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Beyond British
I recently went to France on holiday and, like many of us, was determined not to be a ‘Brit Abroad’. You know the type: refusing to speak the local language and, when forced, saying it in a loud, English accent complete with lots of hand gestures. Though I knew very little French having only learned Spanish at school, I was not deterred and proceeded to speak my simple sentences with great gusto. What I had not counted on was the speed that the French person would reply, to which I could only nod and say ‘oui’ repeatedly. I soon realised I was in over my head and, much to my dismay, was forced to ask if they spoke any English. Mission failed.
The Brits are notoriously bad at speaking different languages. Our language is one of the most widely spoken, and there does not always seem to be a need to be proficient in another. But our world is a globally mobile one. Travelling abroad has never been more popular and most of these countries speak a different language. They may speak English well, but why should we go to their country and expect them to cater us? We should make the effort to speak their language, and I believe that this should start with children. Perhaps along with teaching children to stick macaroni on paper, primary schools could introduce the basics of a foreign language. Although the assumption that children easily learn different languages has been challenged in recent years, it still could be beneficial for them to start learning while they are still young. If children already know simple phrases before they get to secondary school, then language teachers could start with something a little more advanced, thus speeding up the process of learning.
I can see where there might be some problems with this theory. A child might learn French at primary school and then go to a secondary school that only teaches German.
And of course I do not mean that children should be taught multiple languages as this could confuse them, but learning one or two widely spoken languages could really give them a head start. They may never be fluent but at least would be able to get by in another country without reverting to speaking English. And along with the stiff, formal way of speaking that most schools teach, popular slang could also be introduced into the curriculum which would be tremendously beneficial when visiting said country. The Brits are bad at languages? Perhaps we could finally be rid of that stigma.
I think that there are several problems when it comes to foreign languages in terms of learning and use.
The first is with the education system. Children should be given a choice of languages to learn, but learning a language should be mandatory. As a child being forced to study French (which I did not enjoy) I did not strive to learn it. If you're given more language such as perhaps Spanish, French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese, Arabic than children are more likely to enjoy learning another language more.
When it comes to going abroad to a country where you do not speak the language, learning a few phrases is for a good intention but practically pointless since your vocabulary is limited to the limited question and answer that the guide book gives you, ANYTHING outside of that and you won't understand.
So it all comes to enjoyment of a language really. I've met many English people who study foreign languages and are great at that language, because they enjoy it. Enjoy learning a foreign language and your ability in it will increase to a point where conversing with native speakers will be effortless.
By Natahan on 26.7.2010
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