Recapitulates some of the findings of the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies decrying "Americans' incompetence in foreign languages". Criticizes certain attitudes and practices prevalent among university language professors, such as their indifference to the practical purposes of foreign language…

Presents a survey of the state of the language art, pointing at its incongruity with present educational enterprise and sociocultural trends. Suggests an early introduction to language studies based on cooperation with primary and secondary schools, an interdisciplinary approach to curriculum design, and a strong advocacy of liberal arts studies.…