Untying Young American Tongues

Bemidji , Minnesota "The Tongue-Tied American.” That was the title of one of the best known books by the late U.S. Senator Paul Simon of Illinois. He contended that most Americans were at a distinct disadvantage when communicating and doing business with non-English-speaking people because they had to rely on the foreigners’ knowledge of English.

Having observed the communication problems of American soldiers and businessmen abroad, many members of Congress and the Kennedy administration shared Senator Simon’s concern and, impressed by the intensifying Cold War, voted for the strengthening of instruction in strategically important foreign languages as part of the National Defense Education Act (NDEA). Between 1963 and 1965, I was privileged to conduct successive NDEA summer institutes at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, for teachers of German language and culture. Through this experience, I also learned how much the generally low level of the enrollees' language skills and cultural sophistication justified the federal funding.

Nevertheless, Congress was not willing to continue its financial support of foreign language education indefinitely. The need, however, for more thorough and sustained language training for young Americans continued as before.

Regrettably, few school districts and colleges made foreign language promotion a priority. When operating funds fell short, many institutions typically cut language programs (other than Spanish) first. Throughout the United States, fast and efficient acquisition of foreign language skills was also hampered by the failure to start the learning process as early as possible and to seek maximal immersion.

One of the first private initiatives toward more effective foreign language education came from two faculty members of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. In 1961, Dr. Gerhard Haukebo of the education department and Dr. Erhard Friedrichsmeyer of the German department launched their first German-language summer camp for 75 children aged 9 to 12 at Lake Carlos in Minnesota. Rather than relying only on classroom instruction, all camp activities were to be conducted in German and the whole environment, from meals to music, would emulate the typical milieu of a German, Austrian, or Swiss community. That is what is meant by total immersion.

Today, 44 years later, the humble beginnings of the founders have expanded to 13 language villages in northwestern Minnesota, each focusing on another foreign tongue and adopting an appropriate name:, such as the village of Sen Lin Hu for Chinese, Skovsoen for Danish, Salolampi for Finnish, Voyageur and Lac du Bois for French, Waldsee for German, Lago del Bosco for Italian, Sop sogui Hosu for Korean, Mori no Ike for Japanese, Skogfjorden for Norvegian, Lesno Ozero for Russian, El Lago del Bosque for Spanish, and Sjölunden for Swedish.

The growth of Concordia Language Villages (CLV) was substantially advanced in 1965 when its board of development, led by Dr. Charles Mayo II, acquired 800 acres of wooded terrain for the give-away price of $50,000 along Turtle River Lake, 15 miles north of Bemidji and 250 miles north of Minneapolis. Financed by many generous donations, one village after another was built, each in the architectural style and the ambience of the culture it represents.

By now, CLV can host almost 10,000 young people yearly, for one-week exploratory sessions or for in-depth immersion experiences over two weeks. A graduate course is being offered in second-language teaching methods. From September to May, adults of all ages and families may immerse themselves in a cultural heritage of their choice, even if they lack the language background.

Many beginning students are concerned about the immersion requirement. “What if I don’t understand what’s going on?” they tend to ask. There are two answers for them: First of all, don’t worry! You will quickly glean meanings from others or interpolate a new word out of the context. If that fails, your counselor will whisper into your ear what you could not figure out on your own.

For young people who want to learn a major language not presently offered at CLV, chances are that it may soon become available. Actually, the CLV leaders are in the process of preparing a fourteenth village next year. It will offer much-needed immersion in Arabic language and culture, a necessity truly in the national interest.

Wolf D. Fuhrig	Home	06-19-05
Untying Young American Tongues
**Bemidji , Minnesota** "The Tongue-Tied American.” That was the title of one of the best known books by the late U.S. Senator Paul Simon of Illinois. He contended that most Americans were at a distinct disadvantage when communicating and doing business with non-English-speaking people because they had to rely on the foreigners’ knowledge of English. Having observed the communication problems of American soldiers and businessmen abroad, many members of Congress and the Kennedy administration shared Senator Simon’s concern and, impressed by the intensifying Cold War, voted for the strengthening of instruction in strategically important foreign languages as part of the National Defense Education Act (NDEA). Between 1963 and 1965, I was privileged to conduct successive NDEA summer institutes at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, for teachers of German language and culture. Through this experience, I also learned how much the generally low level of the enrollees' language skills and cultural sophistication justified the federal funding. Nevertheless, Congress was not willing to continue its financial support of foreign language education indefinitely. The need, however, for more thorough and sustained language training for young Americans continued as before. Regrettably, few school districts and colleges made foreign language promotion a priority. When operating funds fell short, many institutions typically cut language programs (other than Spanish) first. Throughout the United States, fast and efficient acquisition of foreign language skills was also hampered by the failure to start the learning process as early as possible and to seek maximal immersion. One of the first private initiatives toward more effective foreign language education came from two faculty members of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. In 1961, Dr. Gerhard Haukebo of the education department and Dr. Erhard Friedrichsmeyer of the German department launched their first German-language summer camp for 75 children aged 9 to 12 at Lake Carlos in Minnesota. Rather than relying only on classroom instruction, all camp activities were to be conducted in German and the whole environment, from meals to music, would emulate the typical milieu of a German, Austrian, or Swiss community. That is what is meant by total immersion. Today, 44 years later, the humble beginnings of the founders have expanded to 13 language villages in northwestern Minnesota, each focusing on another foreign tongue and adopting an appropriate name:, such as the village of Sen Lin Hu for Chinese, Skovsoen for Danish, Salolampi for Finnish, Voyageur and Lac du Bois for French, Waldsee for German, Lago del Bosco for Italian, Sop sogui Hosu for Korean, Mori no Ike for Japanese, Skogfjorden for Norvegian, Lesno Ozero for Russian, El Lago del Bosque for Spanish, and Sjölunden for Swedish. The growth of Concordia Language Villages (CLV) was substantially advanced in 1965 when its board of development, led by Dr. Charles Mayo II, acquired 800 acres of wooded terrain for the give-away price of $50,000 along Turtle River Lake, 15 miles north of Bemidji and 250 miles north of Minneapolis. Financed by many generous donations, one village after another was built, each in the architectural style and the ambience of the culture it represents. By now, CLV can host almost 10,000 young people yearly, for one-week exploratory sessions or for in-depth immersion experiences over two weeks. A graduate course is being offered in second-language teaching methods. From September to May, adults of all ages and families may immerse themselves in a cultural heritage of their choice, even if they lack the language background. Many beginning students are concerned about the immersion requirement. “What if I don’t understand what’s going on?” they tend to ask. There are two answers for them: First of all, don’t worry! You will quickly glean meanings from others or interpolate a new word out of the context. If that fails, your counselor will whisper into your ear what you could not figure out on your own. For young people who want to learn a major language not presently offered at CLV, chances are that it may soon become available. Actually, the CLV leaders are in the process of preparing a fourteenth village next year. It will offer much-needed immersion in Arabic language and culture, a necessity truly in the national interest.

Wolf D. Fuhrig

Home

06-19-05

Untying Young American Tongues