Rationale for learning languages

Learning languages is about communicating with people across cultures 

Learning an additional language allows students to engage in effective communication within and across cultures. They expand their own world and open up new possibilities for personal development, learning, and employment pathways. 

The ability to communicate in an additional language is a rewarding experience. It makes it possible for students to establish relationships and make connections with people from other cultures within and outside of Aotearoa New Zealand. It enables them to read, understand, and produce another language in order to participate in and reflect on other societies, and to travel, study, and work in language communities here and in other countries. 

Proficiency in communication to meet a range of needs is the main goal of all language learning. While this draws from knowledge of the linguistic building blocks of a language, the primary focus is on communication, rather than on linguistic accuracy. 

Ultimately, communication in an additional language is the future-focused prerequisite for intercultural understanding and global citizenship. 

Every language expresses meaning through unique spoken, written, and visual forms 

Languages create and represent meaning by employing unique systems of linguistic building blocks – be they oral features, vocabulary, grammar, or syntax – that give rise to endless possibilities for expression and exchange. They are also repositories of the historical and cultural aspects of the language. 

Students who learn another language get to explore its unique linguistic workings by comparing and contrasting it with their own language. They learn how speakers adjust their language when negotiating meaning in different contexts and for different purposes, and how different types of text are organised. This helps them, over time, to communicate with greater clarity, creativity, and confidence. 

By exploring both the similarities and differences between languages, students will build an increasing understanding of how linguistic elements work together as they develop their linguistic proficiency in the language they are learning. 

Language, culture, and identity are inextricably linked 

Language and culture continuously evolve together, influencing one another in the process. Language encodes culture and provides the means through which culture is shared and passed from one generation to the next – contributing to a sense of personal, community, and national identity. 

Learning an additional language gives students the richest possible access to another culture because it enables them to communicate with the people who live it, and allows them to explore the authentic spoken and written expressions of it. In that way, they gain an understanding of that culture which provides a strong foundation for intercultural respect and acceptance as well as an appreciation for the diversity that all cultures encompass. 

Equally, students gain an insight into how their own 'cultural lens' shapes their perceptions and ways of doing things. This helps to deconstruct cultural stereotypes. It moves language learners away from automatically defaulting to a particular culture, and helps towards honouring tangata whenua and the multicultural nature of modern Aotearoa New Zealand. It allows them to appreciate the rich knowledge each individual brings to the learning environment. 

Learning more than one language encourages diverse ways of thinking 

“Another language opens up a whole new window on the world. It might be small and difficult to see through at first, but it gives you a different perspective, and it might make you realise that your first window could do with a bit of polishing and even enlarging."
- Hone Tuwhare, Die deutsche Sprache und ich, NZCTE, Goethe-Institut, circa 1997. 

As the quote above indicates, language and thought are intricately intertwined and impact one another. Our language(s) can direct our thoughts and influence our perspectives without us always being aware of it. Therefore, engaging with another language gives us new metacognitive tools to think about languages as systems. 

Learning an additional language allows students to compare and contrast their own language(s) and thinking with those of other cultures, gaining a deeper insight into how languages convey ideas. This equips them with the tools necessary to navigate between them. 

Furthermore, the ability to critically examine diverse cultural and personal points of view, which is facilitated by developing proficiency in another language, is an invaluable skill in our increasingly diverse and globally connected world. 

Language learning is an empowering process that requires risk-taking and fosters resilience and perseverance 

Acquiring an additional language is a process that requires regular commitment, practice, and repetition. It fosters perseverance and allows students to take ownership of their own learning. 

Language learning also builds resilience because students continually negotiate situations with emerging communicative competence and take the risk of being misunderstood. This encourages them to reframe 'mistakes' as rich opportunities for learning and development. It will give them the confidence to seek out opportunities to use another language outside of the classroom, where language learning truly flourishes. 

Students are made aware of the processes of language acquisition and gain some insight into the most helpful strategies for progression. This can include pattern recognition, trial and error, techniques to memorise vocabulary, and the effective use of tools like dictionaries, verb conjugators, and digital translators. Students are encouraged to find modes of learning that work best for them and to begin thinking like a linguist.