While there are many difficulties faced by world language educators, both teachers and students of certain languages--languages commonly identified with countries and cultures deemed to be hostile to the United States--often find themselves in uniquely paradoxical situations. This article begins with a brief anecdotal description of the personal…

Like other anglophone countries, the UK is experiencing a language 'crisis', in that fewer and fewer students opt to study a foreign language (FL) beyond the compulsory phase, and that the UK's language skills do not match its economic needs. Despite strong statements of commitments to increase FL uptake, decline in FL uptake in the UK's four…

SINCE 1958, the Modern Language Association (MLA) has gathered and analyzed data on undergraduate and graduate course enrollments in languages other than English in United States colleges and universities. The previous survey examined language enrollments in fall 2009; here the MLA presents its twenty-third survey in the series, describing trends…

Total enrollments (undergraduate and graduate) in languages other than English dropped by 9.2% between fall 2013 and fall 2016, as reported in the Modern Language Association's twenty-fifth language enrollment census. Despite the overall drop, there were gains in nearly half of all language programs (45.5%) that mitigate somewhat the downward…

This commentary on language curricula in universities is followed up commentaries by a language center director, on perspectives from a Spanish department, the case of Japanese, the role of foreign languages in universities, and foreign language enrollment numbers. (VWL)

Results of a national survey on foreign language enrollments in United States public secondary schools are summarized. Aggregate data are provided for fall 1989, and more detailed data are included for fall 1990. Data indicate a 4.5% increase in secondary school language enrollments nationally since 1985. The increase for high schools alone was…

Data from a national survey of colleges and universities with foreign language programs revealed an increase of 4.5% in total foreign language registrations between 1980 and 1983, the first general increase noted since 1968. Registrations increased by over 10% in Chinese, Italian, Japanese, and Russian. French, Spanish, German, and the aggregate…

In response to rapidly falling foreign language enrollments, the State University of New York College at New Paltz designed and actively promoted a language immersion program in the summer of 1981. The program consisted of instruction in twelve languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian,…

The Des Moines (Iowa) Public Schools foreign language program for K-12 is described and evaluated. The evaluation report focuses on six areas, including: (1) school district mission and philosophy of foreign language instruction; (2) context (state policies and standards, foreign language program overview and enrollment, fiber-optic communication…

The study of undergraduate language instruction is part of a larger national study of the current status of international studies activities in American colleges and universities. Data are drawn from several annual surveys, analysis of course offerings, a random sampling of transcripts, and general requests for information from college presidents.…

The 1993 annual national survey of state supervisors of foreign languages concerning language enrollments, language offerings, state supervisor's responsibility, cooperation between language departments and other education offices, and educational reform efforts is reported. Thirty-nine states responded to the survey. Of these, 34 received funding…