Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs)

North American LCTL Course Listings

This searchable database allows people to find out where specific Less Commonly Taught Languages [LCTLs] (all human languages with the exception of English, French, German, and Spanish) are taught in North America. Be broader in your searches when you start. For example if you search on a language name AND a contact person's name, the search might miss the listing if a different person or different spelling is used.

Note: The LCTL database project no longer receives federal funding, so the database is no longer being regularly updated. We have chosen to leave the database online because many of the programs listed have been around for a long time, and we believe that the information can still be useful to those who are looking for a LCTL program in North America.

 

Search the LCTL Database


Please select a language, a state/province, and/or an institution.
You may also choose a course type or other "Advanced Search" options.   More help
  Help
If you are in doubt about the name or spelling of a language, check the "list of languages." You can search using part of a word or language name, so typing Sw will find Swahili and Swedish. A language name like "American Sign Language" is also abbreviated "ASL." You can search alternative names of languages, like "Farsi" or "Persian." We list languages as they are referred to by the institutions themselves. For example, in many institutions, Mandarin is often called just Chinese. Typing "Chinese" will find Chinese Mandarin, Chinese Cantonese, Classical Chinese, and Chinese Taiwanese. Hebrew courses may not correctly reflect the "Ancient / Biblical" or "Modern" designation. Start searching with the most general name of the language and get more specific if you need to.
    Help

You may select only one type of course:
¥ Post-Secondary (college / university)
¥ K-12 (elementary through high school)
¥ Distance (included on-line, interactive TV, and correspondence courses)
¥ Summer courses.
¥ Community (non-credit courses, Saturday schools, etc.)
¥ Abroad (programs sponsored by North American institutions, or schools abroad that offer credit to N.A. students)
¥ Immersion (programs that use the target language as the medium of instruction)
¥ Intensive (programs that make faster progress than ÔnormalÕ courses, often during a summer session)
¥ SILP (Self-instructional language program or similar, usually with a native speaker, not a professor; exams usually by administered external language experts; often an institutional member of National Association of Self Instructional Language Programs.)

 
  Help
Select from the dropdown menu. Only North American institutions are included on the CARLA / LCTL database
  Help
Any part of the name will match the whole institution name. For example if you type "Community" you will find more than 700 institutions (mostly community colleges). "Dieg" or"Diego" will match "University of California, San Diego, San Diego State University, San Diego City College," and "San Diego Mesa College."
  Help
You can search the database of primary contact names. Secondary and tertiary contact names are listed, but not searchable at this point.
  Help
Select one these categories. Leave the selection blank for the most general search. Often an institution does not specify levels.

  Speaking Writing Listening Reading
ACTFL
Common European Framework
Interagency Language Roundtable
STAMP



  Help
Some language courses have a specific focus; you can search for them here. Not all institutions list the special purpose, so start your search with this field blank. Many universities offer "Reading courses" for advanced students; cross-over courses are, for example, Portuguese for Speakers of Spanish. Language for Special Purposes (LSP) would be, for example, Arabic for Medical Purposes.
  Help
If you are searching for a program that offers a major or other degree in the language, select the appropriate degree.
  Help
If you are searching for an institution that has a closely linked study-abroad program for the language or program, please check "yes."
  
  Help
Some colleges and universities cooperate with other institutions in consortia. These member institutions can easily share resources with each other. For example:

CIC = "Committee on Institutional Cooperation"

University of California Consortium for Language Learning and Teaching

The consortium of the Five Colleges in Massachusetts includes Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith and U of Massachusetts.


Yes

  

 

One of the main objectives of the Less Commonly Taught Languages Project has been to track information on locations in North America where students can study specific less commonly taught languages. Our database contains information on course offerings for over 300 languages at more than 2,000 colleges and universities in North America, and at elementary, middle and high schools. For each language at each institution, we provide (where possible) the name, address, phone, fax, and e-mail address of a contact person. Please be advised that the contact person is not necessarily the language teacher, but instead may be a department chair or administrator.

If you have found this database useful and would like to send us a statement to that effect, please send your comments to the CARLA office at carla@umn.edu. This will give us valuable information about the importance of this work to share with our funders.

 

CARLA Mailing List Signup Contact CARLA CARLA Events Donate to CARLA CARLA on Facebook CARLA on YouTube Twitter
Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) • 140 University International Center • 331 - 17th Ave SE • Minneapolis, MN 55414