| I just bet you had absolutely no idea that | | | | they can get past their fears and start to |
| the U.S. Senate, on February 17, 2005, | | | | acquire a second language. If you are |
| declared this the "Year of the Foreign | | | | xenoglossophobic and yet it is a life goal of |
| Language Study". You didn't know, did you? Ah | | | | yours to master Spanish, get the help you |
| ha! I knew it! | | | | need. What we cover in this series may be of |
| | | | help to get you started. |
| It is true. | | | | |
| | | | Here is what you will learn: |
| The year, 2005, was the official Year of | | | | |
| Foreign Language Study. And it is about | | | | ·That you not only do not have to master |
| bloody time, I would like to add. In case you | | | | thousands of vocabulary words before being |
| are wondering why your elected officials | | | | able to communicate in Spanish but that you |
| bothered with passing this resolution, on | | | | will begin to learn all that vocabulary in |
| taxpayer's time and money, it is because most | | | | the same natural and fluent way you learned |
| of America is afflicted with a dreadful and | | | | your native language as a child. |
| painful lack of foreign language ability. | | | | |
| | | | ·That you will not have to memorize |
| This, my foreign-language-illiterate fellow | | | | numerous grammar rules in order to become |
| American, is because we have this disorder | | | | fluent in Spanish. |
| (and this is true) called, | | | | |
| xenoglossophobia-the fear of foreign | | | | ·That you are NOT too old to become FLUENT |
| languages. Moreover, in America it is, and | | | | in Spanish and that children do not learn |
| always has been, a chronic case! | | | | languages faster than adults do. |
| | | | |
| Before 1923, 22 states in America had laws | | | | One of the consequences of this |
| prohibiting the teaching of foreign | | | | Xenoglossophia, is that less that 9% of |
| languages. Is that xenophobic (having | | | | Americans are fluent, to any degree, in any |
| abnormal fear or hatred of the strange or | | | | foreign language. Americans are a |
| foreign) or what! It was in 1923 when the | | | | linguistically challenged people. |
| Supreme Court overturned this silliness | | | | |
| | | | What may happen is that when a potential |
| However, by 1954, 56% of the U.S. high | | | | American expatriate does work up the courage |
| schools did not even have foreign language | | | | to move (retire) to Mexico he or she ends up |
| courses available to their students. Of those | | | | moving to one of the huge English Speaking |
| who did, only 14.2% students enrolled in | | | | American Enclaves or colonies that have |
| foreign language study. | | | | formed in Mexico. Or they may forego the |
| | | | opportunity of a lifetime to live in Mexico |
| This was all due to America's abnormal fear | | | | because of their fear of learning a second |
| of the strange or foreign as applied to | | | | language. |
| foreign languages-xenoglossophobia! Tell me | | | | |
| if you have ever, in your life, heard this | | | | It may surprise you to learn that there may |
| one: | | | | be more than one million Americans living in |
| | | | Mexico at any one time. What they have done |
| "When those Mexicans come to American they | | | | is invade a particular city, and create, for |
| should have to learn how to speak English." | | | | all practical purposes, a new culture of |
| | | | English speakers. You can, if it is your |
| I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard | | | | desire, move to cities like San Miguel de |
| this. I know you have heard it too, so don't | | | | Allende or Puerto Vallarta and live there the |
| deny it! | | | | rest of your days and never, and I mean NEVER |
| | | | have to utter one word of Spanish. |
| Well folks, many Americans who move to (or | | | | |
| even just visit Mexico) do not bother to | | | | The local population in those cities has had |
| learn Spanish. One could make the case that | | | | to learn English. They've been forced, out of |
| if you were just a tourist that you could | | | | sheer necessity, to learn English to cope |
| squeak by with pointing, grunting, and making | | | | with a population, and sometimes a huge |
| loud gaseous sounds. | | | | population, of American Gringos who refuse to |
| | | | learn the language-that is Xenoglossophobia |
| However, if you are going to move here, why | | | | at work. I have mixed feelings about that |
| in God's name don't you learn Spanish? | | | | whole situation. |
| | | | |
| Excuse: xenoglossophobia! | | | | I am glad for the local Mexicans who have |
| | | | become bilingual. This fact actually makes |
| Now you have this real excuse to blame for | | | | the entire point of this article. |
| your total lack of linguistic skills in | | | | |
