Chris Saul's Blog

Wednesday January 10, 2007

Monoglot Brits

Every time my subscription to The Economist comes up for renewal I usually have second thoughts. It's an expensive subscription that can only be delivered to Sun's PO Box here in Dubai and which always arrives late at that. This means I usually end up with a large backlog of issues to plough through when I get back from travelling, most of which end up getting thrown away, only partially read.

As usual though, one of my last subscription issues has enough in it to make me want to renew. The Dec 16 to 22 issue also had the added incentive of a form I can fill in so that my copies will now be hand delivered to my apartment. This will mean I'll get them on time and won't need to go into the Sun office in between travelling just to pick up a two week old edition.

The online version is for subscribers only so I can't link, but this particular issue had a fascinating set of articles on the British and our reputation as a bunch of monoglots.

Particularly saddening were the statistics showing that the number of school pupils learning a second language has slumped. The Labour government dropped the requirement to learn a second language after the age of 14 a few years ago. I've blogged before about the stupidity of this decision and the statistics quoted in the article bear this out - language learning has plummeted in British schools.

I took some comfort from the fact that despite this decision the numbers taking Spanish have increased, whilst French has dropped hugely and German has taken a hit. This bears out my theory that the first language British kids should learn should be Spanish - it's easier to learn and more relevant for us than French. Language has to be made relevant for children to take an interest and the vast majority of children are going to go on holiday to Spain and not to France. Doing so and being able to manage at least a little Spanish is far more likely to encourage language learning than being forced to learn French, which is harder for English speakers to get to grips with as a first foreign language and which we're far less likely to speak as we grow up.

I have nothing against French, which I learnt to university level and the knowledge of which has given me a distinct advantage in my current job - I'm simply interested in practical methods to get British kids language learning.

The Economist suggests making the ability to speak a second language part of university entrance requirements, an argument I can see clear merit in.

One of the articles makes a very interesting point that should make most native English speakers sit up and take notice. As the number of people speaking English fluently as a second language increases, the need for native speakers will actually lessen, meaning the Brits, Americans and others won't be able to get decent international jobs simply by dint of being native speakers. Bilingually educated fluent English speakers from non-English speaking countries will increasingly be the norm and they'll be offering employers excellent English skills, combined with the advantage of a second 'native speaker level' language and a professional qualification in a relevant subject to boot. A far more tempting proposition for future employers than someone who was simply lucky enough to have English speaking parents.

I left university rather pleased with myself that I could get by in French and German. I soon realised however that whilst I could talk, I had nothing to say. It was time to get some decent experience that would complement my language skills, something I needed to do pretty sharpish - which I did. It's clear that a large number of currently school age Brits will increasingly need far more than the privileged status of being native speakers to guarantee themselves decent opportunities in the future.