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A 'modern language' is any human language that is currently in use.
The term is used in a language education context (in high schools, secondary schools, colleges and universities) to distinguish between languages such as German and French, which are spoken by millions of people and are learned for their usefulness as tools of communication or lingua franca, and classical languages (also called "dead languages") such as Latin, Attic Greek and Classical Chinese, which are studied for their cultural or linguistic value.

Contents

The teaching of modern languages

Asia

Egypt

European Union

United Kingdom

United States

Auxiliary languages

References

The teaching of modern languages

Modern languages are taught extensively around the world; see second language acquisition. English is taught as a second or foreign language in most countries; see English language learning and teaching.

Asia

English is the most studied foreign language in the People's Republic of China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan(Republic of China). In PR China, English is a required language beginning with the third grade, although the quality of instruction varies greatly and most Chinese citizens do not speak it well. The study of English is also required in India, where it is used for official communication. In Nepal, almost all subjects are taught in English, except for Nepali literature.

Egypt

All children learn Arabic in school. In addition, English is mandatory beginning with the fourth grade (9 years of age). Another language is mandatory for the last two years of high school (17-18 years), with French and German being most commonly learned. As Egypt's economy depends mainly on tourism, many modern languages are taught and spoken there.

European Union

In all European Union school systems, it is mandatory to study at least one foreign language at some stage during the school career; there is a tendency for this to start earlier, even in the first year of primary school. Additional languages can be chosen as an optional subject. The most common foreign language chosen is increasingly English (first foreign language in 23 of the 25 EU Member States which do not have English as the language of instruction), followed by French and German. Some 90% of pupils learn English as a foreign language, whether the choice of language is obligatory or parental. ^[1] Teaching is largely provided by generalist teachers in primary school and by specialists in middle and secondary schools.

United Kingdom

All children learn English at school.
In Wales, all children at state schools learn Welsh until age 14; they will be taught in the medium of Welsh or learn Welsh as a second language depending on where they live. [2]
In addition, ''Modern Foreign Languages'' is a compulsory component in the state education system. At least one language (often French or German, occasionally Spanish or Italian) is studied until the end of Key Stage 3. Particular schools may require younger students to study additional languages, and they may be given the option to continue these. Schools are required to teach a program of languages according to local and national guidelines.
From 2010, all primary-school pupils in Key Stage 2 (aged 7 - 11) will be entitled to some teaching of a modern foreign language.
English is taught to immigrant adults and young people as necessary.

United States

All children learn English at school. In addition, students are highly recommended to take at least one language course in either high school, or college. After English, the most studied modern languages at institutes of higher education in 2002 were in order of popularity: Spanish, French, German, Italian, American Sign Language, Japanese, Chinese, and Russian [3].

Auxiliary languages

International auxiliary languages are by definition not associated with a particular country or geographic region. Esperanto is probably the most well known. Interlingua, a popular and rapidly growing auxiliary language, is spoken mainly in Northern and Eastern Europe and in South America, with substantial numbers of speakers in Central Europe, Ukraine, Russia, and Japan. Interlingua is part of the curriculum in Swedish high schools, and in some high schools and universities elsewhere. Interlingua was developed with the goal of being widely international and easy to learn. Other auxiliary languages include Occidental and Latino Sine Flexione.

References

1. Key Data on teaching languages at school in Europe - 2005 edition: published by the Eurydice Network on behalf of the European Commission ISBN 92-894-8681-3. See in particular Figure C7 [1]