AFMLTA

Languages at Home Are an Asset, Not a Barrier.

Recent commentary suggesting that speaking languages other than English at home damages English development deserves a response grounded in evidence, not assumption.

Australia already collects one of the most significant datasets on literacy achievement through NAPLAN. Every year, students are assessed in English literacy across Reading, Writing, Spelling, and Grammar & Punctuation in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.

And year after year, one pattern has remained remarkably consistent: students from language backgrounds other than English are outperforming monolingual students in every domain and every year level, and this should not surprise us!

Research across language education, literacy and cognition has long shown that developing and using more than one language strengthens metalinguistic awareness, supports literacy transfer, builds cognitive flexibility, and contributes positively across learning areas including literacy and numeracy. Research in plurilingual and pluricultural education also points to broader outcomes including perspective-taking, empathy and intercultural understanding.

Speaking another language at home is not a barrier to English. Children do not have a fixed capacity for language where one language pushes another out. Languages interact, strengthen one another, and expand how learners make meaning and engage with the world. Plurilingual approaches recognise that individuals draw on their full linguistic repertoire rather than developing separate, competing language systems.And beyond the evidence, there is a larger question.

What future are we imagining for Australia?

A nation built by First Nations peoples and generations of migration cannot realistically or productively aspire to monoculture. Our prosperity, diplomacy, innovation and social cohesion depend on people who can communicate across languages, contexts and cultures.

The languages spoken in Australian homes are not a problem to solve. They are one of Australia’s greatest strengths.

For those interested, you are encouraged to read BABEL and revisit the National Languages Plan and Strategy developed by AFMLTA and commissioned by the Australian Government. https://afmlta.asn.au/babel/

https://nlps.afmlta.asn.au/

AFMLTA | Plan & Strategy The former Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment engaged the Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations (AFMLTA) to undertake this project with key stakeholders, nationally.