Video Librarian
Recommended “Makes a convincing case for immersion schools”
George Mason University | Virginia Collier & Wayne Thomas, Professors Emeriti, Bilingual, Multicultural & ESL Education
"This exquisite film gets right to the heart of issues surrounding languages in the U.S."
St. John's University School of Law | Rosemary C. Salomone, Kenneth Wang Professor of Law
"I plan to show the film to the students enrolled in my Children and the Law Seminar which generally covers children's rights including the right to education."
Northern Arizona University | Cyndriel Meimban, Instructor, Program in Intensive English
"Love how it captures 'in action' many language theories/concepts we discuss in academia."
Spokane Falls Community College | Lilibeydy Manrique, Spanish Teacher
"Good argument and very touching through the particular situations of each family. A powerful documentary."
Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College | Suzanne Mealing, Head of English
“As a language teacher, I know how language learning enhances cognitive development. I despair at the paranoia about foreign languages conveyed by some Americans in the film---a similar attitude often prevails in Australia.”
Miami University | Leighton Peterson, Associate Professor of Anthropology
“This is a wonderful film about some very important issues on language, education, and America's relationship with 'foreign' languages. A must see!”
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages | Brett Lovejoy, Executive Director
“Provides valuable insight into the issues and challenges that schools across America are facing.”
Rafael Hernandez Two-Way Bilingual K-8 School | Margarita Amy
"Fantastic documentary. Thoughtful, insightful and brave. Bravo!"
San Francisco Unified School District | Junko Tanaka
"Glad to see this film. We need something to educate parents and administrators how important a language program is, and this is a wonderful tool to send the message."
San Francisco Public Schools | Francisca Sanchez, Associate Superintendent
“Offers a powerful vision of what bilingualism looks like.”
Minnesota Dept. of Education | Janice Holter Kittok, World Languages Coordinator
“I passed it along to several district contacts and organizations. Congratulations. It’s a wonderful piece – a great story that sparks great discussion.”
New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers | Diana Zuckerman
"Great news for New Paltz---at the Board of Education meeting after the Speaking in Tongues...the New Paltz School Board stated that they are going to put their full early language program back in the budget!"
Hopi Tribe | Leroy Shingoitew, Hopi Tribal Chairman
“Speaking in Tongues shows that learning another language does not get in the way of learning English. In fact, knowing their native tongue helps our students to learn other languages effectively.”
Six Nations of the Grand River | M.M.
"This film has given me direction and hope in seeing what can be accomplished. I want to share this with my community, Six Nations of the Grand River. My language is Onondaga and is on the verge of extinction, I cannot speak it...I think this film would show what it is possible."
Asia Pacific Arts | Christine Chiao
"This vision (the one of Speaking in Tongues) of Americans as globalized denizens is timely and empowering, when one of the worst economic downturns in the United States has called for innovation at every level."
San Francisco Film Society | Graham Leggat, Executive Director
"A lively, smart & timely film about the new globalized world."
New Jersey Network | Andre Butts, Program Director
"Learning multiple languages is a current topic in NJ as an education and political issue and in CEO circles that seek 'world class' employees."
Old School Reviews
"It's simply not logical to attempt to teach college students beginning courses in Mandarin, Cantonese, or Arabic. We should be doing this before the age of 13, as all the linguistic research indicates. Children are like sponges before puberty and will absorb whatever language surrounds them; we do them a disservice by exposing them to only one languages. Speaking in Tongues strongly presents the case for multi-language learning and inspires a positive solution to lackluster school system achievement."
The Detroit News
"fascinating."
NorthWest Film Forum
"A story about human aspirations and how language divides and combines…really moving.”
Spanglish Baby
“Engaging and eye-opening. If there ever were any doubts regarding the benefits of bilingualism, Speaking in Tongues should do away with them...a must-see documentary.”
Professor Piggington's Econo-Almnac for the Landed Poor
"I enjoyed watching this documentary last night. Highly recommended. With all the controversy over immigration and English only language, it's good to see that some parents are sending their kids to bilingual schools. In the film there was one guy who said that America is the most linguistically rich country in the world. Why would we want to obliterate all that knowledge by teaching English only?"
Kathy Wheeler, middle school French teacher | Gwinnett County, GA
“I have shown it to my 6th graders.…I teach French, and they wanted to know why there was no French. Once we got past that, which didn't take long, I didn't hear a peep---they were fascinated.”
Mehwish Arif | NED University of Engineering and Technology, Pakistan
"The movie has objectively dealt with the problems, resistance, and possible solutions in dealing with the social response to multilingual literacies and its propagation."
