Joel Foley, Journal #3

From my first read I learned that learning a foreign language is an essential part of future globalization. The article said that the notion that English is the universal language is nothing more than a fairy tale. Sure it may be common in airports and business, but if you find yourself away from those settings in a country that doesn't use your native language then you are out of luck. It also pointed out how learning a first foreign language opens up the pathways in your brain to learning a second or even a third with relative ease. This is why children raised in a multilingual household are more able to readily take on a third language to their first two. I feel that my topic has been solidified by reading this source, it is now a tangible report that I will be able to do and not just some idea I cooked up on a piece of paper. This source reinforced my belief that learning a second language is important in today’s world. This source brought up the question of whether or not the government will realize this need for language and stop cutting funds from school programs dedicated to foreign language. This information strengthened my own views on the issue because I felt that the government should not discourage linguistics in schools because it will most certainly hurt us in the long run. The author speaks from the academic point of view and almost certainly is biased towards their side of the issue. I could easily go into detail with future sources about how the government’s cuts are affecting the language programs and how this has affected me and my learning.

http://news.stanford.edu/pr/2011/pr-second-language-berman-050611.html

From my second article I learned that there are more students in china learning English as a second language than there are total students in the United States. This highlights two things; one how vastly outnumbered the number of English speakers in the world are, and two how far behind the rest of the world the united states is with regards to education and language learning. I learned that language and culture are going to be part of the global economy for the next century and that the rest of the world is striving to learn English quickly in order to do business, meanwhile we are doing nothing and hoping that English becomes the dominant language. Completely disregarding the other cultures and assuming they will have no effect on the United States in the coming future. Businesses are looking for people who can communicate with clients directly and create a bond not formed through an interpreter with them. These skills are shown as the most important in the coming years and raised questions about the education standards in the western world which is vastly outnumbered by the speakers of the rest of the planet. This article is biased towards the side of global education and the author is involved with many language organizations leading me to believe that he is both credible yet heavily biased at the same time. I am noticing a very obvious trend in the world of education and business towards increased leaning in language and culture. This trend should be followed by the academic system of the united states if we want to remain competitive in the near future of business.

http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2005/08/29/editorial2.html?page=all