Why study languages?

What language is Marc speaking?Any ideas?

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“English is simply not enough. We cannot understand the world in English…

…we need to be aware as never before of other languages and of the ways in which they identify and represent their cultures”

Footitt, October 2001

English is not enoughWhat other reasons for learning a language are there?Here are some ideas from university and year 12/13 students:It’s fun • you find out about other people and cultures • knowing a language makes you more employable • they lead you into other subjects • you make new friends • you learn about yourself and your own country • it gives you more confidence • great for holidays! • gives you communication skills…

Still need convincing?

English is not enoughHere are some more ideas from some year 9

students who are learning Chinese and recently went on an exchange to China:

You learn how to deal with people from another country, not just raise your voice and shout at them in English

You share your experiences with other people

You learn how to cope with things

English is not enoughHere are some more ideas from some year 9

students who are learning Chinese and recently went on an exchange to China:

Learning one language makes it easier for you to learn another

If you go to another country and you need help, you can ask. If they need help, then you can help themIt makes you much more open-minded to people and their culture

It’s a multilingual world…Did you know there are 6,912 known living languages in the world?

Test your knowledge, part 1…

It’s a multilingual world…How many people in the world speak these languages as their mother tongue?

French Arabic (all varieties)a) 64,850,000

b) 640,860,000c) 25,000,000

a) 150,000,000b) 206,000,000c) 1,156,000,000

a) 64,850,000 b) 206,000,000

It’s a multilingual world…How many people in the world speak these languages as their mother tongue?

English Chinese (Mandarin)a) 309,350,000b) 55,000,000 c) 187,000,000

a) 1,052,000,000b) 358,000,000c) 876,000,000

a) 309,350,000508,000,000 including second language speakers

c) 876,000,0001,052,000,000 including second language speakers

It’s a multilingual world…How many people in the world speak these languages as their mother tongue?

Spanish Hausaa) 102,000,000b) 61,700,000c) 322,300,000

a) 60,000b) 24,162,000c) 10,300,000

c) 322,300,000 b) 24,162,000

It’s a multilingual world…What have all these languages got in common?

They are all spoken in more than one country and often used as additional languages to communicate across borders

It’s a multilingual world…Test your knowledge, part 2 - Languages of the European UnionMatch the language to the percentage of its native speakers in the EU

24%

16%16%

16%

11%11%6%

NederlandsEspañolItalianoFrançaisEnglishDeutschAll others

Deutsch

Français

Italiano

English

All othersEspañol

Nederlands

It’s a multilingual world…Test your knowledge, part 3 – Closer to homeDo you know how many languages are spoken by young people in

8? 19? 39? 98? 104? 144? 251? 300?

England…

Scotland…

Wales…

300 languages

104 languages

98 languages

It’s a multilingual world…Test your knowledge, part 3 – Closer to homeA recent survey shows that over 50 languages are spoken in Portsmouth schools:

Afrikaans • Arabic • Albanian • Amharic • Bahasa Malay • Bengali • Bulgarian • Chinese • Czech • Danish • Dari/Farsi • English • French • German • Greek • Gujerati • Hakka • Hindi • Italian • Japanese • Kikuyu • Kiswahili • Korean • Kurdish • Sorani • Latvian • Lithuanian • Laotian • Malay • Malayalam • Ndebele • Nepali • Norwegian • Panjabi • Polish • Pushto • Romanian • Runyankole • Russian • Serbo-Croat • Shona • Sinhalese • Somali • Spanish • Swahili • Tagalog • Tamil • Thai • Tigrinya • Turkish • Twee • Ukrainian • Urdu • Vietnamese • Yoruba

It’s a multilingual world…Test your knowledge, part 3 – Closer to homeHow many languages are spoken in your community, your school or your college?

Employability: give yourself the edge

• social skills• ability to work in a team• communication skills • problem-solving skills• confidence• experience• open mindedness• flexibilityLearning languages gives you these skillsSpeaking another language makes you stand out from the crowd

This is what a top employer said he is looking for in a new employee:

Employability: give yourself the edgeThe top employer also said:• Business is global today• English is important but not enough• You need to get noticed overseas• Foreign languages are vital

He gave some tips on the social side of business:• Listening is a skill• Cultural awareness pays off• Relationships make a difference• Networking is easier in the local language

Give yourself the edge… they did!Match the names on the left to the degrees on the right:J. K. RowlingAuthor (Harry Potter)

Paula RadcliffeAthlete

Lucy LiuFilm star

Jonathan RossTV and Radio PresenterRory Bremner Comedian

Fiona BruceNewsreader

Chris MartinMusician (Coldplay)

Nigella LawsonTV Chef

Chinese Language and Culture(1990)European Studies(1982)

French and German(1983)

Modern European Studies(1996)

Greek and Latin(1999)

French and Classics(1987)

Medieval and Modern Languages(1983)French and Italian(1986)

J. K. RowlingAuthor (Harry Potter)

French and Classics(1987)

Paula RadcliffeAthlete

Modern European Studies(1996)

Lucy LiuFilm star

Chinese Language and Culture(1990)

Jonathan RossTV and Radio Presenter

European Studies(1982)

Rory Bremner Comedian

French and German(1983)

Fiona BruceNewsreader

French and Italian(1986)

Chris MartinMusician (Coldplay)

Greek and Latin(1999)

Nigella LawsonTV Chef

Medieval and Modern Languages(1983)

Continuing with languages you can…Join in – it’s a multilingual worldConnect with other cultures

Give yourself the edge – you need to in the global job market of the 21st century

Keep your options open

Still need convincing?

Why study languages?This is what university and year 12/13 students said:

“Languages enable you to travel to other countries and feel part of the culture,

respect the people living there by making an effort to communicate and not feel like a

tourist”“A language expands your

range of thinking” “Another language helps you to realise that there is a world

around you”

Why study languages?This is what university and year 12/13 students said:

“Language learning helps to develop communication skills which are really vital if you're applying for a job or just in daily life,

you need to be able to communicate”

“Languages can provide opportunities nowadays here in the UK even if you don't want to go and work abroad because of the multicultural society we live

in”

“Languages are fun and

not too difficult”

And now, a message for the lads…

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Learn languages because its fun…

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