Language extinction: How foreign language teaching fails!

Language extinction: How foreign language teaching fails!

In a recent podcast, Prof. Dr. Christine Dimroth from the University of Münster The challenges and opportunities of teaching foreign languages ​​in German schools are discussed. Dimroth expresses concern about the under-utilization of the potential offered by language acquisition and particularly highlights the importance of early English teaching. In her opinion, however, the focus should be less on grammatical rules and more on the ability to communicate in everyday life.

A key finding she shares is that studies show that children who learn English starting in secondary school have similar language skills by eighth grade as their peers who were exposed to English in elementary school. Dimroth advocates designing the phases of language acquisition in such a way that they promote early language learning and delay the focus on correct rules.

Professional and social skills

Another important point in Dimroth's argument is the differentiation between linguistic and professional competence. This is particularly important for immigrants because, she emphasizes, a doctor's accent says nothing about a person's medical skills. In this context, she also appeals to society not to view other languages ​​and language varieties as a threat to one's own language, but rather to see them as enriching in the context of skilled immigration.

Dimroth also addresses the serious problem of language extinction. Over half of the world's approximately 7,000 languages ​​are threatened with extinction, which she considers unfortunate. She describes the trend that people often learn the languages ​​that offer them the best life chances as normal. This development is difficult to prevent because many of them switch to languages ​​with a greater communicative range.

Multilingualism as an opportunity

In the context of a multilingual society, the Educational research how important it is to support children with a migrant background. Almost every second child in major German cities recently belonged to this group. The early acquisition of the German language should not only promote integration, but also support the continued use of the native language.

The increase in language diversity in Germany, caused by migration, the Internet and mobility in the European internal market, poses new challenges for education policy. It is crucial that educational institutions recognize the reality of multilingualism and create additional framework conditions that make it possible to see multilingualism as an opportunity.

The funding of research on language education and multilingualism, orchestrated by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, aims to provide insights into how multilingual children and young people learn and how these results can be integrated into educational policy.

In order to create future-oriented language education, under the direction of Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Ingrid Gogolin from the University of Hamburg set up a coordination office. Contact persons such as Antje Hansen and Dr. Sarah McMonagle is available to support the efficient implementation of future-oriented language education.