Is Learning a Foreign Language a Form of Cultural Appropriation?

Cultural appropriation has been in the spotlight lately. Whether it's white people dressing in Indigenous clothing for Halloween, young people adopting black and queer slang to be cool, or partaking in sacred religious ceremonies for Instagram likes, we've had to examine who we are and what we do.

So, is learning a foreign language a form of cultural appropriation?

On the one hand, learning a foreign language bridges cultural barriers and helps us understand diverse viewpoints. On the other, learning a foreign language isolates it from its native speakers and fools learners into adopting ways of speaking that are inauthentic to their experience and context. In the video, we examine both arguments.

0:00 Introduction
0:14 What is Cultural Appropriation?
0:53 Language Learning IS Cultural Appropriation
2:59 Language Learning is NOT Cultural Appropriation
4:40 The Verdict
6:01 How to Avoid Cultural Appropriation

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