In the 2020 census, roughly 20 percent of native-born Americans reported being able to speak two or more languages. This is the highest percentage ever reached in America, but America becoming more multilingual is not a result of Americans seeking out language learning. In fact, the opposite has occurred.
On college campuses specifically, language class enrollment has fallen at an alarming rate. This is clearly a failure on behalf of us college students. By not seeking out language learning, we fail to put our money where our mouths are. We must work to realize an inclusive and diverse vision of America, one many claim to value deeply.
I do not raise this point to scold, or to point fingers or lay blame for the unfolding crisis of language learning. Rather, I argue the essentiality of even attempting to learn languages other than English. America does not “have room for but one language” as Theodore Roosevelt may have you believe. We must take an active part in creating an America in which multilingualism and cultural diversity abounds.
The value of learning a language other than your native tongue cannot be overstated. Not only does it physically benefit your brain, but it opens one up to deeper levels of connection and communication with more people. Further, language is a vessel for engaging in different cultures, learning the day-to-day experience of others and exercising empathy.
More than 1.5 billion people speak English across the globe, and 75 percent of those people speak it as a second language. While this may seem beneficial — for trade and business agreements, particularly — this could prove culturally dangerous and could lead to a decline in global language diversity. Preserving languages that have deep historical, cultural and societal roots needs to be a priority. Practicing a variety of languages contributes to their continued existence and prevalence, especially as we shift to a monocultural world.
At the Claremont Colleges, we are uniquely situated to exercise a praxis of acquisition of foreign languages. We can engage with people at the 5Cs who are fluent in a language other than English, and more people should. Speaking in the native tongue of your peers, dining hall workers, maintenance staff, professors and other figures on campus is an excellent way of practicing this.
In a more academic fashion, the Claremont Colleges collectively offer classes in 10 different foreign languages. It is my personal opinion that more languages should be offered (Hindi, Urdu, Amharic, Tagalog, Swahili are a few that come to mind).
“ In this current moment, learning languages serves as a small but effective tool in order to push back against authoritarian efforts to make our nation less diverse.”
It is not sufficient to simply meet the language requirement and end your foreign language journey there. For one, the language requirement is not expansive enough and should be heightened. Students should be encouraged (and honestly required) to develop skills in literature comprehension in other languages. Further, the language requirement should include a number of classes that students must take in addition to the demonstration of a specific proficiency level of the language. The leniency currently present represents a lack of care and dedication to cultivating multilingualism.
Students must take advantage of the plethora of resources at their disposal. Attend Oldenborg language tables, study abroad in a non-English speaking country and seek out people who speak the language that you are wanting to learn. In doing so, you gain an understanding of the world that is otherwise inaccessible or lost to history.
Further, we must be engaging with literature and the written language as forcefully as we engage with the spoken aspects of learning language. Reading news articles, blog posts, books, plays – really any form of written material — in the original language facilitates your understanding of the language. Translators have an incredibly valuable place in society, but to read the original words, as produced by the author, brings one much closer to understanding the work as a whole.
We can do better than this. We must engross ourselves in languages other than our native tongue. It is no doubt difficult work, especially given the fact that language absorption becomes more difficult as a person ages, but it is work that is worthwhile. Our community as a whole will benefit through this appreciation of cultural diversity.
Monolingualism is deeply shameful and a moral stain on those of us who emphasize understanding and connection. In this current moment, learning languages serves as a small but effective tool in order to push back against authoritarian efforts to make our nation less diverse.
Alex Benach PO ’28 es de Washington D.C. Ha estado tratando de leer Don Quijote en español durante seis meses, pero es realmente difícil.
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