 Monthly Archives
Categories
Growth in Mandarin Chinese immersion
USA Today adds to the conversation on the rising popularity of studying Mandarin Chinese as a second language with a look at the growth in immersion programs in the United States. The number of elementary and secondary school students studying Chinese could be as much as 10 times higher than it was seven years ago, says Marty Abbott, spokeswoman for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. When the council surveyed K-12 enrollment in foreign language classes in 2000, there were about 5,000 students of Chinese, Abbott says. The council is collecting data for another survey, but Abbott says early figures suggest the number of students now studying Chinese has "got to be somewhere around 30,000 to 50,000." Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that the UK might be slipping behind in emphasizing the importance of language study.
|
|||
