Thriving Linguistically in the face of the Covid 19 Pandemic: Foreign Language Apps

• In Event: International linguistic experiences

Proposal

Introduction
The COVID -19 pandemic wreaked global havoc in all spheres of life in 2020 and 2021. The education sphere bore a sizable chunk of the detrimental effects of the pandemic, with over 1.5 billion students out of their learning institutions abruptly. Parents in certain parts of the world had to make frantic adjustments to their already disrupted work schedules to assist their children with online learning as many schools resorted to remote instructions. On the other hand, parents from many low-income families and countries watched helplessly as their children's learning came to an indefinite halt due to the existing gaping global digital divide in education worldwide (Carney, 2020; World Economic Forum, 2020).
With many global citizens' new year's resolutions irredeemably disrupted in early 2020 due to the global lockdowns, some resorted to learning Foreign Languages (FL) using different FL Apps such as Duolingo and Babble, among others. Scholars associate the learning of FL with many benefits, which are crucial in enabling the learners to overcome the psycho-socioeconomic effects and disruptions that the pandemic occasioned. Furthermore, learning FLs through these Apps might have inadvertently accelerated intercultural competence, a vital 21st-century skill, among learners. In particular, higher education learning institutions might have benefitted immensely in their efforts to internationalize through intercultural competence. This paper will explore the contribution of language apps in enabling global citizens to remain connected, informed, and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic (Carney, 2020; McMunn, 2015; U.S. Department of Education, 2012).
Foreign languages and global citizenship
Scholars have identified the 21st-century realities for which educators should empower their learners to confront upon their graduation. Among these realities is the intricately connected and knowledge-driven global economy. This reality has led the international business community to increasingly make a compelling case for the need to have bi and multilingual employees for the sake of their target clients. Another reality is that global challenges increasingly require concerted efforts from all global citizens to address. The COVID-19 pandemic is a perfect example of such. The pandemic led to an explosion of health-related alerts, signages, announcements, terminologies, and literature that needed to be precisely translated into multiple world languages to arrest its horrifying spread effectively. Scholars had already lauded the effectiveness of having linguistic and cultural competence of the afflicted populations for the success of any interventions such as the ones needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Another 21st-century reality that has been identified relates to national security and diplomacy. Scholars have advocated for a universal holistic education that would expose the learners to current technologies to make them more conversant with domestic and global affairs. FLs, among other multidisciplinary courses, are particularly thought to be major enablers in equipping learners with the skills they require to grapple with this reality. Finally, the ever-increasing diversity both domestically and globally is considered enough motivation to compel global citizens to learn about their fellow global citizens' languages and cultures. Such knowledge, scholars argue, would enhance peaceful coexistence among them (42 Matters, 2021; Cantu, 2013; Haigh, 2014; Peterson & Helms, 2013; Sacco, 2014; Singmaster et al., 2014; U.S. Department of Education, 2012).
Research questions
This paper will seek to respond to the following questions.
i. Which were the leading language apps during the COVID-19 pandemic as indicated by the number of downloads?
ii. What FLs were most popular during the pandemic?
iii. What factors motivated the global citizens to learn FLs during the pandemic?
iv. How effective were the language apps in developing/enhancing their users' linguistic and cultural proficiencies?
Theoretical framework
My study will be anchored on Deardorff's (2006) intercultural competence framework, which defines intercultural competence as "effective and appropriate communication and behavior in an intercultural situation."
Methodology
This study will utilize secondary data from online articles, blogs, and global newsletters. I expect to obtain data regarding different popular language apps during the pandemic from different parts of the world, languages offered on such language apps, the number of learners who used or sought to use them based on the number of downloads each app registered during the pandemic, and most importantly, the effectiveness of these apps in enhancing the learners' linguistic and cultural proficiencies in their respective FLs. Establishing the learners' proficiencies is imperative since proficiency in FLs has the potential to have a far-reaching impact on the learners' academic and career goals. Furthermore, since FLs and their cultures are intertwined, it might be possible to assess the effectiveness of such tools in enhancing intercultural competence, which could go a long way towards fostering global citizenship (42 Matters, 2021).

Author

• Peter Mwangi, Northwestern University