11+aprile+2016+N-M+2

 ** Obbiettivo: **  Explore language around the world.

** Fare adesso: **  Look at the image below and then list the top 10 languages by number of speakers.

World Languages by the number of speakers. ** Most commonly studied foreign languages in the world **
 * List by rank the most commonly studied foreign languages from most to least (1-7). **
 * 1. **
 * 2. **
 * 3. **
 * 4. **
 * 5. **
 * 6. **
 * 7. **

Dominant languages around the world

=Monolingual Myopia =

American students are making a mistake by opting out of foreign language courses.
PARADOX

First, Americans may be reverting to a belief in “English language exceptionalism.” Yes, English is the accepted lingua franca of international business and U.S. students may therefore feel another language is unnecessary. Perhaps if their only competitors in the global job market were other monolingual Americans, there would be no cause for concern. But the global job market will include a very crowded field of well-educated graduates from Europe, China, Mexico and many other countries who have mastered English on top of their mother tongue. The reality of the 21st century job market is that Americans will be competing for a job where, with other competencies being equal, they will be compared to a multilingual candidate.

A second explanation for anemic language enrollment may be that students are taking the easy way out. There are no quick rewards in the study of another language. Language skills must be built over time; real fluency comes easily for very few and must be constantly cultivated if it is to be maintained. For many, enrolling in Mandarin or Italian may represent an academic challenge with the potential of pulling down a student’s GPA, an unacceptable outcome in this hypercompetitive world.

I don’t wish to make the argument that the only reason to study another language is because of the benefits it might yield in a job search. There are rich rewards in being able to travel to another place and converse with people in their own language. And there’s a whole separate discussion about the benefits to humankind when we understand each other’s cultures better – a result that can in some measure be achieved through language study. Finally, consider the cognitive benefits of bilingualism (such as improved ability to concentrate, increased brain efficiency or delay in dementia) that have been highlighted in many recent studies.

The Modern Language Association report does conclude that areas of stability or growth can be found in more advanced language study: “There may be fewer students taking courses in languages other than English, but the ones who are enrolled are often going further than ever before and presumably are being put in a position to gain greater proficiency than ever before.” The reason for this is beyond the scope of the report, but this is a trend that bears watching.

Source: US News

=Why learn languages in general? =
 * The Italian Language
 * ===== [|Italian Language Profile] =====




 * ** Write a paragraph explaining why learning a foreign language is important **


 * Biglietto d'uscita: **
 * 1) Do you think that American students are making a mistake by opting out of foreign language courses?
 * 2) Name one benefit to learning a foreign language.