The New Zealand Herald News reports on the problem of English monolingualism for New Zealand, including economic disadvantage and lack of international competency and responsiveness. New Zealand academic Associate Professor Sharon Harvey says multilingualism is more important than ever in today's globalised world, but New Zealand is showing worrying signs of falling behind, as the number of students learning languages in schools continues to fall. She believes that the globalised nature of contemporary society means multilingualism is of greater social, cultural or economical value than ever before.
"It helps us stand in the shoes of the other, to develop international competency and to operate effectively in a global society," she says.
To read the full article "Monolingual Kiwis a risk to the economy" in the New Zealand Herald News click here.
If you would like to see a TV news report about this issue in Maori and English (New Zealand's co-official languages), including an interview with Associate Professor Sharon Harvey, then click here.
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