Learning A Non-Native Language Still Matters
The British mentality surrounding language learning is summarised by the question perpetually asked by pupils: “Why do I have to learn German? They all speak English anyway.” (Wer will heute noch Sprachen lernen?, G2, 25 August).
One only has to watch 15 minutes of German television to realise the influential power that the English language has in Germany. This is repeated around the world, and it is the instrumentality that English embodies in the minds of foreign learners that must be instilled in the minds of native English speakers if they are ever going to want to continue to learn languages.
How this can be achieved in a world where English is the lingua franca is a challenge which I believe will only get harder with time, but as a graduate about to embark on a PGCE in German and Spanish, I am going to make it my aim to ensure that German is not seen as the language of war, Hitler and people with mullets, but as a language which can open doors of communication, culture and broader understanding.
