This course exists to expose students to the ‘miracle of language’ and to some of the world’s western and eastern cultural expressions.  Students will be asked to look at the roots of English, compare languages with one another, and become more aware of signs, symbols, and non-verbal communication.  Geography, history, attitudes, immigration, humor, food, gestures, and film will all be used to highlight the many cultures studied in this one year course.  With successful completion of the class, Ryken students will be able to waive the school’s required third year of a single foreign language.

At the end of this course, a student will be able to…

1. Answer basic questions in Esperanto, Latin, French, Italian, German, and Hebrew.
2. Address issues confronting minority groups in Montgomery County.
3. Speak intelligently of the impact of languages on present-day English, as well as master vocabulary and expressions ‘borrowed’ into English.
4. Describe the influence of immigration on American society.
5. Develop good study habits for future use in meeting Good Counsel’s foreign language curriculum goals.
6. Appreciate the ethnic diversity of the Washington metropolitan area.
7. Show how animals and humans communicate.
8. Speak about the history of English.
9. Apply knowledge gained in this course to other areas of the Good Counsel curriculum, notably Social Studies and English.

Teacher presentation; film; reports and reading assignments; group discussion; student presentations.

50% of grade: tests, quizzes, projects, presentations

50%: homework/classwork; master notebook

Handouts, readings, video, and student-generated notebooks

September/October: General Language Exploration; Signs and Symbols; Latin

1. The nature of  language
2. Artificial communication
3. How the animal kingdom conveys meaning
4. The world’s top primary and secondary languages
5. The story of English
6. Indo-European languages
7. Signs, symbols, logos, flags, semaphores, heraldry
8. Hobo language
9. Communication by fan
10. American Sign Language
11. Braille
12. Codes and ciphers (Morse,  Navajo ‘Windtalkers,’ cryptography)
13. Light, color, scent, territory, ‘eye talk’ and sound
14. World alphabets
15. Elements of Esperanto
16. Variations of American English
17. Australian, British, period and regional American slang
18. Language games
19. Dying languages
20. Mime and comparative gestures
21. Cultural roots and histories of class members
22. Distinguished linguists
23. Formation of surnames
24. History of writing
25. Elements of Latin

November/December: Latin and French

1. Latin roots and prefixes
2. Roman institutions, lifestyles, and amusements: foods, superstitions, names, education, gladiators
3. Mottoes and phrases
4. Latin in a religious context
5. Roman numerals and writing
6. Latin abbreviations
7. An introduction to adjectives and personal description
8. Basic expressions in French: greetings, numbers, alphabet and sounds, time, days
9. Borrowed words from French
10. The French experience in Maryland and in North America
11. Worldwide ‘Francophonie’
12. Geography and basic political information
13. French gestures and symbols
14. Videos: Paris, New Orleans, Cajuns

15.   Foods and drinks

December/January: Italian

1. Basic expressions in Italian – greetings, objects, alphabet and sounds, numbers, time, days, weather, adjectives
2. Borrowed words from Italian
3. Foods
4. Italian immigration to America: films and research
5. Mammones, famiglia, and other cultural concepts

January: Italian II

1. Reports on Italian Americans
2. Continuation of cultural films; excerpts from Benigni’s La Vita è bella
3. Introduction to Italian composition

February/March: German and Hebrew

1. Basic expressions in German – greetings, alphabet and sounds, numbers, time, days, adjectives, exclamations
2. Borrowed words from German
3. English as a Germanic branch of the Indo-European language tree
4. German-speaking countries: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein
5. Foods
6. German immigration to America: films and research
7. Fasching, the German Mardi Gras
8. Composition
9. Basic expressions in Hebrew
10. Borrowed words from Hebrew
11. Passover rituals and other holy days
12. Jewish foods
13. Basics of alphabet and writing
14. Time and calendar in the Hebrew world
15. Jewish roots and groups
16. Yiddish: its origins and influence on English
17. Film portrayals of the Jewish people

April/May: Greek Roots, Asian Cultures, Montgomery County’s Latino and Asian Character

1. Greek roots, prefixes, and suffixes
2. Asian immigration to America: Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Filipinos
3. Borrowed words
4. Personalities and concepts: Yo Yo Ma, Maya Lin, Pearl Buck, kung fu, t’ai chi, ‘paper sons, Gam Saan, wa, ma, etc.
5. Japanese language and culture
   1. basic expressions
   2. film
   3. social structure
   4. education
   5. holidays and festivals
   6. death and mourning
   7. leisure and sports
   8. music and dance
   9. foods
   10. body language
   11. Japanese influence on American baseball today
   12. lucky and unlucky numbers; other superstitions
   13. calendar
   14. bathing

6. Readings: Chinese New Year, workaholism, etc.

Semester testing: a multi-part evaluation involving reading, composition, research, a project, and aspects of Japanese culture