20世纪以来美国语言政策及其对中国语言教育的启示

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Abstract Owing to the continuous controversies over English-only vs. bilingual education, language policy has come to the forefront of political debates in the United States. Even in the 20th century when more and more people realized the importance of learning a foreign language for economic, political and social benefits, the overwhelming majority supported or even initiated English-only movement and bilingual education was still severely opposed by most Americans. However, facing the needs of national security, American government has encouraged Americans to learn foreign languages in recent years. This seems to be a contradiction to its language policy in the past but it just indicates that the USA adjusts its specific policies according to situations. China’s language education, a part of language policy, currently needs reforming because of its many drawbacks such as its ignorance of mother tongue education and want of foreign language education planning, thus to meet our country’s needs for further development. This paper critically examines American language policy after the 20th century with the anticipation to draw some implications for language education in China.54053

Keywords: language policy; bilingual education; language education

摘要对于“唯英语”和双语教育持续的争论使语言政策成为美国政治讨论的热门话题。即使在20世纪，很多人意识到学习外语在经济、政治、社会方面的益处，美国大众依然支持,甚至发动了“唯英语”运动，强烈反对实施双语教育。出于国家安全的考虑，近年来美国政府支持国民学习外语。这似乎是个悖论，但却恰恰反映了美国根据实际情况调整其具体政策。中国语言教育是语言政策的一部分，当前，由于其忽视母语教育以及缺乏外语教育规划等弊端急需改革，以满足国家进一步发展的需求。本文分析20世纪以来美国语言政策，以期为中国语言教育带来一些启示。

毕业论文关键词：语言政策；双语教育；语言教育

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 3

2.1 Previous Studies 3

2.2 Language Policy 3

3. Language Policy of the United States after the 20th Century 4

3.1 The Bilingual Education 5

3.2 Official English Campaign 7

3.3 Attentions to Foreign Language Education in the 21st Century 10

4. Implications for Language Education in China 11

4.1 Enhancing Chinese Education and Improving the Awareness of Mother Tongue 12

4.2 Implementing Bilingual Education Properly 13

4.3 Taking an Overall View in Formulating Foreign Language Education Policy 13

5. Conclusion 14

Works Cited 16

1. Introduction

The United States of America has long been a nation of immigrants. The American mosaic has gone through continuous changes because of the constant inflow of immigration through its history. Although a largely English-speaking country comprised of people from linguistically perse backgrounds, the United States has never designated English in its Constitution as the country’s official language. In the first two decades of the twentieth century, the number of immigrants to the U.S. was higher than that of any other periods in its history. The recent dramatic change in demography caused serious worries among language policy makers and the general public as to the influence of the continuously growing linguistic persity having on U.S. as a unified country.