They’re speaking our language – we’re lazy! (From Thisisdorset)

They’re speaking our language – we’re lazy!

10:32am Tuesday 19th December 2006

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OUR island mentality, a dose of laziness and a good tune all contribute towards the view among young teenagers that language learning is just not sexy, say teachers and linguists in Dorset.

Only last week Lord Dearing said that languages should again be taught in primary schools, in the wake of a massive fall in the number of youngsters studying them at GCSE.

Languages were compulsory for 14-year-olds until two years ago, and there has only ever been piecemeal provision in Britain's primary schools.

Hurn resident Ian Evans, a retired language teacher with more than 40 years experience, said: "The youth culture of the world is based on music most of which is in English.

"When we go abroad we can usually find someone who speaks English so we don't have to try their language.

"Historically the British have an island mentality and don't have that feeling that we are part of the whole.

"It's a cultural thing.

"This is why our young people just cannot be bothered to learn other languages."

Katie Gillen is head of languages at Bournemouth School - a specialist language college.

She said: "All of our students do at least one language to GCSE level and more than half are studying two languages.

"The boys here have a very positive attitude towards languages and we are bucking the trend of falling numbers.

"I think the numbers nationally have dropped because young people aren't being forced to study languages anymore.

"When it ceased to become compulsory the natural drop out happened."

Head Christina Edwards at Ringwood School, another specialist language college, said: "It is fundamentally important that languages go back into primary schools.

"For the past few years we have been working with our feeder schools so that when the pupils reach us at age 11 they are full of motivation for languages.

"Also we promote a global themes across the whole of the school. It's not just about languages."

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