RADIO TEACHES FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 34, 3 February 1939, Page 39

RADIO TEACHES FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Study of Portueuese and Spanish Stimulated by NBC Shortwave Broadcasts te Latm America JNTEREST in the other Americas, as stressed im President Roosevelt’s "Good Neighbour" policy and other features of the campaign of Pan-Amevicanism, Peace and Solidarity of the Western Hemisphere, has greatly stimulated the study of Spanish and Portuguese .in the United States.

"RECENTLY, a large school of languages with branches all over the world reported that in the last few months the number of its students of Spanish and Portuguese had doubled. The National Broadcasting Company’s extensive shortwave vroadeasts in foreign languages are providing a valuable adjunct to foreign language study in universities and schools in various parts of the United States. The pro grammes transmitted by the NBC shortwave stations W3XAL ani W2aXL are being designated as supplementary study to the rezulaz _ eourses in Spanish and Portuguese in particular, as a means of ac quainting the students with the pure accents and diction of the languages as used in these broad: casts. The students of several Ameriean universities listen regularly to the Spanish and Portuguese hours, while at North Carolina University and others the Spanish broadcasts ere supplementary study. A language teacher in a school at Charleston, South Carolina, described the value of the NBC programmes as follows: "The news tulletins are the very best kind of material for aural training. I have told all my students of these programmes and urged them to listen in." Undoubtedly tue English and other language hours’ will prove equally useful to Latin American students of foreign languages, and inasmuch as these programines are seasoned with the best musical selections and consist of highly ertertaining features, the more agree: able it is for the students to lear: while being amused. it is also interesting to note that fn a move to bring about between the people of the Americas still greater understanding and acquaintance, the National Broadcasting Company has sent two foreign larguage announcers of its International Division on an extensive tour of the United States to make 2 series of on-the-spot recorded programmes of American activity. hese recordings will later be roadeast to the Americas in 2 vesular series of programmes over WBC’s shortwave stations W3XAL and W38xXL. The two announcers assigned to this interesting expedition are Fernando de Sa and John Alfred Barrett. They will make recordings in Portuguese and Spanish, respectively, of the vast American business, social and industrial scene. they will visit automobile plants, steel mills, glass works, mining operations, stockyards and packing houses, the Hollywood movie lots, the opening of Congress and other places, De Sa was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and received his priinary and high school education in that country. From 1928 to 1934 he attended Baylor University at Waco, Texas, and Simmons University at Abilene. He later studied medicine at the Parana State University in Brazil, Barrett was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, the son of an American missionary. After graduating from the Ponce High School, Bar.

rett entered the University of North Carolina, where he received his B.A. in 1935, and his M.A. in 1938. While studying for the latter degree he taught Spanish. Both De Sa and Barrett are well known to the NBC shortwave listeners in the Americas. De Sa has been announcing NBC pro grammes in Portuguese for more than a year. Barrett is heard each Sunday in his philatelic talk in Spanish, and also daily during the English hour, from 10.0 to 11 p.m., E.S.T. Fernando de Sa has visited most of the South American countries and also the Orient. In the Philippine Islands he joined an expedition to the upper Yangtse River in China, in which eight members perished. De Sa is also an aviator with more than 230 flight hours.