Spanish, French, and German: An Edwardian Pattern for a Postmodern World

Abstract

As enrollments in Spanish classes increase and those in French and Ger man decline, our predictable response has been to seek ways to protect our colleagues and preserve their programs. Given that we value both, the re sponse is not indefensible. But the needs of the nation and the unlikelihood of additional resources for foreign language study argue that we should seek alternatives to Spanish, French, and German as the standard pattern in most United States schools. Disconcerting though it might be, we may need to shift money and people from French and German to other major languages of the world: Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Por tuguese, and Russian, for example. Despite recent changes in the world's economies and trade patterns, most secondary and postsecondary foreign language programs in the United States still reflect the Edwardian view that the country's academic and pragmatic interests are primarily Eurocentric and that French and German are therefore both necessary and sufficient. This pattern is rein forced by a plethora of available instructors and established programs in French and German accompanied by a dearth in the less commonly taught major languages. Responsible leadership in the study of foreign languages requires exploration of alternative views, regardless of the dislocations that might ensue.