| Spanish. But know that it not only hurts the | | | | The local Nationals have, in the majority of |
| feelings of the locals that you come to their | | | | cases, learned English without ever stepping |
| country and don't learn their language but | | | | foot in an English speaking country. (They |
| the Mexicans see the hypocrisy in that you | | | | never lived in an English speaking country |
| expect something out of them, when they | | | | for even a nano-second of their lives and yet |
| expatriate to America, that you are not | | | | have a high degree of spoken fluency in |
| yourself willing to even try when you move to | | | | English.) Some of them have excellent accents |
| Mexico. | | | | to boot. Some of them are poorly educated and |
| | | | yet have learned English and have done so |
| Just explain to your Mexican housekeeper | | | | well. |
| xenoglossophobia-I am sure she will | | | | |
| understand. | | | | Shouldn't this be an indictment of every U.S. |
| | | | educated American who comes as a tourist or |
| In America, the situation is getting worse | | | | expats who never in their lives learn even |
| even today. In a 2002 story by Patrik | | | | the most basic of survival phrases in |
| Jonsson for The Christian Science Monitor, it | | | | Spanish? |
| was reported that the states of Georgia, New | | | | |
| Jersey, and the school district in Denver | | | | Just think of this for a moment. We have here |
| either had waived or were in the process of | | | | in Mexico entire cities with huge number of |
| ending a foreign language requirement for | | | | locals who are too poor to afford English |
| high school graduation. | | | | lessons and yet have a high degree of spoken |
| | | | fluency in English. I might add that this |
| I contacted all of these school districts. | | | | phenomenon is mostly restricted to the resort |
| Only Denver responded. They said, | | | | areas of Mexico. Do not come to where I live, |
| | | | in Guanajuato, and expect the locals to speak |
| "I have checked with several counselors. At | | | | English. |
| this time, we cannot think of any district in | | | | |
| Colorado that requires Foreign Language | | | | If these financially challenged locals can |
| (particularly in the Metro area). That's not | | | | learn another language without ever |
| to say there isn't a small district somewhere | | | | participating in any sort of total- immersion |
| that requires it." | | | | course in an English speaking country then |
| | | | what excuse do Americans have for not |
| There you have it--xenoglossophobia at its | | | | learning Spanish? |
| best. Or, should I say at its worst? | | | | |
| | | | Another concern I have is that when Mexicans |
| The solution? | | | | expatriate to America there is an American |
| | | | cultural expectation for them to learn |
| "Foreign language learning is not something | | | | English. You hear this complaining all the |
| that happens overnight it takes a commitment | | | | time and currently it is one of the battle |
| of time and money. U.S. schools compound the | | | | cries of the anti-Mexican movement in |
| problem by waiting too long to start foreign | | | | America. Yet, when Americans expatriate to |
| language instruction. According to ACTFL | | | | Mexico, particularly retirees, they do not do |
| Professional Programs Director Elvira | | | | what they expect the Mexicans to do when they |
| Swender, U.S. students often start learning | | | | expatriate to America-learn the language. |
| foreign languages at puberty, "an age at | | | | |
| which their brains are least receptive to | | | | What they do instead is congregate into |
| language learning". | | | | enclaves. They create "Little Americas" in |
| | | | certain popular cities. They have names for |
| Swender also notes the relative unimportance | | | | them like "Gringo Gulch" or "Gringo Landia". |
| that schools assign to languages. "It doesn't | | | | These have become areas of Mexico where the |
| occur to anyone that we should wait to teach | | | | Gringos have transformed Mexican cities into |
| students math", she points out, "so why do we | | | | something Non-Mexican. |
| wait with foreign languages?" | | | | |
| | | | Do not miss the hypocrisy here. |
| You should not dismiss this issue of | | | | |
| Xenoglossophobia. There is a real and | | | | This is the political platform of |
| unacknowledged fear of foreigners in American | | | | anti-Mexican movements like "The Minuteman |
| culture. I see this all the time in the | | | | Project" and yet Americans do the very same |
| people I talk to. I am a syndicated columnist | | | | thing of which they accuse the Mexican |
| and book author and am constantly being | | | | immigrants to America-they do not learn the |
| deluged with reader's comments. Some are not | | | | language or assimilate into the culture! |
