Title: Title VI and America’s Foreign Language Development since WWII

Abstract: Title VI, originating from the National Defense Education Act of 1958, for the first time placed a strategy of US foreign language development in the form of federal legislation in the history of the United States. This Act has opened up and established three major traditions for America’s foreign language education strategy: Firstly, the federal government has worked closely with major universities to jointly cultivate the foreign language talents urgently needed. The government focused on language planning and funding, and the universities focused on talent training and scientific research; Secendly, to highlight the strategy of training “foreign area experts” through the education model of language and area studies; and finally, is the strategic layout of “critical languages”.

Keywords: Title VI, foreign area experts, critical languages

Author: Huafeng Xiao, Professor, Center for American Studies, Foreign Studies College, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China.