In the context of an undergraduate program in modern languages that includes the learning of French, Italian, Portuguese, and German in addition to English, this paper problematizes anglonormativity; that is, the dominant discourses of English as the taken-for-granted language of development. From the particular context of Colombia, where the…

The initial response to COVID-19 exposed widespread racism and Sinophobia across the world, which contributed to a rethinking of equality and diversity in Higher Education (HE) and beyond. Within Modern Languages, much attention has been placed on decolonising the curriculum. The death of George Floyd in 2020 further contributed to an increased…

This study used ERP (event-related potentials) to examine both the role of the L1 and the role of individual differences in the processing of agreement violations. Theories of L2 acquisition differ with regard to whether or not native-like acquisition of L2 features is possible (Schwartz and Sprouse, 1994, 1996; Tsimpli and Mastropavlou, 2007),…

This article critically examines the state (extent of provision) and status (public esteem) of modern language education in Scotland, which as a constituent part of the United Kingdom has its own independent education system. The notion of social capital, as conceptualized by Putnam and others, is used to show how attempts by language…

Stresses cooperation among professional language associations in promoting the study of languages. Presidential address given at the Annual Conference of the Joint Council of Language Associations held at the University of Nottingham, England, on December 28, 1971. (DS)

Keynote address at the joint meeting of the Ontario Modern Language Teachers' Association and the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers, Toronto, Canada, March 26, 1971. (DS)

The surveys examined were made in several countries and at different social levels. The concept of an international language is attractive but which language should be chosen is a major issue. There is no systematic correlation between the second languages people learn and which language they think should be the international one. Available from…

Address delivered at the first ADFL Summer Seminar for Chairmen on June 21, 1971 at Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont. Discusses the situation of foreign language teaching in the United States, and the need for imaginative and inspiring teachers. (DS)

FOR AMERICA TO ACHIEVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROBLEMS OF MODERN SOCIETY, IN A WORLD WHERE ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL DEPRIVATION ARE THE NORM, THE SPANISH LANGUAGE MUST BE RECOGNIZED AS THE MOST IMPORTANT, AND POTENTIALLY THE MOST REWARDING, PART OF THE MODERN LANGUAGE CURRICULUM. LANGUAGE PREFERENCES IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE GENERALLY FOLLOWED THE…

Speech delivered at the National Council on the Humanities, on October 21, 1971, in Washington, D.C. Author is Executive Secretary of the Modern Language Association of America. (DS)

To mark the 40th anniversary of "Language Learning," the journal's first article is reprinted and identifies five motives for studying foreign languages: (1) "knowledge of a foreign language is the sign of a cultivated man"; (2) foreign insularism; (3) necessity of creating a political fusion; (4) trade and colonization; and (5) scientific and…