The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-11-09
URGES AMERICANS
TO STUDY OTHER
|WORLDL ANCUACES
Spanish, Especially Urged
By Bulletin of Pan
American Union.

A plea for the scientific study and
teaching of Spanish and other Ian
guages and discrimination of obsolete
methods, with illuminating statistics,
II the subject Of an interesting article
which appears in the current number
of the Bulletin of the Pan American
Union. Washington, D. c. The arti-
Gle was prepared after much research.
by DIR. Harry Erwin Bard, secretary
of the Pan American Society of the
United States.
The writer selected 112 institutions,
techpical schools that have provision
for foreign language instruction. He
cadls Intention to the growing i'm
Iortance OF the study not only of
Spanish and Portuguese, but of the
languages and customs of the people,
Of Russia. Japan and China with
whom the United States is coming in
creaangly in contact. In the study
of Russian only out of 112 leading
institutions offer studies in that Ian
kuage, q total of of 1872 hours. In
the Japanese language only 1 out of
liz offers instruction in q single half
year course Of 2 hours week. In
the Chinese language out of 112 in
situations offer courses of instruction
in Chinese, aggregating total of $40
hours He says in part:
There are some so 600, 600 people
to the south OF us whose official lam
guage Is Spanish, whose early culture
and learning were inherited from
spain-each country with its own pc
cuifar ambitions ana characteristic
traits. These people are our neigh
bors and friends Our relations with
them ara OF the greatesta Importance.
WHISTLER commercial or political or
Of other character. We should know
them as neighbors and respect them
a. such Some 81 of the 112 insti-
tutions selected provide for instruc-
<ion In Spanish, but the aggregate
number of hours provided for>i is less
than one-third the numDer provided
for In German"
seThere are some $4,000, 900 people
% mo south OF MS whose Official Lam
Runep Is Portuguese, whose early
learning and culture were inherited
from Portugal, whose friendship for
us Is traditional only 10 of these
H. institutions have provided for in
struct1on in the language of the peo-
pie Of Brazil and these 10 institutions
WION100 1OT OuIy IL COuIcco dS6L G.
eating only some Lis hours of in
structfon, or 1 per cent of the num-
her of hours of instruction provided
for in German
3An,erfcans are known the world
over as people Of one language. In
most countries the mastery Of at least
one foreign language is considered an
Indispensable element of culture, and
has long been SO considered. But
most Americans would appear to
think It ludicrous that they should be
expected to have a speaking knowl-
edge OF any language other than their
native tongue. This is an unfor-
tunate condition During the long
period OF our isolation the matter of
observation-disclosures study was of COM
paxat1veIy little practical Importance,
but with our rapidly growing inter-
course with other peoples of the world
observation-disclosures instruction comes to
demand preferential confederation"
The translation, pathological, and
exeg6tt1cal method Of foreign lam
guage instruction elaborated four or
i've cgu1nrfes ago, is still more or less
Hlnvishzy followed In most OF our edu
cafiOnnl institutions OF today, with the
results that students, even after long
years OF laborious Study, fail of that
mastery Of the language which mod
srn conditions demand more and
more Not only this, but students
are practically obliged to devote a
very large proportion of their time
\ avzd1nble for language study in the
study or languages from which the
greaf majority Of them viii derive 1T
tie Or no practical benefit"
Our higher institutions of instruc-
fon are confronted with responsible
f1es which should be met promptly
and effectively. A proper readjust-
ment OF provision for foreign language
Instruction with obvious and necesr
enry reforms will prove an important
step In this direction. Courses In
history, geography, literature, gov
'ernment. and institutions also need
read5ustment; but in the case of lam
guage courses the need is immediate
and fruperaffye