A CASUALTY?

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 7, 10 January 1938, Page 8

A CASUALTY?

Tokio university students, according to the "Telegraph" correspondent, are refusing to study English. They ask contemptuously: "What is die use of wasting time on a dying language?" At die same time it is reported that the Italian broadcasts intended for Palestine are more successful than the English. The Bari (Italian) announcer speaks in the colloquial Arabic used by the mass of illiterate villagers, contrasting with the Britisher's over-educated style. We cannot be sure that this is the real reason for the English lack of success. Other reasons have been .given, including the British [failure to supply Arabic songs with a high flavour of the "Arabian [ Nights." But the contrast of the Tokio and Jerusalem messages gives jan interesting sidelight on the language war, which is waged in the background of the diplomatic conflict. Italy and Britain speak to the Arab in his own tongue and Italy wins by use of the common tongue. The youth of Tokio proclaim that English is a dying language which they need no longer study. Of course, the Tokio students are a little precipitate. When they graduate in the world of commerce they will discover that English remains a very live commercial language for the greater part of the world. Japanese commercial success has been built tip in part by assiduous study of that language, and not all at once can the buyers of Japan's exports be taught to read and write Japanese. English is not yet a casualty in the language war, though the Palestine experience shows that if needs reinforcement— colloquial Arabic in this instance. No doubt the reinforcements will be forthcoming, for in this war of propaganda an initial gain does not mean ultimate victory. Attack is met by counter-attack. Italy places an embargo on the circulation of French newspapers and France replies by banning two Italian newspapers. The totalitarian Slates of Europe broadcast news in the languages which can be understood by democracies or by the people who have yet to decide between democracy or dictatorship. The democracies respond. There is a Babel of voices on the air, and the confusion of Babel follows. But in the long run the test must be whether dictatorship, though it may imitate the voice of democracy, can Carry conviction by its conduct. .Reversing the Biblical parallel, the voice may be the voice of Esau, but the hand remains the hand of Jacob.