Language Museum Blog

A new report was recently issued regarding the languages spoken in the UK…or rather, the lack of them. The British Council’s report states that not enough people in the UK have sufficient abilities and skills in foreign languages, and that this “alarming shortage” will result in the UK missing out on cultural and economic benefits, gradually diminishing our global standing.

This type of report is not really news to most people though. In schools, the rate of foreign languages being studied had drastically declined, although this trend is already starting to turn with the introduction of the EBacc. As well as that, it will be compulsory from children aged 7 to14 to be taught a foreign language from next year.

A YouGov poll showed that 75% of the UK adults questioned were unable to hold a conversation in any of the ‘top ten’ languages deemed necessary for the UK’s future prosperity. Of these ten languages, 15% could speak French, 6% German, 4% Spanish and 2% Italian, while the remaining languages (Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Arabic, Turkish and Japanese) were spoken by 1% of people, if that. Many say that Brits are too lazy to learn languages but it’s more the case that English is considered to be the ‘universal language’ with little need to learn any other languages. Even so, a challenge was recently released to encourage everyone to learn 1,000 words of a foreign language.

Often, too much stress is put on the need to become fluent in another language, and this can sometimes deter people from learning a new language. John Worne, from the British Council, has argued against this, commenting that it’s better to be functional in a language rather than being fluent in it. He stated that, “‘Fluent’ is an inhibitor, ‘functional’ is a liberator”, believing that people can get further, faster by making a start with new opportunities using just a few words and phrases.

The authors of the report believe that businesses should invest in language training where it will directly benefit them, and that the number of minority languages in the UK should be utilized in education.

Which of the ‘top ten’ languages can you speak, and would you consider yourself to be fluent or functional in that language?

You want to learn a new language but the thought of sitting in a classroom with your nose buried in a textbook or having to do embarrassing role plays is not really inviting you to book your first lesson. What about all of the adverts that promise you can learn a language in a matter of weeks, that anyone can learn and not just the linguistically gifted? Do those statements ever actually come true?

Whilst it used to be considered you either had a knack for languages or you didn’t, that you innately inherited your linguistic skills, and that it was a disability not to be able to learn foreign languages, we now know otherwise. Thanks to a multitude of researchers over the years, it has been proven that, yes, anyone can learn a new language; really. Far from being the stupidity of struggling students, the inability to learn a language is actually due to the learning strategies used. So, now you know you can definitely learn a language, that’s a start. But how long will it take? Those timeframe guarantees look very appealing.  Those ever helpful researchers can put your mind at ease again because, yes, you really can learn a new language in that short space of time.  Just pick the right language and right learning technique.

Choose the right language: by choosing a language similar in construction to your own, it has been found to speed up the learning process due to its familiarity. For example, English speakers will find it easier to learn Spanish than Mandarin.

Immerse yourself in the language: put the textbooks to one side and just start speaking the language from day one. It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand everything, just become used to the way the language sounds and you’ll soon pick up words and phrases.

Use the ‘shadowing technique’: while you’re listening to the language, simultaneously speak it out loud and read it too. The reason behind this is to slow down your thought process and pay more attention to the details.

You’ve got the know-how, now just kick-start your brain into gear and train it to follow these easy rules. All of those researchers can’t be wrong, so stop doubting yourself and start speaking a new language in no time at all.

Do you put on a special ‘telephone voice’, suddenly becoming more polite, more confident and well-spoken? Most of us have, at some time or another, suddenly taken on a new persona when speaking on the telephone. So it’s possibly no surprise that, in the same way, people take on a new persona when speaking in a different language.

Bilingual and Bicultural

There can be a number of explanations for this, including a natural confidence in the more familiar language or because the thinking process changes when speaking different languages. People who are bilingual as well as bicultural might associate different memories with each language, therefore affecting how they converse within each language.

Language Composition

One explanation is that the way the language is spoken is due to how the sentences are constructed. For example, Greeks are thought to speak loudly and constantly interrupt each other. The syntax and grammar of the Greek language means that each sentence is started with a verb containing a lot of information, so the other speaker will be able to ascertain what the sentence is about at any early stage, therefore being able to interrupt more easily. This is contradicted, however, when you look at other languages, such as Welsh. Sentences in Welsh are constructed in a similar manner but Welsh people are not known for making constant interruptions and being pushy when others are speaking.

