Why study languages?

1. Why study languages?

2. What language is Marc speaking? Any ideas? (click image to start movie clip)

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

4. …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

5. English is not enough What 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?

6. English is not enough Here 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

7. English is not enough Here 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 them It makes you much more open-minded to people and their culture

8. It’s a multilingual world… Did you know there are 6,912 known living languages in the world? Test your knowledge, part 1…

9. 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) 640,860,000 c) 25,000,000 a) 64,850,000 b) 640,860,000 c) 25,000,000 a) 150,000,000 b) 206,000,000 c) 1,156,000,000 a) 150,000,000 b) 206,000,000 c) 1,156,000,000

10. It’s a multilingual world… How many people in the world speak these languages as their mother tongue? English Chinese (Mandarin) a) 309,350,000 b) 55,000,000 c) 187,000,000 a) 309,350,000 b) 55,000,000 c) 187,000,000 a) 1,052,000,000 b) 358,000,000 c) 876,000,000 a) 1,052,000,000 b) 358,000,000 c) 876,000,000 508,000,000 including second language speakers 1,052,000,000 including second language speakers

11. It’s a multilingual world… How many people in the world speak these languages as their mother tongue? Spanish Hausa a) 102,000,000 b) 61,700,000 c) 322,300,000 a) 102,000,000 b) 61,700,000 c) 322,300,000 a) 60,000 b) 24,162,000 c) 10,300,000 a) 60,000 b) 24,162,000 c) 10,300,000

12. 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

13. It’s a multilingual world… Test your knowledge, part 2 - Languages of the European Union Match the language to the percentage of its native speakers in the EU Español All others Français Nederlands 11% 11% Deutsch 6% Italiano Español Deutsch 24% Italiano English 16% Nederlands All others 16% 16% Français English

14. It’s a multilingual world… Test your knowledge, part 3 – Closer to home Do you know how many languages are spoken by young people in England… 300 languages Scotland… 104 languages Wales… 98 languages 8? 19? 39? 98? 104? 144? 251? 300?

15. It’s a multilingual world… Test your knowledge, part 3 – Closer to home A 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

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

17. Employability: give yourself the edge • This is what a top employer said he is looking for in a new employee: • social skills • ability to work in a team • communication skills • problem-solving skills • confidence • experience • open mindedness • flexibility Learning languages gives you these skills Speaking another language makes you stand out from the crowd

18. Employability: give yourself the edge • The 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

19. Give yourself the edge… they did! Match thenameson the left to thedegreeson the right: J. K. RowlingAuthor (Harry Potter) J. K. RowlingAuthor (Harry Potter) Chinese Language and Culture(1990) Chinese Language and Culture(1990) Paula RadcliffeAthlete Paula RadcliffeAthlete European Studies(1982) European Studies(1982) French and German (1983) Lucy LiuFilm star Lucy LiuFilm star French and German (1983) Jonathan RossTV and Radio Presenter Jonathan RossTV and Radio Presenter Modern European Studies(1996) Modern European Studies(1996) Rory Bremner Comedian Rory Bremner Comedian Greek and Latin(1999) Greek and Latin(1999) Fiona Bruce Newsreader Fiona Bruce Newsreader French and Classics(1987) French and Classics(1987) Medieval and Modern Languages (1983) Chris MartinMusician (Coldplay) Chris MartinMusician (Coldplay) Medieval and Modern Languages (1983) Nigella Lawson TV Chef Nigella Lawson TV Chef French and Italian (1986) French and Italian (1986)

20. Continuing with languages you can… Join in – it’s a multilingual world Connect 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?

21. 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”

22. 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”

23. And now, a message for the lads… (click image to start movie clip)

24. Learn languages because its fun… (click image to start movie clip)