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Issues in African Academic Language Programming in the U.S.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

David J. Dwyer
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Support for academic African language programs (ALPs) in the US began at the national level with the National Defense Education Act of 1958 (renamed the Higher Education Act of 1965). The goal of this legislation was to establish a world-wide language and area studies knowledge base that could be called upon in the event of conflict, but in addition it has provided generations of students a wealth of knowledge about the less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) and the communities where they are spoken. Although the Africa region’s share of this support has hovered around 12%, its effect has been substantial. For example, based on a world-wide listing of Africanist linguists, approximately half of these specialists live in Africa, with the remainder being equally divided between the countries of Europe and the US, a remarkable fact given that the US has no colonial legacy in Africa. Title VI of this legislation supports a set of National Resource Centers (NRCs) that promote language and area study of a specific region including Africa.

Type
Research Article
Information
African Issues , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , 1997 , pp. 23 - 28
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 1997 

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Footnotes

*

David J. Dwyer is professor of Anthropology and coordinator of the African Language Program at Michigan State University.

References

Notes

1. The opportunity to develop this paper was made possible by the award of a Mellon fellowship in 1994 by the National Foreign Language Center of Johns Hopkins University.

2. Dwyer, D., A Resource Handbook for African Languages, East Lansing: African Studies Center, Michigan State University, 1987 Google Scholar.

3. David, Wiley and David, Dwyer, African Language Instruction in the United States: Directions and Priorities for the 1980s, East Lansing: African Studies Center, Michigan State University, 1980 Google Scholar.

4. Carlton, Hodge and Richard, Spears, African Languages, Material Development Needs in the Uncommonly Taught Languages: Priorities for the Seventies, Arlington VA: Center for Applied Linguistics, 1975, 47–53 Google Scholar. Dora, Johnson, et al., A Survey of Materials for the Study of the Uncommonly-Taught Languages, Vol. 6: Languages of Suh-Saharan Africa, Washington DC: Center for Applied Linguistics 1, 1976 Google Scholar.

5. Three US/ED sponsored projects flowed directly from this workshop: An African language resource directory (Dwyer 1987); A workshop on Evaluating Language Teaching Materials (1983-4) and an African Language Materials Evaluation Project (1984-96).

6. Boston University, the University of Illinois, Indiana University, Michigan State University, Stanford University, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the University of California at Los Angeles, Yale University.

7. David, Dwyer and David, Hippie, “A Team Approach to Proficiency,” Foreign Language Annals, 21.1, 1988 Google Scholar.

8. Richard, Brecht and Ronald, Walton, National Strategic Planning in the Less Commonly Taught Languages, NFLC Occasional Papers; National Foreign Language Center, 1973 Google Scholar.

9. Unlike the CTLs, the LCTLs are prototypically: non-European; not studied in high schools and only sparingly at the collegiate level; have low enrollments; but often have supportive heritage communities.

10. According to a survey of 548 incoming freshmen at Michigan State University in 1990 “a greater understanding of the culture is a primary reason for foreign language study, not just a byproduct.” Linda, Roberts, “Attitudes of Entering University Freshmen toward Foreign Language Study,” The Modern Language Journal, 1992 76, iii: 27583 Google Scholar.

11. Bickson, T.K. and Law, S.A., Global Preparedness and Human Resources: College and Corporate Perspectives, Rand Corporation: Institute on Education and Training, 1994 Google Scholar.

12. For a treatment of cultural goals, see Dwyer, , Schleicher, , Moshi, , “Culture in the Language Classroom.” To appear in New Directions of ALTA Language Programming, John, Hutchison, ed.Google Scholar

13. The notable exception is the University of Wisconsin’s Department of African Languages and Literatures, which has provided the nation with a number of language specialists.

14. Institutions without an African NRC rarely offer African languages other than Swahili.

15. Kenneth, Prewitt. “Presidential Items,” Items, 50-1:15–18.1996 Google Scholar.