Research
Duolingo - Duolingo is currently has 32 language choices & is free!
Mango Languages - Mango Languages has 64 language choices, multiple dialects for larger languages, & incorporates cultural insights for each target language
Youtube is a great resource to practice your language skills. There are native speakers of many different languages who upload free lessons.
Tip: Once you have learned a fair amount of vocabulary or can hold a conversation-- find channels which post content you're interested in (i.e. vlogs, music, sports, news, etc.). You might have difficulty understanding everything, but this will expose you to the accent and slang of your target language.
Zietlow, Alex, "Foreign Language 'Emergency' Hinders U.S. Economy and Foreign Policy, Report Warns", The Washington Times Thursday, June 15Th, 2017
This article introduced me to some very shocking statistics and facts surrounding this subject. The article also takes a different approach to the issue, focusing on the importance of language in politics and business.
Devlin, Kat, "Most European students are learning a foreign language in school while Americans lag", Pew Research Center, August 6, 2018
In a comparison of students in the United States to students across Europe, there are many more Americans studying only one language. Across the United states, only 20% of K-12 students study a second language. New Jersey, America's state with the highest percentage of students studying a second language- has 51% of its students enrolled in a foreign language class. Comparing this to Belgium, the European country with the lowest percentage of students enrolled in a secondary language class, and Belgium is still 13% higher than New Jersey.
Beale, Lewis, "U.S. Students Hurting in Foreign Languages", Pacific Standard, May 17, 2010
This article makes a few different points. It starts off by commenting on how more American students study dead languages (such as ancient Greek and Latin), than Chinese, Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Russian, Urdu, and Japanese combined. The reason this point is significant is because these are some of the most commonly spoken languages in the world, meaning they have great cultural, political, and economic importance. The article goes on the explain how foreign language programs are often the first to suffer when funding is cut. The article goes on to list more issues found in the American education system around languages, and then offers a potential reason behind this. The writer talks about the perception of foreign languages in America, and how Americans "cultural chauvinism" prevents our society from excelling in linguistics.
Tim Doner
This video was one of the things that inspired my CAPs project. Tim Doner, a seventeen year old polyglot, explains why he is passionate about learning languages, and how he is able to practice them. This video is less about policy around language learning, rather more centred around the motivations for learning new languages. I love this video because it shows that language learning is possible even if you aren't a child.
Kroll, Judith, "Human Behavior in Military Contexts" Adult second language acquisition: A cognitive science perspective
The chapter begins by explaining that it will take a look at the neurological research surrounding bilingualism. Children have a much easier time learning second languages than adults. Research shows that bilingual people are not able to "turn off" or switch into another language- the two languages which they speak are not independent from one another in the person's brain. The chapter discuses how learning a new language affects your native language. Bilingual children outperform monolingual children in tasks that involve ignoring irrelevant information. That being said, bilingual children underperform monolingual children when it comes to acquiring vocabulary.
American Councils For International Education, "Dual Language Immersion Will Change Achievement in American Public Schools" July 12 2017
There are multiple cognitive benefits from being bilingual. Studies show that dual language immersion is linked with academic success. Students enrolled in dual language learning showed to be a year ahead of monolingual students with reading English. Dual language learning shows to have a lot of benefits, and whilst there are difficulties with making it more widespread (the high level commitment, the economic resources, finding the right teachers, etc.) it is something that should be pushed for.
Beale, Lewis, Pacific Standard, "U.S. Students Hurting in Foreign Languages" May 17, 2010
When it comes to budget cuts, foreign language is one of the first things to get cut. Decrease in budgeting for foreign languages hurts American students' ability to acquire a second language. Less one third of American elementary schools offer foreign language learning classes, and only half of American high school students are enrolled in a secondary language class.
Devlin, Kat, Pew Research, "Learning a Foreign Language a Must in Europe not so in America", July 13, 2015
This article's purpose is to address some of the failures found in the American public education system in comparison to European schools. Only 25% of American adults reported speaking a language other than english fluently, and only 7% of these people credited their language learning in school to be the source of their successes. This article explains the mandatory language requirements found across European schools, linking it to their success.
Asia Society, "Language Learning in The United States, How We're Doing", May 2009
A comparison between American schools and international schools shows that most international schools begin secondary language learning much earlier than American schools tend to. This gives students in foreign countries the advantage of earlier exposure and more years of learning/practicing content.
Concordia Language Villages
Concordia Language Villages located in Minnesota is a less expensive alternative to travelling abroad for language immersion in fifteen languages: Arabic, Chinese, Danish, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. These language camps are designed to not only help you learn your target language, but also surround yourself with the culture and be completely immersed.
