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Media and Press

Bonjour, cerveza, grazie: How we learn a language quickly before vacation

Dr. Rebecca Carroll answers questions about learning a language before vacation, a trip around the world, or in general. This radio interview by Deutschlandfunk Nova was recorded in German:

Bonjour, cerveza, grazie: Wie wir schnell für den Urlaub Sprachen lernen. Deutschlandfunk Nova, September 15, 2023.

2023 European Day of Languages

On the occasion of the „European Day of Languages“ on Sep 26, Prof. Holger Hopp talks about the role of multilingualism and the relevance of linguistic diversity in Europe in the Alumniportal:

https://www.alumniportal-deutschland.org/de/magazin/wissenschaft-forschung/mit-sprachen-die-welt-verstehen

2022's best foreign language learning study published in an international journal

Prof. Dr. Holger Hopp together with Dr. Dieter Thoma from the University of Mannheim were awarded the 2022 Paul Pimsleur Award for the best foreign language learning study published in an international journal by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

The prize is for their study published in the Modern Language Journal, where both researchers showed that targeted grammatical comparisons with other languages lead to significant learning gains in the teaching of English to primary school children. In other words, children develop a better understanding of English grammar when the teacher addresses similarities with and differences from other languages in the classroom. The study was conducted as part of a BMBF-funded project on multilingualism in English acquisition in elementary school (MEG-SKoRE).

Based in the U.S., ACTFL brings together more than 13,000 language teachers and representatives from government and industry. The organization's goal is to improve and expand the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of instruction.

The Paul Pimsleur Award includes a monetary prize of $500 and was presented in Boston on November 20.

Foreign languages in kindergarten?

There is a continuing trend to introduce foreign languages already in kindergarten. In an article in the German daily Welt on July 13, 2019, Holger Hopp discusses advantages of an early start and lists important quality aspects:

https://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/karriere/bildung/plus196786603/Englisch-in-der-Kita-Wie-Kleinkinder-richtig-Fremdsprachen-lernen.html

PDF

Scrapping foreign languages in primary schools?

The chair of the German Committee of Culture Secretaries (Kultusministerkonferenz), Alexander Lorz (CDU), suggests giving up teaching foreign languages in primary schools to make more time available for German tuition. In an interview with national public radio Deutschlandfunk on February 1, 2019, Holger Hopp says that such a move will not automatically boost German skills of students:

https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/streit-um-sprachen-in-der-grundschule.680.de.html?dram:article_id=439973

Early English at primary schools

In the German state of Baden-Württemberg, the start of foreign-language instruction was moved back from first to third grade in primary schools in 2018. From a linguistic perspective, Prof. Hopp voices concerns about this policy decision:

www.focus.de/regional/baden-wuerttemberg/schulen-fremdsprache-und-deutsch-nicht-gegeneinander-ausspielen_id_9520131.html

www.news4teachers.de/2018/09/debatte-an-der-fremdsprache-in-der-grundschule-scheiden-sich-die-geister/

Is multilingualism becoming more important?

Many experts used to view raising children bilingually with skepticism. Lots of research has shown, however, that multilingualism bears many advantages. Bilingual children are more empathic and creative. In a programme on national German radio Deutschlandfunk from March 2, 2018, Holger Hopp discusses multilingualism from a linguistic perspective:

http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/die-welt-besser-verstehen-wird-mehrsprachigkeit-immer.1176.de.html?dram:article_id=412049

Advantages of multilingualism

More and more studies show that learning several languages does not just come with communicative benefits but also leads to cognitive and social advantages. In the German weekly Welt am Sonntag from 10.4.2016, several experts, including Holger Hopp, map out the benefits of multilingualism:

http://www.welt.de/print/wams/wissen/article154174951/Die-Schlausprecher.html

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