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Foreign Language Learning: An Econometric Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Victor Ginsburgh
  • Jacques Melitz
  • Farid Toubal
Abstract
The paper is devoted to an econometric analysis of learning foreign languages in all parts of the world. Our sample covers 193 countries and 13 important languages. Five factors significantly explain learning: the world population of native speakers of the home language, literacy, the world population of speakers of the target language, trade with foreign speakers of the target language, and the linguistic distance between the home language and the target language. All five factors affect the broad decision to learn but the last three also point to the choice of the particular language to learn. The world population of speakers of the native language discourages learning in general while literacy promotes it in general. Instead, the world population of speakers of a specific target language and trade with speakers of the specific language prompts learning of that language while the linguistic distance between the home and the foreign language discourages learning of that language. Trade may well deserve special emphasis, not only for its quantitative effect, but also because its direction can change faster and by a larger order of magnitude than the other factors. Controlling for individual acquired languages, including English, is of no particular importance.

Suggested Citation

  • Victor Ginsburgh & Jacques Melitz & Farid Toubal, 2015. "Foreign Language Learning: An Econometric Analysis," Working Papers 2015-13, CEPII research center.
    • Handle: RePEc:cii:cepidt:2015-13
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Melitz, Jacques & Toubal, Farid, 2014. "Native language, spoken language, translation and trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(2), pages 351-363.
    2. Christian Dustmann & Arthur van Soest, 2001. "Language Fluency And Earnings: Estimation With Misclassified Language Indicators," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(4), pages 663-674, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Victor Ginsburgh & Jacques Melitz & Farid Toubal, 2014. "Foreign Language Learning : An Econometric Analysis," Working Papers 2014-21, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
    2. Tamara Gurevitch & Peter R. Herman & Farid Toubal & Yoto Yotov, 2020. "One Nation, One Language? Domestic Language Diversity, Trade and Welfare," Working Papers 2020-15, CEPII research center.
    3. Jacques Melitz, 2014. "English as a Global Language," Working Papers 2014-22, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
    4. Uriarte Ayo, José Ramón, 2015. "A Game-Theoreteic Analysis of Minority Language Use in Multilingual Societies," IKERLANAK info:eu-repo/grantAgreeme, Universidad del País Vasco - Departamento de Fundamentos del Análisis Económico I.
    5. Ginsburgh, Victor & Weber, Shlomo, 2015. "Linguistic Distances and their Use in Economics," CEPR Discussion Papers 10640, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    language learning; language and trade; English as a global language; linguistic distance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • F20 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - General
    • Z00 - Other Special Topics - - General - - - General
    • J00 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - General

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