![]() That seems to be reflected in Latin students scoring higher on the SAT verbal section than students of other languages. The Latin student gains an understanding of how language works, and learns many word roots found in English vocabulary.The Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian) all originated from it. ![]() The latter include approximately 85,000 speakers of Pennsylvania German, the everyday language of Amish and Mennonite communities.Īlthough Latin is considered a dead language because it is no longer in common use, an argument can be made that it is most relevant of all second languages. Outside of Europe, there are large numbers of speakers in Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and the U.S.It's also one of four official languages in Switzerland, where the majority speaks Swiss German ( Schwyzertuetsch), and one of four official languages in Luxembourg. It's the official language of the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein.The German language is the native language of more than 100 million speakers worldwide.After English, it's the second international language, used by institutions such as the United Nations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and spoken as a second language by an additional 52 million people.There are about 77 million "francophones" in the world speaking French as a native language.French is spoken in several European countries besides France including Belgium and Switzerland and, as a result of colonization, has spread around the world including several African countries.It's the official language of Spain, Mexico, the countries of Central America, most of South America, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.Spanish ranks third in the world in number of speakers (surpassed only by Chinese and English). Its speakers make up the fastest growing minority in the U.S.Spanish belongs to the Romance branch of the Indo-European language family.But whether your child is studying Mandarin Chinese or American Sign Language (ASL), invite a role reversal and ask him to share some basics with you.īackground (courtesy of the Grolier Encyclopedia): Use the simple vocabulary in a note tucked in his lunchbox or a chat while at the grocery store. We've compiled some common words and phrases below. You can also try picking up a few words of your child's new language and using them in daily conversation. Take advantage of relevant cultural opportunities such as museum exhibits and local theater and dance performances.Make an at-home project out of collecting classroom worksheets in a binder and illustrating them with drawings or pictures cut out of magazines.Explore your local library for books, CDs, and videos in the target language.Seek out environments where she can practice her language skills, such as with a family member, a local community group, or even an e-mail pen pal.Ask him to label items around the home with their foreign language equivalent.You can take these simple steps to support your child's foreign language learning at home: Both stress that all the encouragement that helps boost homework success in other subjects also translates to positive results for foreign language studies. Barbara Sicot-Koontz, PhD, French immersion teacher at Herndon Elementary School, recommends looking over homework to make sure it's complete, even if you don't understand it. She suggests encouraging your child to tell you in English about what she learned that day in language class. Nobuko Kochuba is a Japanese language partial immersion teacher at Fox Mill Elementary School in Herndon, Virginia. We checked in with two teachers for their best tips on how to bridge the language homework divide. Many teachers incorporate the culture of the native land into their classes with potlucks, songs, and traditional games.īut supervising homework offers special challenges if you don't speak the target language. Options range from low-key introductions that focus on exposure and enjoyment to programs where half your child's day is spent fully immersed in the language of choice. So there are a lot of good reasons to bring a little language into your child's life. Additionally, evolving opportunities in the global workplace make knowing an another language a significant advantage. Learning a language means more for your child than just knowing how to say "Bonjour." Research shows that students of foreign languages tend to score higher on standardized tests and demonstrate improved school performance overall.
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