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Why young Scots ought to rise to the Chinese challenge

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Published Date: 26 March 2008
FRANCES CHRISTENSEN of the Confucius Institute explains why it is important for Scottish schools pupils to start learning Mandarin – and looks at what is being done to help them
LEARNING to speak Chinese may appear daunting, but the benefits of doing so have never been great-er. Scots are notoriously reluctant about learning and talking foreign languages. This lackadaisical attitude has undoubtedly been encouraged by the...



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  • Last Updated: 26 March 2008 12:29 AM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Teaching
 
1

Kate,

Zurich 26/03/2008 08:16:37
Apparently, "Scots are notoriously reluctant about learning and talking foreign languages".

I speak 5 languages, 4 of them learnt in Scotland and find the above comment insulting! We are not reluctant to learn but we are certainly not encouraged either. How many schools offer decent language teaching, how many schools still have at least one foreign language compulsory until at least O Grade (standard or what ever it is called now)?

2

Kate,

Zurich 26/03/2008 08:17:09
forgot to mention, one of those languages is actually Mandarin Chinese!
3

MalcDow,

Berlin 26/03/2008 11:17:36
Well I suppose if they are going to take over the planet... makes sense.

Malc

(I mean the Scots, not the Chinese)
4

David Ban,

04620 Vera 26/03/2008 11:30:24
I think Francis Christensen is absolutely right that Mandarin Chinese is the language for Scots to learn, but like Kate of Zurich I find his conclusions why Scots are "notoriously reluctant to learn and talking foreign languages" more a reflection on the monolingual cultural enforcement of "English" on daily Scottish speech to the exclusion and eradication of Scots, Gaelic and the tonal characteristics that these languages possess.

I live in Spain now -albeit reluctantly- and I am amazed at he inability of the English to acquire Spanish. Of course there are English people out there who are more fluent than myself in speaking Spanish, but the English have an attitude that all the world should speak English.I am many years ago from the East Coast of Scotland and my pronunciation of the vocal sounds a;e;i;o;u; without recourse to consonants and like the Spanish I can roll the language on my "R's" gives me a head start. The Gaelic speaker has the advantage of nasal sounds which fits in with the French language.
You learn a language when you are young between the ages of one and seven and the Scot's educational system has to take that on board. Language has to be encouraged; not like in my day when infant gaelic speakers were thrashed at school if they spoke their native tongue or like myself and my young compatriots were taught that speaking Scots was inferior and we had to look up to prissy RP pronunciation.

I have two grandchildren in Australia-aged four and two-who speak German at home-their Mum is German- and "Strine" outside. My brother can chat in Homeric Greek, is fluent in French, has some German and like one of my daughter in laws( English) is passable in Thai.

My advice is to get the BBC to use speakers and announcers with proper Scottish intonation and the schools to introduce languages as a fun subject in the early years. Encourage all the Scottish aspects of their speech and show that Mandarin speaking Chinese kids are like themselves.

Lets ho
5

Truely English,

26/03/2008 19:15:11
Is it not time we upheld British values and culture rather than start chatting in a foreign way. Our children need to be proficient in English first and foremost before anything else.
6

Scotindy,

Los Angeles 27/03/2008 02:04:00
AH SOO! Good move SCOTLAND, we traded with China long before the brits arrived on the scene.
7

Liam D,

Baile nam muc-mara 28/03/2008 15:56:27
Truely English above is ... well, truely English. It's true, a large part of the world speaks English, but a large part doesn't -- or doesn't want to, and there's no forcing them (nor should we).

And that's the reason that Scottish children should be started off with a solid education in English and Gaelic (or Gaelic and English), and then add another couple languages on top of that. With these language skills in the basic "skillset" of every graduate, Scots will be able to fully negotiate the new global network.

 

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