Make languages compulsory in all schools (speech)

Make languages compulsory in all schools

How many people can boast the ability to speak a foreign language? It is evident that our ignorance towards learning an additional lingo, as well as our own, stays the same, with fresh, shameful statistics stating that 62% of the British people can only speak English.

Why are we reluctant? Do we lack the resources, are we too busy, or is it that we simply cannot be bothered? I believe that it is probably the latter. Since English is the most widely published language in the world, we are of the opinion that there is no need to speak everyone else’s language when everyone can speak our own.

The lack of education about the importance of languages is also to blame. The majority of 11 year-olds, in secondary school, drop languages by the time they are 14, it was recorded that only 9% of people who take French at GCSE carry take it at A-Level and there have been recent predictions that by 2023 40% of the country’s language departments will be facing impending closure. Despite the fact that the British do not have a real ambition to learn a foreign language, I wonder if it’s also that we are all a little afraid. I concur. Whenever I holiday in a foreign country it is undoubtedly terrifying when someone of another culture begins to speak to me in a language that may as well be Martian as far as I’m concerned.

But, Britain! Do not fear, do not shy away, and do not doubt your abilities. Together we can become an assembly of intelligent, intuitive, international linguists!

But what are the necessities for our linguistic journey? Firstly, in relation to holidaying, I feel that it is simple common courtesy that one is able to understand the general basics of the language of which their host speaks. It is fair to assume that we will become considerably more likeable if we are to speak the language of the waiter who serves us every night in some expensive Spanish beach hotel, for instance.

In addition, we are becoming an increasingly multicultural planet, especially with organisations such as the EU enabling the population of its 28 members to move freely within it. So the need to be able to communicate with people of other cultures has grown dramatically.

Furthermore, very much like in the animal world, languages live in the sinister shadow of extinction. For example, the Basque language (Euskara), which is spoken in the Basque province of northern Spain, is the oldest language in Europe. It has no relation to any other language in the world, its most recent lingual relative traces back to 20,000 years ago and it was outlawed by the Spanish dictator, Franco, in the 20^th century. It only has 720,000 speakers. What a fascinating concept, to be able to speak a language that is threatening to desert us.

In the context of careers, foreign languages are becoming increasingly useful in business as industries are becoming more internationalised. A recent study showed that a business that had high linguistic abilities achieved higher sales in comparison to a business that had lower linguistic skills.

So why hesitate? Yes, learning a lingo that is completely different to your own is daunting but we must grasp the appeal of being able to speak another language. I propose that we make languages compulsory in schools, to introduce basic language skills at a young age so children grow up not only knowing the fundamental basics of their mother tongue but also those of another language. I hope that you, the potential polyglots of Britain, share my vision of a multi-lingual world where people are able to communicate freely without tension and anxiety.

Britain, we must take responsibility, we must not doubt ourselves and we must embrace the beauty of language!

Commentary

Deciding what the subject of my speech would be was not a challenge as I genuinely believe in my proposal. I think that languages are important in being able to communicate with people of other cultures and ethnicities so it was easy to write about with passion and enthusiasm.

In order to turn my opinions into a speech I had to use numerous persuasive linguistic devices.  Triplets, for instance, are useful in promoting ideas as they are generally remembered better in threes. An example of a triplet that I used in my speech is, ‘do not fear, do not shy away, and do not doubt your abilities.’ The repetition and imperatives included in this phrase also contribute to the enforcement of ideas on the audience. I also use triplets in a wider context. In my speech I suggest three ideas about why languages should be promoted in schools.

I also frequently involve the audience in this speech in various ways so they feel more included and more responsible for the changes that I want to be made. For example, I continuously use synthetic personalisation so that I am speaking directly to the spectators. In addition, I use many rhetorical questions in order to stimulate the audiences’ idea, such as the beginning sentence, ‘How many people can boast the ability to speak a foreign language?’ This consequently forces the audience to answer the question, in their head. If they do speak more than one language then this question encourages them to feel proud about their ability and, as an experienced linguist, they will want to share their knowledge and love of languages with others by supporting this proposal. If they do not speak more than one language then they might think about the possibility in which they were multi-lingual and would be encouraged to support the proposal as well (and so forth).

At the beginning of the speech I also use some statistics which, undoubtedly, put Britain’s language abilities to shame. Therefore, by using an anecdote, which is commonly used in speeches, later on, I am allowing the speech to become a little light-hearted and the accusative statistics are balanced out. In the anecdote I talk about how daunting it is, in a foreign country, when someone speaks to me in their native language. It must be taken into account that the speaker and the audience do not personally know each other. Therefore, in my opinion, it is important to ensure that the speaker does not merely judge the audience but involves themselves as well by exposing their inabilities and by understanding the current problem. Consequently, the speaker is more likely to be listened to and respected.

Another way in ensuring that I do not come across as too judgemental is by consistently using inclusive pronouns. For instance, I use the phrase, ‘we must take responsibility.’ The pronoun ‘we’ allows me to treat the promotion of languages in schools a common goal and something that can be achieved together, therefore placing less pressure on the audience. I also add a personal element to the speech. For example, I include myself in the speech by using numerous personal pronouns such as ‘I’ and ‘me.’