When students learn a foreign language its highly likely that they’ll have a listen at some point to the national anthem of the country they’re studying.
Though it was a long time ago, I clearly remember the hilarity that went on in my high school classroom when we were played the French national anthem for the first time. We almost fell off our chairs laughing at the rousing epic. Not exactly the response our French teacher had hoped for, even from a bunch of gawky teenagers like us.
Of course, when I’d grown up a bit I realised why our teacher had wanted us to appreciate La Marseillaise. Because when you learn a foreign language it’s really helpful to have some context behind your studies.
National anthems provide that context. They reference the culture, history and identity of the country they represent. As such, it’s perfectly understandable why national anthems have become integral to major sporting events. Because they unite people and arouse feelings of national pride.
How to make best use of National Anthem Day, 3rd March 2021
If you’re already taking language lessons, or if it’s on your radar to learn a foreign language, National Anthem Day on 3rd March is a great opportunity for some educational fun.
Here’s a few quick and easy exercises suggested by Days of the Year that you can do from home –
- Research what your chosen country’s national anthem is.
- Listen to the national anthem.
- Learn about the national anthem and its history.
- Find out how and when the national anthem is sung.
- Look closely at the words of the national anthem, including the words of any hidden verses that aren’t usually sung in public. (Both God Save the Queen and the Star-Spangled Banner contain hidden verses.)
Entertainment Warning: There’s approximately 200 national anthems around the world. Amongst these there’s likely to be some you’ll find as silly as my teenage classmates and I did. But isn’t that part of the fun? It’s also part of the learning process, too.
Also expect a few curveballs. Some countries, including Denmark and New Zealand, have two national anthems. And some national anthems, most notably Spain but also Bosnia and Herzogovina, Kosova and San Marino, are primarily instrumental compositions without any official words.
When you learn a foreign language at award winning La Academia, you’ll experience firsthand that we believe in making learning fun. So whet your vocal chords… “Allons enfants de la patrie, le jour de gloire est arrive!”… “Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit, für das deutsche Vaterland!”… etc, etc.
Source
Days of the Year, National Anthem Day https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/national-anthem-day/