, but for the understanding and respect gained for different cultures and identities. Burridge (2009) suggests through her research that schools within New South Wales could benefit greatly by “filling in the gaps” through better “cultural diversity resources” aimed at both teachers and students. Perhaps the learning of a new language could be beneficial. In any case, it won’t do any harm, there are many possible benefits though.
The difference between English and Asian languages is substantial and it seems as if this difference in the written form, the syntax and the phrasing is difficult for English speaker to grasp and understand the inner workings of the language. Only 52 students took Chinese for beginners this year, as 663 students studied French for beginners. McNeilage and Tovey suggest that this could be due to the similarities between, and the common roots of the English and French languages.
It would appear as if studying a language to be beneficial in the workplace and to gain a student a competitive edge has diminished as technology grows and meets the demands of markets with varying languages. This statistic is so interesting as it would seem that English speakers struggle to learn a new language that is vastly different to their own. While this is interesting within itself, I personally believe that by learning a language you gain so much more than communication skills. By learning a language, students can gain a deeper understanding and respect for cultures and nationalities vastly different from their own.
While I only learnt European languages throughout my high schooling and discontinued in my studies before sitting the Higher School Certificate, I had considered studying an unfamiliar language vastly different to English. After travelling to Africa while I was in year 9, I desperately wanted to learn Swahili for the inevitable day when I would return to Kenya. When I looked into combining my study of Swahili for leisure and joining it with my schooling, I found that it would be extremely difficult as I was in an area that meant I would need to study via correspondence with little verbal and face-to-face contact with a fluent speaker. To this day I still haven’t learnt any more than the common phrases.
The learning of a new and unfamiliar language should be encourage within our schools, not just for the economical value it may pose, but for the understanding and respect gained for different cultures and identities. Burridge (2009) suggests through her research that schools within New South Wales could benefit greatly by “filling in the gaps” through better “cultural diversity resources” aimed at both teachers and students. Perhaps the learning of a new language could be beneficial. In any case, it won’t do any harm, there are many possible benefits though.
WORKS REFERENCED:
Burridge, N. (2009, August 14). Addressing the challenges of
cultural diversity in our schools. Curriculum and Leadership Journal ,
1.
McNeilage, A., & Tovey, J. (2013, October 8). Students
stop taking Asian languages in senior years. Sydney Morning Herald .
Posted by Emily Mitchell
Posted by Emily Mitchell
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ReplyDeleteHaving another language other than English under your sleeve used to be an asset when working in companies due to globalisation. But as the world is getting more global, more people are learning to speak English, thus knowing another language isn’t as useful as it once was. Though this may be the case, I feel that learning a language is extremely useful, especially an Asian language. China has not developed to the point where all the citizens are able to communicate proficiently with the English language. Being able to speak mandarin in china would be useful if you are having business collaborations.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a decrease in language studies in the HSC, because most students think that it won’t give them high marks. They also believe that the background speakers have a greater edge over them and thus not worth investing their precious time with. There is also a lack of language teachers and resources in schools, which makes it difficult for students to learn languages. Learning a language would be very useful, with a lot of evidence suggesting that knowing more than one language would increase cognitive abilities. Research has highlighted a link between bilingualism and academic performance because it expands their facility for thinking and their understanding and ability to think creatively. Learning another language is not a thing of the past and is something that is very useful, not just as a tool to gain better employment. The government needs to address the issue of resources and teachers being able to teach languages. Parents only focus on academics question whether or not it is useful to get employed. Parents should value the learning of languages instead of just employment opportunities.