Should Our Relations with Latin America Be Reflected in Our Methods of Teaching Spanish and Portuguese

When we speak of relations among nations today we mean a great deal more than the word implied a quarter of a century ago. Formerly international relations were confined mainly to the political and economic fields. The exchange of ideas flowed primarily along these two channels. Today, because of the tremendous advances made in communications and transportation, the relations among the nations of the world have become much more complicated. As the speed of communications has reduced space and time, diverse peoples have been brought closer together, and as a result of this closer contact among the citizenry of many nations the need for fuller understanding between them arises. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in Inter-American relations. Before the late 1920's the peoples of this hemisphere knew little about each other. It is true that Pan American conferences had been held in various countries, but while these meetings had accomplished some good in political relations, they had not served to bring the average citizens together. Bankers lent money to our Latin American neighbors, but their operations were carried out in the most impersonal way. The primary interest of our merchants who shipped goods to them was in the steady flow of merchandise and profits and not in more personal relatiqns. Diplomats went from country to country, but some of them did not even know the language of the country to which they were accredited. It was only in the late 1920's that a change came about in our relations with Latin America. This change was effected mainly by the aeroplane and the radio, and, later, by the opening of the Pan American Highway to Mexico City. With faster transportation and communication our isolationism in regard to Latin America began to break down. Then came the Good Neighbor Policy, which gave direction to the feeling of intercontinental solidarity which had been fostered by better communications. Today Bill Jones, American, is able to meet personally Manuel Gonzilez, Latin American. Neither is interested in holding conferences, nor in bank loans, nor in a bill of goods, nor in the intricacies of diplomatic relations. They are interested in each other, as you are interested in the people who live in the house next door, or across the street, or at the corner of your

Brazilian Portuguese · Latin Americans · Linguistics · Political science · Portuguese · Educational Practices and Policies · History · Philosophy