Why are attitudes towards language learning finally changing in the UK?
Friday, 18th September 2009
Up until now, it has been a well-known fact amongst both the wider international community, and British people themselves, that us Brits are not the most advanced or enthusiastic nation when it comes to language learning. Perhaps times are finally changing though...
It does seem that attitudes towards language learning in the UK are becoming more in line with those of our European counterparts. In other words, there is finally some recognition, depsite the fact that so much of the developed world speaks English, that there is a need for, and advantages to, learning a foreign language.
There are lots of reasons why this might be, including the following five:
1. The effect of globalisation on employment
In the globalised world of today it is more and more likley that companies and organisations will have some involvement with foreign partners or representatives. In fact, the latest CBI skills survey showed that 74% of UK employers are looking for conversational language skills. In an employment market that has been heavily affected by the recession, up-skilling has become more important and more publicised than ever before.
2. A more multicultural society
Although there have long been pockets of Britain with multinational communities, the vast increase over the last decade or so in the number of foreigners to take up residency in the UK now means that Britain as a whole is more multicultural. Because of this, many people now have more friends and partners of other nationalities, which in turn inspires them to learn some of their language. In particular, the number of people learning Eastern European languages such as Polish and Czech has increased massively.
3. Increased awareness, especially in light of the 2012 Olympics
Increased awareness of the need to learn foreign languages has not just happened on a personal level – it has also happened on a national level, via government objectives and the media. The increased reference to our foreign language ‘failures’ has been particularly obvious since Britain won the chance to host the Olympics in 2012. The return on hosting such a huge international event has huge repurcussions on both and economic and cultural level, and most Brits want to see our country succeed in organising a fantastic Games.
4. Increased options for foreign living
It is now very easy for Brits to live in Europe, and many more people are choosing to do so than ever before. Reasons for relocating vary hugely – they can be economic, cultural or even climatic! Living in another part of Europe does usually mean that you will need to master a new foreign language, it also means that friends and family who will visit regularly may want to learn too.
5. Cheap and varied options for foreign travel
Despite the rising cost of fuel due to environmental issues, the era of the low-cost airline has made air travel much more affordable, and therefore accessible to everyone. The rise of low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and Easyjet has also vastly increased the number of destinations that you can fly to from UK airports, which means that there are far more options for holidaying abroad. Of course, not everyone views it as essential to learn some of the lingo before going on holiday, but there are certainly some people who enjoy doing so in order to get the most out of their foreign experience.
Irrespective of whether they learn some of the language before they go or not, the exposure to foreign culture and language that people get when abroad certainly increases their awareness of them, and you never know, it may even inspire them to take up a course when they return…
Tags: olympics, language learning, course, language, languages, tailor-made, italian, german, learning, french, spanish, english
Posted by Laura Lippert 2009-09 under Attitudes to Language Learning,
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Posted by Matthew Pull on 09/30 at 12:18 PM
I think its important to at least make a little effort to learn the basics so you don't look like a complete ignorant English person abroad. Regarding whether or not Brits are bad at learning language, I don't think its so much we're bad, just that its perhaps not as easy for us as it is non-English speaking countries to learn English. What I mean by this is most blockbuster films and/or music is generally in English, then either subtitled or dubbed. Its therefore easier for non-English speaking countries to have access to English phrases and the context in which they are used, than it is for Brits to have the equivalent access to other languages (I can't recall the last film/song I heard in French, German, etc.).
Posted by Graeme Vaughan on 09/30 at 12:23 PM
I've been learning italian with Cactus since january. I tried to learn on my own using CD's, books etc. but just couldn't get the motivation together, or just kept on getting stuck! I'm just about to complete the elementary level, and will be going on to the next (intermediate) course in October. I wanted to learn italian, mostly because I often travel there, but also - it felt like a challenge.. i've always admired people who can speak more than one language, and it was something that i wanted to be able to do... travelling to italy a few times a year seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to learn, and would improve my experience of going to the country.
I think that we british are bad at becoming proficient in other languages, and probably is because we don't have the exposure, or expectation that we should speak another language. but it seems lots of people have learned, or tried to learn other languages at some point in their lives. It's suprising how many people say to me that they used to be able to speak x or y language, but have completely forgotten now as they never used it.
Posted by Francesca Grilli on 09/30 at 12:27 PM
I think it is true that Brits are bad at languages, we take it for granted that English will be spoken wherever we go and so perhaps there isn’t as much of an incentive to learn another language. It is interesting to note that there are a couple of Polish girls in our class who are learning Italian as their third language – that says it all! We need to start looking at lowering the age we begin to study languages at school and value it much more highly. The importance of languages became apparent to me whilst staying in the South of Sardinia in August as nobody spoke English. Had it not been for my own efforts, the holiday would not have been as successful – and I made some great friends as a result! In other circumstances the language barrier would have prevented this.