Languages
How many languages can you speak? British people are generally not very good language learners. In a recent survey, 62 per cent of the population only speak English!
Do the preparation task first. Match the vocabulary with the correct definition and write a–f next to the numbers 1–6.
1 — d
2 — a
3 — f
4 — b
5 — c
6 — e
Read the article and do the exercises to check your understanding.
What are the British like when it comes to learning languages?
Statistics
Brits are famous for not speaking foreign languages. According to a survey published by the European Commission, this bad reputation is totally justified. The results of the survey state that the British are officially the worst language learners in Europe! Let’s look at some statistics:
62 per cent of people surveyed can’t speak any other language apart from English.
38 per cent of Britons speak at least one foreign language, 18 per cent speak two and only 6 per cent of the population speak three or more.
The European Union average showed that 56 per cent speak at least one foreign language, 28 per cent speak at least two and 11 per cent speak three or more. The survey confirmed that English was the most widely-spoken foreign language. 51 per cent of EU citizens can have a conversation in English.
School
Learning a foreign language is not a popular option at school in Britain. In UK schools it is common for children to start studying a foreign language at the age of 11 and many students give up languages completely at 14. So why don’t young people continue with languages at school? Research suggests that students think that it is more difficult to get good grades in languages than in other subjects such as science or history. The British government is now looking at different ways to improve language learning at school. One idea is to start much younger; there are plans to introduce foreign languages from the age of five.
Which languages?
Another plan is to give school children more choice. The languages traditionally studied in British schools have been French, Spanish and German. Now the government is encouraging teachers to expand the range of languages taught to include Arabic, Mandarin Chinese and Urdu.
Mandarin is predicted to become the second most popular foreign language learned in UK schools. It is already studied by more children than German or Russian. Only French and Spanish are more popular. Gareth from Wales says ‘I am learning Chinese, and find it fun’. Another student, Thomas from London, says ‘Just telling people that I learn Mandarin impresses people. Even having a very basic level gives you an advantage’. Brighton College has become the first independent school to make Mandarin a compulsory foreign language. Its headmaster Richard Cairns said, ‘One of my key tasks is to make sure pupils are equipped for the realities of the 21st century. One of those realities is that China has the fastest-growing economy in the world’.
It may be an ambitious task to change attitudes towards learning languages but the government is determined to try!
1. Check your understanding: true or false
1. The British are good at learning languages. True, False
2. A lot of British schoolchildren stop learning languages when they are 14. True, False
3. The British government wants children to start learning a foreign language at
the age of five. True, False
4. British children only study French at school. True, False
5. There are plans to offer more languages at school. True, False
6. Many people are interested in learning Mandarin Chinese. True, False
2. Check your grammar: matching – comparatives and superlatives
Match the two sentence halves and write a–h next to the numbers 1–8.
1 — h
2 — a
3 — b
4 — f
5 — g
6 — c
7 — d
8 — e
3. Check your grammar: multiple choice – comparatives and superlatives
Circle the best option to complete these sentences.
1. We need to start teaching languages much younger.
2. More people learn French than Japanese.
3. Are Brits really the worst language learners in the world?
4. What’s the most difficult thing about learning a language?
5. Is Chinese more popular than German at your school?
6. My teacher says that Spanish is easier than English.
7. Arabic is not as difficult as Chinese.
8. German is as useful as French, isn’t it?
4. In 200-250 words, prepare your personal statement on the topic below:
I believe that languages may be the most important and useful thing taught in schools. Learning history or science can be fun and all, but a lot of people won’t use it professionally. Languages however are always good to know, no matter what profession you pick in your life. I personally speak 2 foreign languages (those being Russian and English), and am currently working on German. Languages are easier to learn at a younger age, so starting at age five for example, is in my opinion, a good idea. I barely remember learning either Russian or English, and am pretty much fluent in both.
I highly doubt many foreigners speak Armenian, I’ve personally never met one who does. Armenian is incredibly hard to learn, and also a lot less useful than other languages, as Armenia is quite small, and not many people speak Armenian to make learning Armenian as a foreigner worthwhile. Even my Armenian grammar is quite terrible.
I personally never see myself learning entire new alphabets like Mandarin Chinese or Arabic, as it seems too hard, however, I would love to learn more European/Slavic languages, as I am planning to live somewhere in Europe.
Լևոն Ենգիբարյան 