You can’t speak pǔntōnghuà in China.
The Chinese Administration of Radio, Press, and Publications is not amused by rampant puns in advertising, television and the news. The Administration showed no sense of humor when it banned the use of puns and “non-standard language,” citing commercials for using wordplay and accusing the media of misleading the public and violating the National Common Language law.
Preparing Children on the Range
Claudia Miner examines the challenges of getting early education to minority children in the most rural environments
Mutual Benefit
Heather Tyler explains how the service learning model works for all participants
Music to All Ears
Donna Stoering explains how cross-cultural music offers an excellent teaching tool for K-12 students of languages, literacy, diversity
2015 Year Planner Calendar of events for language-related workshops, conferences, special dates and grant deadlines worldwide
2015 Study Abroad Planner Calendar of events for language travel and immersion studies
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The award was announced on Friday at the Guardian and British Academy 2014 Schools Language Awards in central London as part of the annual Language Festival. Guardian readers were invited to nominate public figures that promote the value of speaking another language.
Italian is one of the fastest-growing foreign languages in the U.S. with about 159,000 students from kindergarten through college studying the language, according to the latest statistics.
The Modern Language Association (MLA), which tracks university and college foreign language enrollments, reports that in 1960, only 11,000 college students were enrolled in Italian language courses. Nearly 50 years later, in 2009, the MLA’s latest survey found that number had swelled to more than 80,000. In the seven years between 2002 and 2009 alone, the number of American college students studying Italian rose 26%, from 63,900 to 80,750.
Italian is becoming more popular in American elementary and high schools as well, according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), which tallies foreign language enrollment in kindergarten through high school. In its most recent survey, ACTFL compared foreign language enrollment figures from the 2004-05 school year to the 2007-08 year. It found that in the 27 states reporting enrollment data, Italian studies increased by nearly 20%, from 65,000 students to 78,000 — an increase of 13,000 students in just three years. Italian had larger enrollments than Chinese, Russian, and Japanese, but still predictably lagged behind Spanish, the ACTFL study found.
The Growth Spurt
One of the major causes of the recent growth of Italian studies in the U.S. was the establishment of the Advanced Placement Italian program in 2005. It was the first foreign language added to the AP program since it started 50 years earlier. The AP Italian program broke new ground because, unlike the other AP language programs, it offered courses in culture as well.
It came about thanks to the efforts of several leading Italian American organizations, including the Sons of Italy, the National Italian American Foundation, and UNICO National. They joined forces with the government of Italy and a former first lady of New York State, Matilda Cuomo, to convince the College Board to establish an AP Italian program, which would allow high school students coast to coast to take college-level courses in Italian. To guarantee the launching of the program, the three organizations and the government of Italy gave the College Board $500,000 in seed money to develop the AP Italian curriculum and examinations. Why was the AP program in Italian so important?
The challenging high school AP courses have become an academic status symbol that attract the most promising students and teachers, thanks to their recognition by college admissions offices. Many language experts believed that the lack of an AP Italian program created a catch-22 situation that was stunting the growth of Italian studies in U.S. schools — because there was no AP program in Italian, students took AP French, Spanish, and German instead. Since fewer students took Italian, fewer teachers were needed. That resulted in fewer teaching jobs in Italian, so future language teachers did not major in Italian in college. As a result, the teaching of Italian in American schools and universities was left to instructors of Spanish or French, who were rarely fluent, having been required to take only a few basic Italian courses as a minor in college. So, Italian was generally poorly taught if taught at all.
AP classes, however, require highly prepared teachers, who must take special training courses to be eligible for the program; therefore, AP Italian programs have excellent teachers and attract more high school students.
When they enter college, those who have passed the AP Italian test, receive college credit for the courses and can take more advanced courses in Italian language and literature. With more students taking advanced Italian courses in college, Italian programs at universities have grown. High schools and colleges need more instructors of Italian, creating viable careers for young people who want to teach Italian in the U.S.
Italian offers two significant bonuses for American high school students. Studies show that students who have studied Italian tend to score higher on the SAT tests on vocabulary and grammar. The reason is simple: Italian developed from Latin, and an estimated 60% of English vocabulary is derived from Latin. Also, young Americans who want to become physicians, dentists, and veterinarians but who cannot afford the tuition at American schools can study at Italian universities for a fraction of the cost, and their degrees are valid in the U.S.
Why Study Italian?
There are several other equally compelling reasons to study Italian, especially for people in the arts, business, and technology. Academic careers in art history, music, linguistics, education, and international relations require Italian. For art historians especially, Italian is essential, given that over 60% of the world’s art treasures are found in Italy, according to UNESCO, the cultural and educational agency of the United Nations.
Italian is also a plus for people planning international careers abroad. An estimated 7,500 American companies do business with Italy, and more than 1,000 U.S. firms have offices in Italy, including IBM, General Electric, Motorola, City Bank, and Price Waterhouse. Italy is a world leader in machine tool manufacturing, with advanced technologies in robotics, electromechanical machinery, shipbuilding, space engineering, construction machinery, and transportation equipment. Many of these firms have offices in the U.S. and want bilingual personnel.
