Young people in Britain aren’t bad at learning languages – but the school system doesn’t make it easy for them

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But are the British really bad at learning foreign languages?

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Provider:

The Conversation

URL:

https://theconversation.com/young-people-in-britain-arent-bad-at-learning-languages-but-the-school-system-doesnt-make-it-easy-for-them-227485

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

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Tags:

Immersion, Multilingualism, Motivation, Learning, Environment, Climate, Research, University, Politico, Student, Brexit, Curriculum, Language, Linguistics, Government

Geotags:

LEAKE, GREECE, ENGLAND, EUROPE, UK, SCOTLAND, GERMANY, WALES

Summary

Key Points:

But are the British really bad at learning foreign languages?
This comparatively short period of formal language learning is likely to have a substantial impact on language attainment amongst school leavers.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have native languages which are taught both as second languages and through bilingual or immersion schooling.
UK students’ learning of these native languages shows that when given significant exposure to a language, they can achieve fluency.

Choosing to learn

Another factor to consider is why students learn languages, and how this affects their achievement.
There will certainly be young people who feel that language learning is something they have to do, rather than something they want to take part in.
However, other students are motivated to learn languages which they feel a personal connection to or see personal value in.

English has become a global lingua franca, and consequently Anglophones can feel like foreign language skills are less needed.
This also means that English language skills are a useful extra for many people around the world and allow them to get by in many countries – that’s a strong motivation to learn.
Read more:
The UK is poorer without Erasmus – it's time to rejoin the European exchange programme
There is no evidence that British young people have an inability to learn foreign languages.

Abigail Parrish does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.