To begin, I have always been really prejudiced against blogging. And to be honest, I quite can't justify it. It is not that I dislike writing but rather that I definitely prefer speaking.or IM-ing. This may be one of the reasons for my starting posting so late.
Referring to the quotation used by Mrs AgataL, I do think it is an exaggeration. Obviously, knowing a foreign language broadens our minds, our horizons. It also gives us an opportunity to achieve more, to reach higher. Even for the English. Their language is the national language, it's true. However, it doesn't mean that everyone knows it. For example, as Paulina wrote in her first or second post on her blog, The Spaniards rarely know English although Spain is a really desired holiday destination for many Europeans. I don't know to what extent it's true, but even I have an experience which seems to confirm it. I was in Spain on holidays at the age of... 17? 18? It doesn't matter. The point is we were preparing for an all-day trip and each of us was given a packed lunch: 2 breadrolls, a drink, some fruit... But my lunch lacked breadrolls. I had to go the chef and to explain the matter to him. I was told he speaks English. But this "English" sounded more or less like this:
"Oh, sorry. Me want good. Me always tell: more fruit, more fruit..." and so on. So from this point of view it may be quite embarrassing. On the other hand, though, the matter was settled, despite ungrammaticality.
Many condemn the English for being "snobbish, self-centred, egoistic and ignorant". But in this case, I would probably agree to some extent with Mrs AgataL. I don't know whether our schools would completely stop offering foreign languages if Polish were today's lingua franca. But I have an impression that the Poles would be so lazy that they would not give a damn about learning English, German, Spanish, or whatever.When it comes to self-centredness and ignorance, I believe that the French are worse in this matter, just by the way.
Nevertheless, I perceive the words written by the author of the article as cheap, trashy flamboyance. I don't believe that you are narrow-minded when you speak only one language. You can as well be excellent in something else. I don't believe that your (the only) language is your cage. Ok, it hinders the life a bit. My grandma once told me about a Frenchman she met on a trip to Paris. He danced nicely but they were not able to talk. But it is not the end of the world. And this "You are condemned" and "It's harder to play"... I'm just lost of words. It would have never came to my mind but these words.
Thank you.
* To give up defending myself up to the hilt. The title is a bit accidental.
First of all sorry - somehow I missed your post - probably because it came rather late. I'm afraid you have slightly over-interpreted the author's words. He does not actually accuse anybody of narrow-mindedness, though he does connect command of foreign languages with being open to other cultures and ideas. It's important to remember that this is a voice in a debate on British education and its falling standards.
ReplyDelete