Italy is online and needs technicians. In 1996, only 170,000 households in Italy were connected to the internet compared to 25 million in the U.S. Today, that number is nearly 36.6 million, or 60% of Italy’s population, according to internetlivestats.com. American companies expanding in Italy need software designers, systems engineers, technical support personnel, marketers, and managers who speak Italian and English.
People planning careers in the culinary arts, interior design, fashion, graphic design, and furniture design need Italian, since Italy is a world leader in those fields. But even if Italian were not required for a profession or a career, the ability to speak the language comes in handy, given that Italy is among the five most visited countries in the world. According to a survey run by Fly.com, a popular airfare search engine, U.S. tourists put Italy at the top of their wish lists. In 2013, 47.7 million tourists from all over the world visited Italy — fully 10% of them Americans — drawn by Italy’s history, cuisine, culture, and natural beauty. It is a fact that Italy has more world heritage sites than any other country in the world. These outstanding cultural or natural sites are of importance “to the common heritage of humanity,” according to the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
Clearly, Italy over the centuries has given the world much of what it values — including a rich, expressive, musical language. Qui si parla italiano!
Dona De Sanctis, PhD, is editor-in-chief of Italian America, the nation’s most widely read magazine for people of Italian heritage.
Northern Italy
Italy-Amo School
On the Italian Riviera, Italy-Amo School teaches in a special way, constantly interacting with students, always by their side along the path to learning and mastering the great Italian language. They know all their students by name and look forward to welcoming them back when they leave.
Located in the very heart of the charming seaside resort Sanremo’s beautiful and stylish pedestrian area, it is the right place for studying in a neighborhood famous for its 100% “Italian-style” aperitif bars and typical restaurants. Students can enjoy the beach, walks, and outdoor activities all year round, or explore the impressive hinterland of hamlets, woods, and mountains.
Courses are designed to guarantee the highest language-learning standards, with small classes and strictly native, skilled, and motivated teachers
IH Milan
Milan is deservedly famous as the city of fashion, design, elegance, shopping, and business. But there are many other reasons to choose Milan: history, art, culture, music, higher education, night life, food. Milan is truly a city that lives up to expectations. Next year, more tourists from all over the world will have the opportunity to enjoy all this as the city will be hosting Expo 2015.
International House Milan is located in the heart of the city and offers Italian courses for all levels and needs with a team of 15 qualified, experienced, and friendly teachers, coordinated by a full-time director of studies.
The students, who come from all over the world, are the real stars of the lesson, in line with the principle that the best way to learn a language is to use it, with the encouragement of a teacher, making speaking the language in everyday situations easier.
IH Milan not only offers help obtaining a visa and finding accommodation and a rich social program, but a great experience of the Italian language, culture, and dolce vita, Milanese style.
Tuscany
OrbitLingua
OrbitLingua is an expanding, dynamic, and independent language school located in Orbetello, a characterful seaside town on the southern coast of Tuscany, in the Maremma region, less than two hours from Rome, Florence, Siena, and Pisa.
It offers Italian group courses from May to October and individual or small closed groups all year round, with special programs of Italian language plus social activities for adults in May–June and September–October; and for juniors in July and August.
OrbitLingua provides a great atmosphere for learning Italian with no more than ten students per class, leading to faster progress.
Compared with big cities, Orbetello offers a higher standard of living, and students find a friendly atmosphere from the moment they arrive. A carefully studied social program including various seminars, excursions, and special evenings enables students to discover the many aspects of Italian culture.
Orbetello’s location makes it very easy to reach by plane, train, or car, and OrbitLingua also offers dual-center study packages: Orbetello/Florence, Orbetello/Siena, Orbetello/Rome, and Orbetello/Perugia.
Rome
Dilit IH
Teaching Italian in the center of Rome since 1974, Dilit International House is in a villa with a small garden, two spacious terraces, and a snack bar for students to savor Italian food and to socialize. Every year, about 1,700 international students from more than 80 countries attend the school’s general Italian programs or choose one of the special courses, such as Discovering Rome, Business Italian, 50+ Program, Italian home Cooking, or Italian through Film Making. The result is a very international and friendly atmosphere.
Students are welcomed into host families or can choose rooms in shared apartments. On request independent flats/hotels can be arranged.
Dilit is a full member of EAQUALS, IALC, and ASILS and is authorized by the Italian Ministry of Education. Along with being the examination center for CILS and CELI, it is proud to celebrate “40 years of experience: 65.000 international students — 125 nationalities — and 5.000 teachers trained.”