Perceived Personalities

Another explanation is that people often tend to behave in the perceived behavioural personality of people from that country. For instance, Spanish people tend to speak very quickly and energetically, using a lot of hand gestures; the French have a soft lilt and are thought of as being demure. By speaking a foreign language, you can often unconsciously take on the perceived personality of someone from that country.

Do you take on a different personality when you speak in a foreign language?

There have been many discussions and lots of speculation about the possibility of a universal language. Globalization has broadened our horizons while at the same time making the world seem a lot smaller. With the need for improved and increased communication between countries, the trend for learning languages has grown considerably. So much so, that the subject of creating a universal language has become a hot topic. But what exactly would this mean?

The Pros and Cons

Well for a start, it would simplify communications between countries. There would be no more language barriers and therefore nothing to stop progress being made in any situation. A universal language would eliminate any translation errors, saving a lot of time, money and embarrassment. But with each of these languages comes a unique culture, and discontinuing the use of these in favour of a new uniform language will destroy those cultures and what makes each country special and diverse in its own right. We´ll no longer have such a sense of national pride, and a feeling of conformity for more than just our language may arise.

It’s still too early to see which side of the debate will win with this question, but the pros and cons for each are considerable ones. In the meantime, we are free to study and speak the languages we love for our own reasons and, in the immediate future at least, the boom in language learning will continue to increase. What are your views on speaking a universal language, and what pros and cons can you think of for having one?

Have you ever sat in a restaurant while you’re on holiday abroad and looked hopefully around for a copy of the menu in English? Slight panic sets in when you realize there isn’t one and you haven’t the faintest idea what any of the dishes are on the menu. Well panic no more, as some new technology is on its way to help!

The Japanese, known for their love of gadgets, have invented some spy-like translation glasses. Working in real time, the muddled letters of the foreign menu in front of you will suddenly be translated clearly into your own language.

Tantalizing Technology

Using an interactive ring that transmits hand movements back to the glasses, you can also manipulate virtual images projected on a flat surface by way of a simulated touchscreen and ‘touch’ tags that only you can see.

If that’s not enough to convince you to sign up at MI6, they even include a facial recognition feature. Yes, really. So if you want to know someone’s name, what they do for a living and a few other personal details, just don a pair of these spy-like specs to get your insider information.

Intelligent Translations

Let’s get back to that menu though, before you get dizzy from hunger. These Intelligent Glasses will translate the text on the page right before your very eyes, as you read it. With the prototype being able to translate Japanese, Chinese, Korean and English languages, the researchers are looking to launch this translation technology in 2020. After completing their list of modifications, that should leave them with plenty of time to make the glasses look as cool as they sound!

Do you think this type of translation technology will take off and what other scenarios would these glasses be useful for other than being able to help you with ordering your next meal?

As globalization has changed the way we conduct business and interact socially, the need to understand other languages and cultures has increased. Why then, of the 6,000 existing languages in the world, are nearly half of them endangered?

To be precise, 43% of our world’s languages are currently at risk and about 200 of these are spoken by fewer than ten people. Languages are ‘safe’ when they are spoken by all generations but become vulnerable when, despite most children being able to speak a language, they are restricted with their use of it, such as in their homes. A language becomes classified as endangered when it is not taught to children as their mother tongue, when older generations speak it and parents understand it but do not talk to their children in it, and when grandparents are the youngest speakers of the language and they themselves barely use it. When no-one alive speaks a language, it becomes extinct, and approximately 230 languages have become extinct since 1950. It’s not just a loss of the language, but a loss of the culture that the language related to.

Launching a Linguistic Initiative

The UN is hoping to turn this declining trend around by launching an initiative called ‘Many Languages, One World’. University and college students have been set the challenge of writing an essay in a language other than their own – in one of the six official languages of the United Nations: Spanish, English, Russian, French, Chinese and Arabic. Based on the benefits and uses that multilingualism has in our globalized world, the aim of these essays is to highlight how important linguistics and communication are and to encourage the study of languages in the future, particularly the six official languages of the UN.

Would you learn an endangered language to ensure its survival and revival?