The number of traditional language programs in higher education has declined during the past 40 years, a study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Riverside concluded.
Led by Steven Brint, sociology professor and associate dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, the study looked at the number and type of institutions which offered European language degrees and later discontinued them.
The study found only 59 percent of American four-year colleges offered Romance-language majors in 2006, compared to almost 76 percent in the 1970-71 academic year, though Spanish programs have not been affected in the same way. For German language majors, the rate declined from about 44 to nearly 27 percent during the same period.
Timothy Reagan, professor of foreign language education at Central Connecticut State University, discussed reasons for the decline. He suggested the trend toward removing language requirements in universities may play a large role.
“There is a general sense in the U.S. that English is sufficient,” Reagan said. “People tend to be monolingual and assume that that is normal.”
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