In recent times there has been undue emphasis placed on the utilitarian byproducts of language study: the kinds of positions open for language majors, the practical purposes to which languages may be put, and job openings in the areas of translation, diplomacy, and commerce. These motives for the study of a language are commendable, but they do not constitute the prime purpose of such study. Language is the primary medium of human communication, and in this post-nuclear age more communication among cultures is necessary if we are to further understanding and compromise and avoid conflict. One of our country's basic problems during the Vietnamese war was the fact that so few people in the military or in the diplomatic corps sufficiently understood the languages and dialects of the North and South Vietnamese. Since the language codes of these people were not understood, their philosophies, their ethics, their religion, their politics, and their purposes had to be extrapolated in terms of Western thought. Now is the time for language teaching professionals to stress the importance of foreign language study as a means of understanding other cultures. (Author/PMP)