Less Commonly Taught Languages
Dora Johnson

In the United States, the most widely taught foreign languages in K-12 classrooms are Spanish, French, German, and Latin.¹ However, in recent years there has been a steady increase of offerings in the less commonly taught languages (LCTLs)--usually defined as all modern languages except French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Although none of the LCTLs are widely taught, their increasing availability reflects both global events (for example, the change in U.S. relations with the former Soviet Union and the increased influence of the Japanese economy on global markets) and an increase in the number of students who come to school speaking a language other than English.

The Status of LCTL Teaching

The teaching of LCTLs is much more widespread at the postsecondary level, mostly due to the support from the U.S. government under Title VI of the Higher Education Act and from the U.S. Department of State and various agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense. Outside of the postsecondary realm, LCTLs have generally been taught in private schools and in heritage language schools (in other words, in classes organized and offered by the community of native speakers of the language). In addition, instruction in languages such as Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, and Polish has been available in large immigrant or religious communities. However, some LCTLs are now moving out of the domain of these selective schools and into the regular curriculum of the public school district. Cantonese for Cantonese speakers is one such course, as is Korean for Korean speakers. These courses require a different approach to language teaching from that used in typical foreign language classes (see "Heritage Language Students: A Valuable Language Resource"). Swahili is also being taught occasionally because it provides historical enrichment, particularly in districts with a large population of African Americans.

In the public education system, some bilingual programs have been instrumental in introducing indigenous languages to a fair number of communities. This is particularly evident where Native American, Eskimo, and Hawaiian communities exist. Two-way bilingual programs--where teachers divide instructional time between two different languages and the class includes native speakers of both languages--have also been instrumental in introducing children to some LCTLs (Christian, 1994).

A good source of information about the teaching of LCTLs in kindergarten through 12th grade is the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL); another good source is the Center for Applied Linguistics. These institutions have done surveys and can provide a fairly good picture of the foreign languages being taught in the United States (see Branaman and Rhodes, 1998; Draper and Hicks, 1996).

Resources China Books & Periodicals, Inc. 2929 24th Street San Francisco, CA 94110 Phone: 415-282-2994 Fax: 415-282-0994 Web: http://www.chinabooks.com International Book Centre 2007 Laurel Drive Troy, MI 48098 Phone: 810-879-8436 E-mail: ibc@ibcbooks.com Langenscheidt's 4635 54th Road Maspeth, NY 11378 Toll Free: 800-432-MAPS (6277) Language Materials Project University of California, Los Angeles Suite 1841 1100 Glendon Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024 Phone: 310-825-0634 Fax: 310-825-9747 E-mail: vijitha@ucla.edu Web: http://www.lmp.ucla.edu National Textbook Company 4255 West Touhy Avenue Lincolnwood, IL 60646-1975 Toll Free: 800-323-4900 Fax: 708-679-2494 Oxford University Press Order Department 2001 Evans Road Cary, NC 27513 Toll Free: 800-451-7556 Fax: 919-677-1303 Web: http://www.oup-usa.org/site SCOLA Satellite Network P.O. Box 619 McClelland, IA 51548 Phone: 712-566-2202 Fax: 712-566-2502 E-mail: scola@scola.org Web: http://www.scola.org

Materials for the Study of LCTLs

Finding instructional materials for the LCTLs is frequently a problem. For the lower grade levels in particular, there are almost no textbooks, grammar books, or dictionaries available. However, more materials have begun to appear, especially for the Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese languages. Oxford University Press has published picture dictionaries for several languages. Other picture dictionaries, formerly known as the Renyi dictionaries, are available from Langenscheidt's. Although developed for children learning English, these dictionaries are quite useful for English-speaking children learning a foreign language. In addition, teaching materials are available for Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and Arabic and other Middle Eastern languages from such publishers as the National Textbook Company in Lincolnwood, Illinois; China Books & Periodicals in San Francisco; and the International Book Centre in Troy, Michigan. (See side-bar.)

An extremely good source of LCTL materials is the ERIC database, which contains the world's largest collection of LCTL materials. Among the materials in the database are Vietnamese, Korean, and Hmong language materials developed by the state of California and by other states with large concentrations of students whose native language is not English. Other database resources include LCTL materials developed in Canada. Although these ERIC database materials are not designed as foreign language materials, they can be adapted for use in foreign language classrooms.

The Language Materials Project at the University of California at Los Angeles is also an excellent source of LCTL materials. This online database--which contains more than 4,000 citations covering 40 languages--includes references to grammars, dictionaries, and textbooks. In addition, each language is accompanied by a detailed linguistic profile that contains a map showing where the language is spoken and a description of its key dialects, grammatical features, and historical background.

Additional sources of information include the National Network for Early Language Learning (which focuses specifically on K-12 instruction) and the National Language Resource Center at the University of Minnesota (which maintains a list of places where LCTLs are taught and moderates listservs for individuals interested in specific languages, such as Norwegian and Dutch). However, the best source of teaching materials for a particular LCTL is the teachers' association for that language or language group--for example, the Association of Teachers of Japanese or the American Council of Teachers of Russian. The National Council of Organizations of Less Commonly Taught Languages is a good source for the most up-to-date addresses and phone numbers of LCTL teacher associations. (See "Foreign Language Resource Organizations" for more information about these and other organizations.)

Information about LCTL materials is also available through the Internet, although many of these materials are oriented toward adult language learners. Some schools are using the Internet to create authentic teaching and learning environments for their LCTL students by promoting online interactions with students from other countries and by downloading news and information through such programs as the SCOLA Satellite Network in McClelland, Iowa.

As more school systems begin to teach LCTLs, more complete information about them will become available.

References

Branaman, L. E., and N. C. Rhodes. 1998. A National Profile of Foreign Language Instruction at the Elementary and Secondary School Levels. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.

Christian, D. 1994. Two-Way Bilingual Education: Students Learning Through Two Languages. Santa Cruz, CA: National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning. ERIC Document Reproduction Service Number ED 377 705.

Directory of U.S. Elementary and Secondary Schools Teaching Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. 1991. Washington, DC: Friends of International Education, Institute for Crucial Languages.

Draper, J. B., and J. H. Hicks. September 1996. Foreign Language Enrollments in Public Secondary Schools, Fall 1994. Yonkers, NY: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

Note

¹ The role of Latin as a foreign language is a topic of much discussion. Although it is not a modern language, and despite perceptions about its decline, it continues to be the fourth most popular foreign language taught in U.S. schools.

Dora Johnson is Dissemination Coordinator for the National Capital Language Resource Center in Washington, D.C. She is the compiler of A Survey of Materials for the Study of the Less Commonly Taught Languages, an ongoing effort for more than three decades. She speaks Armenian and Arabic as well as some Turkish and French.

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