In celebration of this year’s European Day of Languages the Goethe-Institut New York presents the roundtable discussion “Multilingualism in the U.S. – Do Americans need more than one language?”
Leading language experts from the U.S. and Europe will present and discuss perspectives on multilingualism along their educational, economic, social, and cultural fault lines. This event is organized in cooperation with the European cultural institutes Czech Center, the French Institute/Alliance Française, the Flanders House New York and Instituto Cervantes.
Today, given the global economy and cultural diversity, the subject of multilingualism has become more important than ever in the scientific, political and public debate. At the same time, however, American schools at every level have reduced foreign-language programs. While more than half of the European population and an increasing number in other parts of the world can converse in a second language, only a quarter of all Americans report speaking a language other than English.
What is multilingualism worth and how can the long-term reality of linguistic diversity in the U.S. be promoted taking into account a variety of regional, national and supranational interests?
Join us for an insightful roundtable discussion celebrating this year’s European Day of Languages. Different views on multilingualism will be presented and discussed from a U.S. and European perspective along their educational, economic, social and cultural fault lines.
The panel will be moderated by author and business correspondent forThe Economist, Robert Lane Greene, and will include Piet Van Avermaet, Center for Diversity and Learning at University of Ghent,Fabrice Jaumont, Embassy of France (TBC), Christopher Harwood, Slavic Department at Columbia University, Angelica Infante, NYS Education Department, Kim Potowski, Department of Hispanic Linguistics at University of Illinois Chicago, and Werner Sollors, Department of English at Harvard University.
>> More information: http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/ney/ver/en13280246v.htm
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