"Legislator wants immigrant families to keep native languages" (MD, US)

[Don Osborn]

FYI.

 

 

The Daily Times (Salisbury, MD)

http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080306/NEWS01/803060
44/1002/NEWS01

FOREIGN TONGUE: Legislator wants immigrant families to keep native languages

By Laura Schwartzman

Capital News Service

 

ANNAPOLIS - Maryland lawmakers want to fix a "critical shortage" of
foreign-language speakers in the United States by urging immigrants and
their families to preserve their native tongues.

 

Sen. James Rosapepe, D-Prince George's, said his bill to establish a task
force on encouraging "heritage languages" will benefit the economy and
national security.

 

ADVERTISEMENT 

                

"[We must] hold on to this tremendous competitive advantage for America," he
said at a Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee
hearing Thursday.

 

While learning English is important for immigrants, Rosapepe said the
state's population of foreign-language speakers is a vastly underutilized
resource.

 

Nearly 14.5 percent of Marylanders speak a foreign language at home,
according to the bill's authors.

 

Jerry Lampe, deputy director of the National Foreign Language Center at the
University of Maryland, said more than 80 federal agencies need employees
with proficiency in certain languages.

 

The rise of China as a global power and continued American interests in the
Middle East and South Asia make languages such as Chinese, Arabic and Urdu
important for national security reasons.

 

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2008 the International Year of
Languages, a prime motivation for introducing the bill.

 

"I know so many people like myself who came here as children, who may have
known the language of their parents or their grandparents, but in many cases
did not keep it," said Rosapepe, who was born in Italy and served as U.S.
ambassador to Romania from 1998 to 2001. "We see this all the time across
the United States."

 

But proponents of making English the official language do not agree.

 

"I'm opposed to any legislation which eventually leads to taxpayer financed
programs that encourage multi-language efforts," said Delegate Patrick
McDonough, R-Baltimore County, the lead sponsor of a bill to make English
Maryland's official language. "We need to promote English. It's been the
unifying force in this nation and that is the language that people need to
learn how to speak."

 

Rosapepe's task force would study heritage language preservation and come up
with ways to foster it. State government agencies, the University System of
Maryland, business organizations and members of ethnic community groups
would be represented.

 

A major focus of the bill is to advise educators teaching the American-born
children of immigrants. At least 150 languages are spoken in Maryland's
public schools, according to the bill's authors, although children often
lose proficiency as families assimilate.

 

Representatives from Chinese and African ethnic advocacy groups said many
parents are sending their children to study abroad or at language-specific
schools in an effort to preserve their cultural heritages.

 

Without initiatives to encourage native languages, "the growing trend of
African immigrants sending their children to attend schools back in Africa"
will continue, at a loss to Maryland and U.S. educational systems," said
Chuks Eleonu, CEO of the African Peoples Action Congress.

 

Henry Lau, chair of the Greater Washington Chinese-American Alliance, said
several Chinese-language schools have sprung up around the state to meet the
demand for cultural education. He urged lawmakers to assist the schools and
reward students who master their native tongues.

 

"Heritage language skills will flourish in Maryland only when there is an
encouraging environment," he said.

 

Copyright C2008 The Daily Times. All rights reserved.

 

**************************** Disclaimer ******************************

Copyright: In accordance with Title 17, United States Code Section 107, this
material is distributed without profit for research and educational
purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material posted to this list for
purposes that go beyond "fair use," you must obtain permission from the
copyright owner.

Content: The sender does not vouch for the veracity nor the accuracy of the
contents of this message, which are the sole responsibility of the copyright
owner. Also, the sender does not necessarily agree or disagree with any
opinions that are expressed in this message.

**********************************************************************

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lgpolicy-list/attachments/20080321/1f6bfb99/attachment.htm>