Ethnic discrimination in foreign language teaching

Particular foreign languages taught in national school systems may experience a de-emphasis owing to ethnic, social or political biases, or to governmental policies.

The de-emphasis and eventual elimination of German teaching in the USA during World War II and thereafter; and the dropping of French language requirements in Sweden, and Flemish in Belgium are among many examples. The policy of elimination of Finnish in the Swedish school system is actively pursued and is one of the clearer examples of governmental policies of assimilating minorities.