As English proficiency rises among Greenlandic students, the country’s major political parties are advocating for English to be placed on equal footing with Danish in the education system.
A Changing Linguistic Landscape in Greenland
For years, Danish has held the status of the official first foreign language in Greenland. However, this status may now be challenged. Recent academic performance data reveals that Greenland’s schoolchildren are achieving remarkable success in English, their second foreign language, while their proficiency in Danish lags behind. In a revealing set of data from the upcoming 2024 graduation exams, just over half of the students are expected to earn top scores in oral English, while fewer than 30 percent achieve the same in Danish. Alarmingly, around 30 percent of students are also failing in oral Danish, compared to only about 10 percent who struggle in oral English.
Political Perspectives on Language Education
This growing trend has not gone unnoticed by Greenland’s political landscape. The four largest political parties in Greenland have proposed an initiative to elevate English to a status that is equal to that of Danish in the Greenlandic school system. Doris Jensen, a member of the Siumut party, vocalizes this emerging consensus: “Naalakkersuisut [the Government of Greenland] has expressed a desire to prioritize English. Therefore, I believe we will see Danish and English regarded equally, as Greenland is becoming a magnet for worldwide interaction.”
Educational institutions are beginning to undergo changes reflecting this shift. Last year, Nuuk inaugurated a new school named Atuarfik Inussuk, which the Danish royal family visited during the summer. Such developments underline the growing recognition of the importance of English education.
Concerns Over Danish Proficiency
Jens NapãtôK, a school teacher and candidate for the Naleraq party, observes the reluctance of students to engage with Danish, stating, “Children do not want to speak Danish. That’s the problem. They want to speak English.” This sentiment reflects a broader societal transformation, as in the past five years, the use of English among young Greenrlanders has notably increased in daily interactions.
Naja Trondhjem, a lecturer in Greenlandic and Arctic Studies at the University of Copenhagen, has witnessed this transformation firsthand. She notes, “Five years ago, there weren’t nearly as many people speaking English on the buses, but now I can observe young people conversing in English with each other, and even small children are speaking English.” This trend, according to Trondhjem, is indicative of a larger cultural shift wherein English is rapidly becoming embedded in daily life.
Striking a Balance Between Languages
Despite the growing dominance of English, some educators stress the importance of maintaining and strengthening the Greenlandic language. Mimi Karlsen, a Greenlandic language teacher and candidate for the Inuit Ataqatigiit party, emphasizes the need to support indigenous language learning while also promoting English. “English and Danish share roots in European languages and should ideally complement one another,” she asserts. “By elevating their status, I believe children can learn both languages concurrently.”
Karlsen’s views are reinforced by research that shows a powerful connection between proficiency in one’s mother tongue and the ability to learn additional languages. We know that the stronger one’s native language is, the easier it becomes to acquire other languages, she adds.
Historical Context and Current Trends
Historically, Greenland has experienced shifts in language use, reminiscent of the current English language trend. Trondhjem draws parallels to the Danish language evolution observed in the 1970s when many Greenlanders returned after education in Denmark and began to prioritize Danish in their households. “Many of them taught their children Danish rather than Greenlandic, especially in the Nuuk area, where young people began to speak solely Danish,” she explains. “Today, we are witnessing a similar phenomenon with English.”
In Greenland, most schoolchildren start learning Danish in the first grade, with English lessons commencing in the fourth grade. Yet despite having more classes allocated for Danish, students self-assess their English proficiency as higher. A 2022 school survey revealed that 26 percent of students believe they speak English well, while only 18 percent feel the same about their Danish skills.
These findings have led stakeholders like NapãtôK to advocate for a reduction in Danish lessons to prioritize English. “I have taught children who are reluctant to learn Danish but are eager to speak and learn English. Therefore, I believe we should shape their future based on their aspirations,” he argues.
The Importance of Early Language Learning
Anna Wangenheim, a candidate from the Demokraatit party, supports the idea of introducing English lessons earlier in the school curriculum but firmly believes in keeping Danish as a part of education. “We still have a historical connection to Denmark as well as a relationship between Danes and Greenlanders. It would be unfortunate to phase out that knowledge and learning that travels both ways,” she asserts.
These discussions reflect a broader recognition among educational policymakers of the necessity to adapt to global language trends while also preserving Greenlandic cultural identity. The evolution of language in education highlights the need for effective strategies that balance global language skills with local heritage.
In Greenland’s pursuit of linguistic evolution, there exists a delicate interplay between embracing English as a means of global engagement and preserving the unique cultural tapestry defined by the Greenlandic language. The future of language instruction in Greenland will undoubtedly shape the nation’s identity as it navigates an increasingly interconnected world.