Mango Languages - Mango Languages has 64 language choices, multiple dialects for larger languages, & incorporates cultural insights for each target language
Youtube is a great resource to practice your language skills. There are native speakers of many different languages who upload free lessons.
Tip: Once you have learned a fair amount of vocabulary or can hold a conversation-- find channels which post content you're interested in (i.e. vlogs, music, sports, news, etc.). You might have difficulty understanding everything, but this will expose you to the accent and slang of your target language.
Zietlow, Alex, "Foreign Language 'Emergency' Hinders U.S. Economy and Foreign Policy, Report Warns", The Washington Times Thursday, June 15Th, 2017
This article introduced me to some very shocking statistics and facts surrounding this subject. The article also takes a different approach to the issue, focusing on the importance of language in politics and business.
Devlin, Kat, "Most European students are learning a foreign language in school while Americans lag", Pew Research Center, August 6, 2018
In a comparison of students in the United States to students across Europe, there are many more Americans studying only one language. Across the United states, only 20% of K-12 students study a second language. New Jersey, America's state with the highest percentage of students studying a second language- has 51% of its students enrolled in a foreign language class. Comparing this to Belgium, the European country with the lowest percentage of students enrolled in a secondary language class, and Belgium is still 13% higher than New Jersey.
Beale, Lewis, "U.S. Students Hurting in Foreign Languages", Pacific Standard, May 17, 2010
This article makes a few different points. It starts off by commenting on how more American students study dead languages (such as ancient Greek and Latin), than Chinese, Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Russian, Urdu, and Japanese combined. The reason this point is significant is because these are some of the most commonly spoken languages in the world, meaning they have great cultural, political, and economic importance. The article goes on the explain how foreign language programs are often the first to suffer when funding is cut. The article goes on to list more issues found in the American education system around languages, and then offers a potential reason behind this. The writer talks about the perception of foreign languages in America, and how Americans "cultural chauvinism" prevents our society from excelling in linguistics.
Tim Doner
This video was one of the things that inspired my CAPs project. Tim Doner, a seventeen year old polyglot, explains why he is passionate about learning languages, and how he is able to practice them. This video is less about policy around language learning, rather more centred around the motivations for learning new languages. I love this video because it shows that language learning is possible even if you aren't a child.
Kroll, Judith, "Human Behavior in Military Contexts" Adult second language acquisition: A cognitive science perspective
The chapter begins by explaining that it will take a look at the neurological research surrounding bilingualism. Children have a much easier time learning second languages than adults. Research shows that bilingual people are not able to "turn off" or switch into another language- the two languages which they speak are not independent from one another in the person's brain. The chapter discuses how learning a new language affects your native language. Bilingual children outperform monolingual children in tasks that involve ignoring irrelevant information. That being said, bilingual children underperform monolingual children when it comes to acquiring vocabulary.
American Councils For International Education, "Dual Language Immersion Will Change Achievement in American Public Schools" July 12 2017
There are multiple cognitive benefits from being bilingual. Studies show that dual language immersion is linked with academic success. Students enrolled in dual language learning showed to be a year ahead of monolingual students with reading English. Dual language learning shows to have a lot of benefits, and whilst there are difficulties with making it more widespread (the high level commitment, the economic resources, finding the right teachers, etc.) it is something that should be pushed for.
Beale, Lewis, Pacific Standard, "U.S. Students Hurting in Foreign Languages" May 17, 2010
When it comes to budget cuts, foreign language is one of the first things to get cut. Decrease in budgeting for foreign languages hurts American students' ability to acquire a second language. Less one third of American elementary schools offer foreign language learning classes, and only half of American high school students are enrolled in a secondary language class.
Devlin, Kat, Pew Research, "Learning a Foreign Language a Must in Europe not so in America", July 13, 2015
This article's purpose is to address some of the failures found in the American public education system in comparison to European schools. Only 25% of American adults reported speaking a language other than english fluently, and only 7% of these people credited their language learning in school to be the source of their successes. This article explains the mandatory language requirements found across European schools, linking it to their success.
Asia Society, "Language Learning in The United States, How We're Doing", May 2009
A comparison between American schools and international schools shows that most international schools begin secondary language learning much earlier than American schools tend to. This gives students in foreign countries the advantage of earlier exposure and more years of learning/practicing content.
Concordia Language Villages
Concordia Language Villages located in Minnesota is a less expensive alternative to travelling abroad for language immersion in fifteen languages: Arabic, Chinese, Danish, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. These language camps are designed to not only help you learn your target language, but also surround yourself with the culture and be completely immersed.