The word "foreign" has a lot of weight and can mean many things. One connotation is that if you are foreign you are from the outside, you don't belong, you don't have the same rights as others, etc.  

The use of "world" languages is much more inclusive and does not aim, intentionally or not, to exclude anyone. 

I have often been reminded that the Spanish language, in particular, is not foreign to the US. It has been used longer than English in some parts of the US, a country that doesn't have an official language. To refer to it as "foreign" is to use a 100 year old model, one that I believe we have moved beyond. 

Kathleen Morgan
Telluride CO




 --- On Wed 09/27, Kearney Lykins < kearney_lykins at yahoo.com > wrote:
From: Kearney Lykins [mailto: kearney_lykins at yahoo.com]
To: englishlanguage at nifl.gov
Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 14:11:24 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 722] Re: looking at our language

Sarah, <br><br>Re: Your suggestion that "we talk about world<br>languages rather than foreign languages."<br><br>Why?<br><br>Kearney Lykins<br><br>--- Sarah Beaman-Jones <sbeaman at webster.edu> wrote:<br><br>> As we develop our discussion about languages, I<br>> would like to pass on <br>> an insight from my grandson's school principal.  He<br>> suggests we talk <br>> about world languages rather than foreign languages.<br>> -- <br>> Sarah Beaman-Jones<br>> Literacy Program Developer<br>> LIFT-Missouri<br>> 815 Olive Street, Suite 22<br>> St. Louis, MO 63101<br>> 1-800-729-4443<br>> 1-314-678-4443 x206<br>> 1-314-678-2938 [fax]<br>> http://lift-missouri.org<br>> ----------------------------------------------------<br>> National Institute for Literacy<br>> Adult English Language Learners mailing list<br>> EnglishLanguage at nifl.gov<br>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings,<br>> please go to<br>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/englishlanguage<br>> 
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