Spring Break
Portuguese newest language offered at NT
Candice Lindsey
Issue date: 10/8/08 Section: NEWS
Previously, students had 10 languages to choose from at NT - now they have 11. Portuguese was added this fall after student interest and some open cash in the 2008 budget allowed it to get on the schedule.
The department of foreign languages and literatures tried to add Portuguese to its roster in the past, but an official said there was never enough money to cover its costs.
Marie-Christine Koop, chairwoman of the department, said enrollment in the new class is higher than expected.
"Sometimes when we start offering a new language, enrollment is moderate," she said. "But for Portuguese, the class is practically full."
Ralph Niebuhr of the Portuguese faculty said he was excited when he heard about the possibility of the language being taught at NT.
"I was taking graduate classes here at NT when I heard the foreign language department was considering Portuguese," he said. "I have a masters degree in Portuguese, so when I heard, I immediately became interested. I went to Dr. Koop and asked for the job."
The language is now the seventh most widely spoken in the world and is the mother-tongue of more than 200 million people, according to Portugal's Web site.
"Any student can minor in Portuguese," Niebuhr said. "Offering it as a minor helps reinforce the foreign language department."
Niebuhr said that students enrolled in Latin American Studies have an added advantage as candidates for employment or graduate studies.
He also said that students majoring in Spanish would also benefit from it. When visiting Brazil, he said, Portuguese is the native language. But travel north to Argentina, and the student will encounter Spanish. Both languages are becoming increasingly essential for business, studying and traveling through Latin America, he said.
Niebuhr said he encourages his students to "develop an ability in the language competent enough to use the language here in the States."
He said his main goal is to encourage his students to go to Brazil.
"It's a beautiful country," he said. "I encourage all of my students to take what they've learned and enjoy the country, its people and the language."
The course is expected to grow next semester. Two sections will be offered and a third is being considered.
Koop said she did not know the next direction the foreign language department would take.
"We do not know yet which language will be next," she said. "It will depend on student demand, the support from other programs for which a particular language would be necessary or useful and budget."
The department of foreign languages and literatures tried to add Portuguese to its roster in the past, but an official said there was never enough money to cover its costs.
Marie-Christine Koop, chairwoman of the department, said enrollment in the new class is higher than expected.
"Sometimes when we start offering a new language, enrollment is moderate," she said. "But for Portuguese, the class is practically full."
Ralph Niebuhr of the Portuguese faculty said he was excited when he heard about the possibility of the language being taught at NT.
"I was taking graduate classes here at NT when I heard the foreign language department was considering Portuguese," he said. "I have a masters degree in Portuguese, so when I heard, I immediately became interested. I went to Dr. Koop and asked for the job."
The language is now the seventh most widely spoken in the world and is the mother-tongue of more than 200 million people, according to Portugal's Web site.
"Any student can minor in Portuguese," Niebuhr said. "Offering it as a minor helps reinforce the foreign language department."
Niebuhr said that students enrolled in Latin American Studies have an added advantage as candidates for employment or graduate studies.
He also said that students majoring in Spanish would also benefit from it. When visiting Brazil, he said, Portuguese is the native language. But travel north to Argentina, and the student will encounter Spanish. Both languages are becoming increasingly essential for business, studying and traveling through Latin America, he said.
Niebuhr said he encourages his students to "develop an ability in the language competent enough to use the language here in the States."
He said his main goal is to encourage his students to go to Brazil.
"It's a beautiful country," he said. "I encourage all of my students to take what they've learned and enjoy the country, its people and the language."
The course is expected to grow next semester. Two sections will be offered and a third is being considered.
Koop said she did not know the next direction the foreign language department would take.
"We do not know yet which language will be next," she said. "It will depend on student demand, the support from other programs for which a particular language would be necessary or useful and budget."
Be the first to comment on this story