Learning foreign languages
In this post I would like to refer to the article in The Observer about learning foreign languages in British schools. In my opinion British government did a terrible thing by removing foreign languages from British schools after the age of 14. Young people need to develop foreign languages in order to be able to communicate with their friends from all over the world. Moreover, there are various opportunities waiting for the yong people who speak more than one language. In fact, the more languages one knows the better.
From my own experience I must admit that we cannot underestimate the value of a foreign language, even the one we don't like. When I had to go abroad to work, communication in English was not enough. Sometimes, when someone didn't know English (it was rare but it happened) I had to speak German (my German was very poor at that time!). I had quite a lot of problems but I was forced to use the language because of the circumstances. So yes, I think it's crucial to learn foreign languages and we should learn them all the time. Of course, the sooner the better.
I know what you are talking about :) When I was in France, there was nobody who could speak English and my French was also very poor. My stay there was a real battle for survival and... when I came back Poland, I decided to work hard on my French.
ReplyDeleteI think it is high time we learn German systematically :)
DeleteI agree that nowadays knowing English is not enough and many other nations take the knowledge of their language for granted. Since English has been dubbed Lingua franca, there is nothing special about knowing it because it just goes without sayig you will be able to speak it better or worse. What is really highly valued is the knowledge of some other tongues.
DeleteI guess there is no better motivation for language learning than an experience like this. And the progress you make in such circumstances is amazing.
ReplyDeletethe sooner the better... says the critical period hypothesis :D
ReplyDeleteGood remark! What is also worth mentioning is the fact that even if we know the language on a good level, real-life situations make us aware of how much we still have to learn.
ReplyDelete