Languages are inseparably linked to the social and cultural contexts in which they are used. Languages and cultures play a key role in developing our personal, group, national, and human identities.

Languages link people locally and globally. They are spoken in the community, used internationally, and play a role in shaping the world. Oral, written, and visual forms of language link us to the past and give us access to new and different streams of thought and to beliefs and cultural practices.

As students move between, and respond to, different  languages and different cultural practices, they are challenged to consider their own identities and assumptions.

Learning a new language provides a means of communicating with people from another culture and exploring one’s own personal world.