Why the pool of Arabic speakers is still a puddle
Six years after the US awoke to the need for its citizens to learn Arabic, obstacles remain.
from the May 17, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
Globalization spurs desire for languages
Academics in the field say a hard core of students will remain devoted to the language even as the memory of 9/11 fades. The Arab world and Islam will remain important, says William Granara, a Harvard professor. "The numbers will come down, but they won't come down to [what they were in] the 1960s and 1970s."
Many analysts say students today see the need for foreign language skills; globalization demands it. College students have "a real awareness that [foreign language] is important to their education … in ways that are clearer than [in] earlier generations," says Rosemary Feal, executive director of the MLA.
Many are flocking to Chinese. "Arabic is not coming along quite as rapidly as Chinese," says Martha Abbott, education director at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), based in Washington. "Chinese has the added incentive of playing a role in the global economy, which I don't think people see the Mideast doing at this point."
In Arabic, high-quality teachers, materials, and programs are severely lacking, especially outside the college level. Most students can't access high-quality resources to learn the language. It's a major reason people quit.
"The demand is far exceeding the supply," says Professor Granara. "We've grown much too big for our resources."
Marin says she would have continued studying Arabic had funding been available. "It's really frustrating that there aren't enough opportunities for students," she laments.
"If you build it, they will come," says Belnap. Students will stick with Arabic "if the structures are there for people to achieve their goals." In a recent NMELRC student survey, 78 percent of Arabic students said they wanted to become proficient enough to use Arabic in their "professional activities."
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