language

Language transcends borders. That’s why I began studying Arabic six years ago.

But when I met with female activists in a café in Fez yesterday, we used three (plus) languages to discuss challenges facing youth in Morocco. I asked questions in classical Arabic or fus-ha, and they answered in French with interludes in the local Moroccan dialect — an amalgam of Berber, fus-ha, and French. I summarized in fus-ha what I had pieced together, and they confirmed my accuracy with nods and giggles.

Despite its varying definitions and conceptualizations, most academics, students and educators agree that one of the core components of international education is second language learning.  Today’s students do not want for opportunities and motivation, as most universities and even some secondary schools move beyond the seemingly standard French-and-Spanish offerings to include Chinese, Russian, Arabic, and other critical languages.  University students are faced with an overwhelming number of overseas language programs, offered in a dizzying array of lengths, locations,