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Bienvenidos al Mundo Hispano de James B.
Sanderlin Elementary School!
By Silvina Iglesias Spanish Curriculum
Coordinator James B. Sanderlin Elementary School

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American Council on The Teaching of Foreign
Languages
CAL Center for Applied Linguistics
FFLA Florida Foreign Language Association
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National Virtual Translation Center

• How many languages
• are spoken in the world?

• There are roughly 6,800 languages
• spoken on this planet.
• 96 of them are spoken by a mere
• 4 of the worlds population.

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• Where are these languages spoken?

Estimated distribution of world languages
2,200 in Asia. 2,060 in Africa.
1,300 in the Pacific. 1,000 in the
Americas. 230 in Europe.
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• Why study Spanish?

The Summer Institute for Linguistics Survey
(1999) lists top languages by population (native
speakers)

• Chinese (937,132,000)
• Spanish (332,000,000)
• English (322,000,000)
• Bengali (189,000,000)
• Hindi/Urdu (182,000,000)
• Arabic (174,950,000)
• Portuguese (170,000,000)
• Russian (170,000,000)
• Japanese (125,000,000)

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• Why study Spanish?

List from George Webers article The Worlds 10
Most Influential Languages in Language Today
(Vol. 2, Dec 1997)
(number of native speakers in
parentheses)

• Mandarin Chinese (1.2 billion)
• English (330 million)
• Spanish (300 million)
• Hindi/Urdu (250 million)
• Arabic (200 million)
• Bengali (185 million)
• Portuguese (160 million)
• Russian (160 million)
• Japanese (125 million)

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Why Should My Child Learn a Second Language?

• Educational Benefits
• Children who learn a 2nd language show improved
  performance in basic skills such as reading and
  math.
• Students of average intelligence seem to make
  particularly impressive gains in reading skills.

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Why Should My Child Learn a Second Language?

• Educational Benefits
• Children exposed to 2 languages from a very
  early age grow as if there were 2 mono-linguals
  housed in one brain, and there is no
  contamination of either language by the other.
• The earlier and more intensively the languages
  are introduced, the better.

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Why Should My Child Learn a Second Language?

• Educational Benefits
• Vygotsky (1986) It has been shown that a
  childs understanding of his native language is
  enhanced by learning a foreign one.
• Students in FLES programs have more practice
  and experience w/ the TL than older students,
  leading to greater fluency and effectiveness.
• Scovel (1988) . . . children, but not adults,
  can attain native like pronunciation in the 2nd
  language.

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Why Should My Child Learn a Second Language?

• Cognitive Benefits

• Students in FLES programs were reported to have
  greater skills in divergent thinking/figural
  creativity than did those who were monolingual.

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Why Should My Child Learn a Second Language?

• Cognitive Benefits

• Students learning another language can show
  greater creativity in complex problem solving.
• People who are competent in more than 1
  language outscore monolinguals on tests of verbal
  and nonverbal intelligence,

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Why Should My Child Learn a Second Language?

• Attitudinal Benefits

• An early introduction to language study fosters
  respect and appreciation of cultural diversity.
• The age of 10 is a crucial time in the
  development of attitudes toward nations and
  groups perceived as other. Children are in the
  process of moving from egocentricity to
  reciprocity, and information introduced before
  age 10 is well received.

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Why Should My Child Learn a Second Language?

• Attitudinal Benefits

• Children prior to age 11 are naturally more
  open to
• linguistic and cultural differences and are
  therefore
• inquisitive about the diverse peoples of the
  world.

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Why Should My Child Learn a Second Language?

• Socio Cultural Benefits

• Proficiency in multiple languages permits
  individuals to expand their world.
• Leads to greater intercultural understanding,
  tolerance, appreciation and respect.

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Why Should My Child Learn a Second Language?

• Socio Cultural Benefits

• Learning to speak anothers language means
  reaching out to others across cultural and
  linguistic boundaries. Language is far more than
  a system to be explained. It is our most
  important link to the world around us. Language
  is culture in motion. It is people interacting
  with people.

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Why Should My Child Learn a Second Language?

• Economic Benefits

• Proficiency in another language will enhance
  career potential, and will open up job prospects
  in business, the diplomatic corps, tourism, or
  communications.
• In the global marketplace, there are plenty of
  jobs that call for bilingual proficiency. 4 out
  of 5 new jobs in the United States are created as
  a result of foreign trade, and the global market
  place is an ever-growing reality.

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Why Should My Child Learn a Second Language?

• Economic Benefits

• Business, cultural, political, and social
  activities around
• the world call for people with different language
  and
• cultural backgrounds.

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