Spring Break
Language Boom sweeps colleges
by Robert Becker
Issue date: 10/28/05 Section: Features
In an increasingly global economy, and as terrorism and war bring world events home, American students have returned to the study of foreign languages in record numbers.
According to a study released Thursday by the Modern Language Association, 1.4 million American college students are enrolled in foreign language study _ the most since the group conducted its first survey in 1958.
Since 1998 _ the last time the survey was published _ the number of students enrolled in foreign language courses has jumped 17.9 percent. The percentage of college students taking such courses has risen to 8.7 percent, the highest it's been since 1972.
Students say the study of languages is more than just an exercise in verb tenses and vocabulary. Rather, it's a unique window into another culture.
Study of some languages has risen sharply. Since 1998, enrollment in Arabic has increased 92.5 percent _ to 10,596 students from 5,505 _ and Biblical Hebrew was up 59 percent, to 14,469 students from 9,099.
Even with the jump, foreign language study in America's colleges and universities lags far behind schools in Europe, where language study often begins as early as age 5, and high school graduates are proficient in two languages. Education experts said American schools witnessed dramatic increases in language enrollment during the 1960s amid the Cold War.
At that time, national security concerns _ the need to translate foreign technical journals and analyze intelligence data _ prompted students to study Russian and other Eastern European languages.
Though the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks undoubtedly inspired part of the current increase, experts said Americans also understand the need for a deeper cultural understanding.
Elizabeth Loentz, an assistant professor at UIC, said students interested in the European Union and the global economy are majoring in German with a minor in business.
The growth in the number of students studying Arabic at schools like Northwestern University has prompted administrators to add additional classes to accommodate them.
At Northwestern, enrollment increased to around 60 students this year_up from 17 students in 2000.
The study notes that although Spanish, French and German still dominate the academic landscape, colleges have broadened their offerings, teaching 148 of the less commonly taught languages in 2002, compared with 137 in 1998. These languages include Ojibwe, Swahili, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
"It's great in terms of educating students in a global way," said Larry Schehr, a professor of French and executive associate dean for the humanities at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "It's a great way to develop and foster global awareness."
According to a study released Thursday by the Modern Language Association, 1.4 million American college students are enrolled in foreign language study _ the most since the group conducted its first survey in 1958.
Since 1998 _ the last time the survey was published _ the number of students enrolled in foreign language courses has jumped 17.9 percent. The percentage of college students taking such courses has risen to 8.7 percent, the highest it's been since 1972.
Students say the study of languages is more than just an exercise in verb tenses and vocabulary. Rather, it's a unique window into another culture.
Study of some languages has risen sharply. Since 1998, enrollment in Arabic has increased 92.5 percent _ to 10,596 students from 5,505 _ and Biblical Hebrew was up 59 percent, to 14,469 students from 9,099.
Even with the jump, foreign language study in America's colleges and universities lags far behind schools in Europe, where language study often begins as early as age 5, and high school graduates are proficient in two languages. Education experts said American schools witnessed dramatic increases in language enrollment during the 1960s amid the Cold War.
At that time, national security concerns _ the need to translate foreign technical journals and analyze intelligence data _ prompted students to study Russian and other Eastern European languages.
Though the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks undoubtedly inspired part of the current increase, experts said Americans also understand the need for a deeper cultural understanding.
Elizabeth Loentz, an assistant professor at UIC, said students interested in the European Union and the global economy are majoring in German with a minor in business.
The growth in the number of students studying Arabic at schools like Northwestern University has prompted administrators to add additional classes to accommodate them.
At Northwestern, enrollment increased to around 60 students this year_up from 17 students in 2000.
The study notes that although Spanish, French and German still dominate the academic landscape, colleges have broadened their offerings, teaching 148 of the less commonly taught languages in 2002, compared with 137 in 1998. These languages include Ojibwe, Swahili, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
"It's great in terms of educating students in a global way," said Larry Schehr, a professor of French and executive associate dean for the humanities at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "It's a great way to develop and foster global awareness."