Speaking other tongues

Press, 25 February 1977, Page 13

Speaking other tongues

DES WALKER, for many years a language teacher, lecturer, sports administrator and coach, and interpreter for visiting sports teams, recently completed an eight month journey across the Soviet Union and through much of Western Europe accompanied by his wife. He is more convinced than ever that New Zealanders should study foreign languages, especially the major European languages—French, German, Spanish, Russian, and Italian.

Through much of the world the study of languages is being recognised more and more as an essential part of education. This trend is marked in most of Europe, South America, and Africa. In Britain, there is now general agreement that education should concentrate on four areas: English, mathematics, science, and foreign languages. Regrettably, the new interest in foreign languages hardly extends to Australia and New Zealand. This country is having to develop trade and this requires some ability ■with other languages; more inter-action between countries is producing a mutually dependent world. More New Zealanders than ever travel abroad; more foreign visitors come here.

have been at a disadvantage because of their lack of other languages and their failure to provide their own interpreters.

Fortunately, in the schools the syllabuses for social studies and history no longer concentrate on British and New Zealand history. The change has the laudable aim of producing a more tolerant and cosmopolitan outlook: this can be greatly ’ furthered by the study of foreign languages so that pupils gain first-hand knowledge of cultures and outlooks different from their own.

To know is to forgive. People with even a slight knowledge of another language are less likely to think foreigners are peculiar, or below their own standards. To really understand people it is essential to have some knowledge of their language. Unfortunately, many parents and pupils in New Zealand think that schooling should be entirely jobcentred and utilitarian. This attitude ignores two factors: the broader a person’s education, the better is his or her performance likely to be in a job; and most people are employed for only eight hours a day, five days a week. The working week is geting

The need for wider understanding of other languages should be obvious, yet New Zealand remains out of step with the rest of the world. We have not taken account of the promotion of foreign language teaching by such organisations as U.N.E.5.C.0., the Council of Europe, or the Organisation of African Unity. Just one example: at international sports conferences New Zealanders

shorter. “Education for living” is becoming more important than ever for the fruitful use of leisure time.

visit about three times a year I have been served, in the last three years, by assistants who spoke French, Italian, Arabic, German, and Russian. There are many language clubs and national clubs in the city which welcome anyone interested who has even a slight ability in the language concerned. Foreign ships come to Lyttelton; their crews can be very glad to receive visitors who will attempt to speak their language, however poorly. English culture is not the only culture in the world; it is not necessarily the greatest. People who study a foreign language thoroughly will better enjoy the literature and other riches which cultures apart from English have to offer. For much is lost in translation, no matter how skilful it may be.

In our society political, moral, social, and economic issues are becoming more complicated; they require an intelligent, educated electorate. Life is becoming more difficult for the less-educated. In this context we should notice a U.N.E.S.C.O. statement that every child should have the opportunity of learning at least one foreign language. A wise proverb runs: “He knows not his own language who knows only that language.” Knowledge of another language makes one more aware of one’s own, ana Latin and French, especially, will greatly improve one’s vocabulary in English. Even with, say, a smattering of French, travel abroad is easier and much more enjoyable. In many places we met people who said: “I thought I’d forgotten my school French (or Spanish, or whatever), but it’s amazing what you dig up from 30 years back.” Indeed it is, and with more immigrants, tourists, and visitors in the community it is possible to practise a foreign language in Christchurch. In one large shop which I P

Languages become progressively easier to learn. The “know-how” picked up in studying the first foreign language makes the second easier; students learn to accept foreign idioms.

Which languages would be “best” to study? Some New Zealanders think that because we are within the Pacific basin we should ignore most of the rest of the world and concentrate 3

on Pacific relationships. This is a short-sighted attitude which overlooks many other factors in our history and our ■ experience. For most New Zealanders our language, our social systems, our law, commerce and politics, our very attitudes, are imported from Western Europe, and from the traditions of the Judaic, Greek, and Roman worlds. They have been modified by influences from France, England, America, and so on.

This heritage, however, adapted to suit local conditions, has spread round the world. European languages are still by far the most important and worldwide in their resources and value.

Of the European languages, French remains the best to begin with. English has borrowed many thousands of words from French, or from its parent Latin. Today, France is the third-largest trading nation in the world. In the last 15 years French has been revived as the second language of the world. It is one of the two official languages of the United Nations, it is the only language used at some international conferences; it is widely spoken in Africa, parts of the

Middle East, and in Central and South America, in parts of South-East Asia, Canada, and the Pacific. In many parts of Europe, French is understood. W’e were able to use it to converse with Poles, Dutch, Germans, Italians, Greeks, Swedes, Africans, Russians, and even Japanese. A basis in French is also a good start for learning Spanish and Italian. German, like French, is a language close to English. It is especially valuable for those with an interest in science and technology, and provides a basis for learning Dutch, Swedish, and other Scandinavian languages.

Fifteen years ago there was much interest in learning Russian, especially for scientific studies. Perhaps because of its difficulties, it is still not widely studied. But Russian is a fascinating language and has close links with many others, especially in Eastern Europe. By using a sort of “stripped” Russian, I have talked with most Slavonic peoples. Sad to say, Latin studies are dying out. Its value for English speakers is enormous, especially as

an aid to building a vocabulary, for nearly half the word in English come, directly or indirectly, from Latin. This is especially true of longer words. In Europe, I found Latin was especially useful when visiting medieval churches, and other places with ancient inscriptions. My Russian does not extend to medical terms. As a patient in a Russian hospital, well away from the normal tourist areas, I found I was able to communicate with the medical staff by using Latin terms common to English and Russian, also in pharmacies. My wife’s Latin enabled her to understand much Italian.

From sheer weight of numbers of people it might seem that the best languages to learn today would be Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, Japanese, or Indonesian. These all have special claims, but each is restricted to one area, with no status as an international language as, say, Spanish has. Further, most Asian languages are difficult to learn for a European student. Their grammar and intonation present special problems; their ex-

pressions often carry mystical and metaphorical overtones which continue to escape the Western ear. Most foreign languages, of course, have value for their own sake. But unless special needs are involved, it is surely better to concentrate on languages which have the widest application, and on those which give access to the greatest cultural and scientific resources. Our European languages, especially French, give us many advantages, which would have applied also in most other parts of the world had we visited them.

The younger people are when they start learning a foreign language, the better. While pupils in many countries begin learning a foreign language when they are about 11, it can be done much younger. In a kindergarten in Riga we marvelled at the English being spoken by Latvian six-year-olds.

But whether they are learnt for reasons of trade, scientific knowledge, friendship, culture, personal development, or for sheer fun, foreign languages are an essential part of true education.