Bishop speaks of nation’s ‘embarrassment’ over fall in young people studying languages
THE BISHOP of Leeds has spoken of the country’s “embarrassment” over the sharp drop in young people who are studying foreign languages at school.
Nick Baines, a renowned linguist, made his remarks while delivering Radio 4’s Thought For The Day on the programme.
The Bishop said: “Almost all Brits abroad will expect the natives to understand and speak English.
“And, to our embarrassment, they probably will.
“And they will pride themselves skills.”
His remarks were prompted by last week’s GCSE results and figures published by the Joint Qualifications Council which showed that the number of entries for modern foreign languages had fallen by more than seven per cent per cent overall.
Academics say that British children have become increasingly reliant on English translations and tools like “Google Translate” as well as the goodwill of their overseas hosts who do speak English.
“Some voices claim that this on their polyglottal really doesn’t matter – that we can pick up a bit of German or Spanish later in life … if and when we need it,” said the Bishop.
“Except that a language is not a commodity that can be simply picked off the shelf when convenient or expedient.
“To learn a language is more than to wield a tool; rather, it is to inhabit the world that language shapes.
“At the age of 91 the former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt wrote that we can’t understand our own culture unless we look at it through the eyes of another culture … and to do this we need to know language. In fact, he suggested learning two. For most Europeans this isn’t a problem; they constantly cross borders and entertain foreigners. Communication matters beyond mere functionality. Not so here.”
The Bishop said linguistic skills would become even more important when Britain leaves the European Union.
He added: “It seems to me that political language in the UK has been coloured by the assumption that anything has value only insofar as it fulfils an economic end,” he added.