Evening star., 1963-01-06
GU Has First
Ph.D. Course
InLinguistics

Georgetown University is
moving another step ahead this
year as an architect of COM
munication lines in the modern
worlds Tower Of Babel.
Georgetown's Institute of
Languages and LinguisticS, a
pioneer in intensive language
teaching methods, now has
established the Nations first
Ph.D. training program COM
bining linguistics, foreign Ian
guages and English as second
language.
Twenty-nine students are
working on the doctorates in
the new program to train top
engineers" of language usage
and teaching. The idea is not
simply to turn out graduates
who know many different Ian
guages. The institute Is pre-
pairing experts who know the
structure of language, and how
best it may be used and taught.
$255.7 Million in Grants
The program is a local ex-
ample of the projects in various
fields supported by $255.7I
million in grants and other
new commitments by the Ford
Foundation. These we're re-
viewed in the foundations an
nual report released last night
for the fiscal year ended
September 80.
Three new grants brought to
more than SO million the total
of foundation assistance to
American institutions since
1859 for research and training
in linguistics and the teaching
Of English as a second Ian
guage.
Objectives of the grants are
to strengthen American ability
to assist foreign countries in
developing English language
instruction, and increase COM
petence in critical non-West-
ern tongues.
Georgetown Gets S35O,OOO
Georgetown received $350.000
for its 13-year-old linguisticS
institute to establish the doc
toral training program. Dean
Robert Lado of the institute
said the funds would go chiefly
toward adding authorities to
the faculty.
For example. the institute
will have as a visitor this spring
Prof. Charles c. Fries of the
University of Michigan, an au-
thority on teaching English as
a foreign language. Next year,
Prof. j. MattoSo Camara, one
Of the three outstanding lin
gusts in Portuguese, will come.
Graduates of the three-year
program will be equipped to
serve in a number of ways in
education, planning consulta-
ton and research. For one
thing, they can advise govern
ments of emerging countries on
national programs for teaching
English and on their own Ian
guage policies.
Practically every nation in
the world has problems of BIZ
lingualism," says DR.. Lado.
People trained in this pro-
gram can give advice and make
plans for solving the prob
lens"
Shortage Of LinguiSts
America, he observes, has a
terrible handicap in the lack
of language ability. The
Georgetown program is intend
ed to help prepare people who
can assist State governments,
the Federal Government. COL
leges and universities and re-
search organizations to put in
effect new language-broaden-
ing policies OF the National De-
fense Education Act.
There is a critical shortage,
he reports, in the ranks of ap-
piled hnguists who can teach
in Institutes for language
teachers. More than 70 of these
will be held over the Nation
with NDEA funds to refrain
teachers.
Georgetown's institute pio-
neered in the development of
the fully electronic language
laboratory with dual channel
tape recorders, which have be-
come a pattern for teaching
over this country.
DR.. Lado notes that people
trained in the institutes pro-
gram have not only theoretical
knowledge of language. but APP
piled linguistic training-tech-
nical know-how about language
laboratories and other ways TO
teach and learn other tongues.