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