Southern Italy
Studio Italiano
Founded in 2001, the Studio Italiano is located in the historic center of Tropea, a famous beach resort in Calabria, which seems like an island in the way it barely connects to the mainland by a narrow strip of reef in the gulf of St. Euphemia. The main objective of the school is to offer an enjoyable cultural experience in this part of the bel paese, in a warm and friendly environment with highly qualified teachers. Studio Italiano is also a PLIDA Certification Center, member of the international network of the Società Dante Alighieri.
It offers Italian language and culture courses, group and individual, for all levels — beginner, intermediate, and advanced — as well as extraordinary flexibility in arranging the schedule of private lessons (one-to-one or two-to-one), with opportunities for students to choose the total number of sessions (at-home tutorial also available on request).
Conversation courses are based on the communicative-situational method. Specialist courses are available on demand (e.g., managerial communication techniques, Italian literature, history, art, painting, law). Scheduled PLIDA exams and specific courses are also available to students to obtain the certificate of linguistic competence in Italian as a foreign language, officially recognized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is essential to apply for long-term residence permits.
In addition, the center offers lessons in Mediterranean cuisine, and the tasting of typical products and local wines, cultural excursions, guided tours and sporting activities (e.g., catamaran sailing, diving, paragliding, climbing, trekking).
Sant’Anna Institute
The south of Italy, rich in tradition and culture, is home to the well-renowned Sant’Anna Institute. Located in Sorrento, Italy, on the regal Amalfi Coast, Sant’Anna has been recognized for its excellence in the field of study abroad programs (SUNY-accredited) as well as Italian language courses for high school students and adults for the past 16 years.
In its historical four-story building sitting on the edge of a promontory overlooking the Gulf of Naples, the classroom experience at Sant’Anna is unlike any other. Students can literally sit in on a course like Archeology: Cities of Fire and at the same time look out the window and see Mount Vesuvius itself. In just an hour’s train or bus ride, field trips take students to discover some of Southern Italy’s most precious treasures, including the historical city of Naples, the ruins of Pompeii, and the famous coastal cities of Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello.
Sorrento itself is a magnificent location for international students. This charming town, dating back to the ancient Greek and Roman eras, is a beautiful palimpsest of traditional and modern Italy. Through local internships available for credit, service-learning projects, faculty-led programs, and traditional study abroad programs, Sant’Anna students have year-round opportunities to make their own unique contribution to this enchanting corner of the world.
Multiple Destinations
Brightspark
From classical ruins to charming pizzerias, Renaissance masterpieces to fashion-forward boulevards, Brightspark’s fully customizable Italian tours introduce lessons that can’t be taught in a classroom. Whether students want to spend their time exploring world-famous Roman sights or would prefer to check out the country’s idyllic villages, Brightspark bring them their your perfect adventure. Brightspark’s dedicated team of tour consultants and tour specialists will work closely with teachers to create an educational or performance itinerary that fits their group’s unique needs and interests.
History, art, language, culture, and technology have been thriving in the seat of Western civilization for thousands of years, and no matter what subject sparks students’ interests, they’ll walk away inspired.
Parent involvement in literacy varies widely by household, but a new study by Stanford researchers shows that an early literacy text messaging program for parents of preschoolers has had a positive impact on the children’s kindergarten readiness and literacy development. The program, READY4K! has been implemented in some San Francisco Bay area preschools, and researchers are optimistic about the use of text messages to prompt parents to dedicate time to early literacy.
The British education minister, Nick Gibb, is insisting that immigration is raising academic standards in the UK because pupils who speak English as a second language (ESL) tend to be academically more able thanks to having learned another language.
Gibb’s statement contradicts the majority of his Conservative Party’s supporters and many school principals who are complaining that the influx of migrants are harming school standards, he tells them they should be doing better.
The comments also contrast with those of Britain’s Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, who last week said that new arrivals in many communities “literally change the schooling because so many people arrive not speaking English.”
The communities standard — Why it’s worth the bother
Nothing gets a student more excited (or engaged) than being able to express herself or read a sign in situ in the target language. We can all remember that moment when we first communicated something to a native speaker in French, or Mandarin, or Hindi — and we were understood! It is exhilarating, but it is the kind of interaction that can be hard to replicate in the language classroom.
To read the full story, click here.
Speaking more than one language is good for the brain, according to new research that indicates bilingual speakers process information more efficiently and more easily than those who know a single language. The benefits occur because the bilingual brain is constantly activating both languages and choosing which language to use and which to ignore, said Northwestern University’s Viorica Marian, the lead author of the research and a professor in the department of communication sciences and disorders in the School of Communication. When the brain is constantly exercised in this way, it doesn’t have to work as hard to perform cognitive tasks, the researchers found.
In the 2012-2013 school year, there were approximately 1,346,000 English learners (ELs) in California’s K–12 public education system (California Department of Education, 2013). It is estimated that, in general, 15% of students should qualify for special education services (Root, 2010), so it is likely that 202,000 students in California have or should have the dual status of ELs with a learning disability (EL-LD).
To read the full story, click here.
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