College students bid adieu to foreign language classes (msn.com)
Enrollment in languages other than English at U.S. colleges and universities dropped 16.6% between the fall of 2016 and the fall of 2021, the Modern Language Association (MLA) reports.
- The biggest declines were in German (-33.6%), Arabic (-27.4%) and Modern Hebrew (-26%).
- The only three languages with enrollment gains were Korean (by a whopping 38.3%), Biblical Hebrew and American Sign Language (ASL).
Americans continue down a path of fewer and fewer global skills. Gradually, all of our leaders in science, tech, academics and the executive suites will be immigrants – who often speak 2 to 4 languages.
I am currently enrolled in a Norwegian course, online, offered through a non-profit language institute in the U.S. I am also using many self-study resources.