Additional information on comprehension based methods is available at the following websites:
www.TPRstories.comLearning a Foreign Language Can Reduce the Risk of Age Related Symptoms such as Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer's
"You don't have to master it. Just the attempt to learn a language is like running different software through the brain. You're exercising more communication channels in the brain."
Healthy Aging, Dr. Andrew Weil
Seven Steps to Genius Every Day
by Michael J. Gelb
Curiosity (p.9)
An insatiable curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.
Learn a New Language (70-73)
Amanda Carneiro, assistant manager of the Citizens Bank branch office in Framingham, speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Carneiro confers with dozens of immigrants every week.
Some area companies are accenting efforts to hire workers fluent in more than one language as they grapple with the challenges of dealing with customers from widely different cultures.
The corporate demand for workers with language skills other than English is driven by a variety of trends including the globalization of business and the growth of immigrant communities in states like Massachusete, which gained more than 200,000 foreign-born residents between 1995 and 2000.
FACT: In the United States, only 9% of Americans speak both their native language and another language fluently.
We have met the other 91%. Most of them say, as they take the seat next to us on the plane, “I took Spanish (or French or German) in high school, but I can’t speak a word.” They tell us they aren’t good at languages. They tell us they have always wanted to learn, to travel a little, to whip it out in business situations and to meet new people.
FACT: 30% of Spanish words are cognates, that is, they sound similar to English.
Austin Business Journal - July 21, 2005
Spanish-speaking residents in the Austin area is expected to soar by 55 percent within the next 20 years, according to study released Wednesday.
Austin joins Boston, Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla., as major Hispanic markets in the United States that are projected to see 55 percent growth in their Spanish-speaking populations by 2025, according to a study released by Hispanic USA Inc. Those are the highest percentages in the study.
The possibilities are endless...
℗ State University of New York at Oswego - Personnel with language skills are needed in many different types and places of work. The demand is apparent in seven major areas:
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics Washington DC.
"The Need for Foreign Language Competence in the United States" ERIC Digest.
In the words of Senator Paul Simon, the United States is a "linguistically malnourished" country compared with many other nations. Despite the large number of individuals from other language and cultural backgrounds who live in various communities throughout the United States, relatively few Americans can boast proficiency in a language other than English. While ample opportunities exist in many other countries to develop proficiency in a second language, exposure to foreign languages in the United States is far from adequate.
WHY AREN'T MORE U.S. CITIZENS PROFICIENT IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES?
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics Washington DC
"Personal Benefits of Foreign Language Study" from ERIC Digests
For a long time Americans tended to think that knowing English was sufficient for all their needs. As a result, Americans developed an image as the people who cannot say even the most rudimentary phrase in any other language. Fortunately, however, many business, political, and educational leaders are belatedly realizing that the whole world does not speak English, and that even many of those who have learned English as a second language prefer to converse, to do business, and to negotiate in their native tongue.
Edward Trimnell on the Myth of Global English and the Costs of Americans' Monolingualism
Like many Americans, Edward Trimnell studied a foreign language in high school only because it was required. In his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio there had been no sizeable immigrant population since the 19th century, and he didn't see the point of conjugating verbs and memorizing vocabulary. He certainly never thought he'd use a foreign language in his future career.
Boston University Arts & Sciences Modern Languages & Comparative Literature
A Critical Language. Arabic speakers are in greater demand than ever before. The U.S. State Department has named Arabic a “critical language,” creating scholarships for language study in the U.S. and overseas. At BU, Arabic language enrollment has risen by 68 percent just since 2005. Practical as well as curious about the world, BU students feel that knowing Arabic will give them a career edge in such fields as diplomacy, intelligence, business, engineering, international development, and academia.
Newsweek May 9 issue - At Dulles High School in Sugar Land, Texas, the roster for Advanced Chinese V begins with Jason Chao and ends with Kathy Zhang. In between comes an unexpected name: Elizabeth Hoffman. Hoffman, now a 12th grader, began studying Chinese in the eighth grade, has spent a summer studying in Nanjing and plans to perfect her Mandarin when she starts college next fall. When asked by her peers?who typically take Spanish?why she is learning Chinese, she responds with a question: "Why aren't you?"
From Yahoo News:
Speaking one or more languages can stall the onset of dementia, according to a new Canadian study. "Our study found that speaking two languages throughout one's life appears to be associated with a delay in the onset of symptoms of dementia by four years compared to those who speak only one language," Ellen Bialystok, lead researcher and professor at York University in Toronto, said in a statement.
Check out our schedule or purchase an on-line class