| so nice. I get a sense from the hundreds of | | | | |
| column reader's responses I receive that not | | | | This bothers me greatly. If America expects |
| just Xenoglossophobia is a real problem, but | | | | that immigrants to the U.S. should have to |
| Xenophobia in general is alive and well in | | | | learn English and assimilate into the |
| America. | | | | American culture then is it not the height of |
| | | | hypocrisy not to Practice What You Preach |
| At the writing of this article, the Minuteman | | | | when you, the American, moves to Mexico? |
| Project Movement is growing leaps and bounds | | | | |
| that will, in my view, cause an even large | | | | If Mexican nationals, who cannot afford |
| isolationism from Mexico. I do not know but | | | | English lessons, can and do learn English so |
| maybe it will even go back to the days when | | | | they can get good jobs in the resort areas, |
| learning a foreign language will be outlawed | | | | then you too, Mr. and Ms. American (who can |
| or at least dropped from the school's | | | | probably very likely afford to do so) learn |
| curriculum all together. Anything is possible | | | | Spanish BEFORE moving to Mexico. Remember: |
| and stranger things have happened. | | | | these resort town locals learned English |
| | | | having never stepped foot in a class or |
| The main reasons I think people who would | | | | English speaking country. |
| really like to learn Spanish, but who do not, | | | | |
| are those who suffer from Xenoglossophobia. | | | | A point you may be thinking about now is that |
| These are people who would love to learn | | | | if there are cities in Mexico where you could |
| Spanish but do not because of their fears of | | | | move and never have to learn the language |
| second language acquisition. They are just | | | | then why not do so. Is not that the perfect |
| plainly and simply afraid. I think that fear | | | | setup? The answer is that you could do that. |
| works out in some of the following ways: | | | | Then stop complaining that immigrants who |
| | | | move to America should have to learn English |
| ·They think that they will not be able to | | | | and assimilate into the American culture. If |
| master the thousands of vocabulary words | | | | you are going to move to Mexico, never learn |
| required for communicating in the language. | | | | the language so that you can assimilate into |
| | | | the Mexican culture, then you do not have the |
| ·They are terrified at the thought of | | | | right to expect the same thing of Mexicans |
| having to learn grammar rules. I mean, who | | | | when they expatriate to America! |
| wouldn't be? Can you imagine anything more | | | | |
| boring? | | | | I am convinced that the Xenoglossophobia is |
| | | | the direct result of two issues: Method and |
| ·They are afraid that they are too old. | | | | Motivation. I will be covering this in the |
| They are convinced that had they started as a | | | | later chapters. The wrong method kills the |
| child they would have had a fair shot at | | | | motivation. Motivation never blossoms and |
| mastering Spanish. They think their learning | | | | grows because of the frightful methods |
| curve is retarded because of their age. | | | | Americans have been led to believe should be |
| | | | the one and only way to learn a foreign |
| ·Here is the BIG ONE: They are scared to | | | | language. |
| death of making a fool of themselves. | | | | |
| | | | The biggest thing to consider at this point |
| I believe there are other reasons that I | | | | is that if a member of a poor and barely |
| haven't thought of but these are some of the | | | | developing country can somehow manage to |
| top ones that give the adult learner fits. I | | | | learn English without the resources available |
| talk to people all the time who voice these | | | | to the majority of Americans, then there is |
| concerns. They are genuine. They would love | | | | hope-BIG HOPE-that you too can develop a high |
| to live in Mexico and to take advantage of | | | | degree of spoken fluency in Spanish. |
| all its benefits but these objections loom so | | | | |
| largely in their brains that they cannot move | | | | I think the Xenoglossophobia is the biggest |
| past them. | | | | factor in why Americans do not learn Spanish. |
| | | | And just think about this a minute: there |
| Unbelievably this Xenoglossophobia is such a | | | | will be no assimilation into the culture if |
| real disorder that some people cannot get | | | | you cannot communicate in the language of the |
| past it without professional help. | | | | culture. Whether you want to move here or |
| | | | function better as tourist, there is a way to |
| Sometimes all the knowledge in the world will | | | | master Spanish. |
| not convince someone so afflicted so that | | | | |