Who still wants to learn languages?

This headline on The Guardian website caught my eye. The answer? Not the British apparently: or should that read "the English"? Here are the statistics:

Entries for French have fallen since languages were made optional at GCSE seven years ago. This year, they were down to just over 154,000 from around 170,000 last year, and compared with more than 300,000 in 2004.

French fell out of the top 10 most popular subjects last year, with more pupils choosing to study geography or art for GCSE. Religious studies has grown in popularity for the 13th year running, with nearly 222,000 entries, up from 188,704 last year.

About 650,000 children receive their GCSE results today in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a smaller group than in 2010. The number of 16-year-olds in the population has been declining since 2004.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/aug/25/gcse-results-one-in-four-get-a


The situation for adult learners may be that we're struggling to keep up with our own language or at least with new technologies

Here in France the problem in recent years has been for the French to come to terms with the fact that their language isn't universally spoken, but English is! Many students and a lot of parents aren't happy with the standard of language teaching in school, because they need to be able to speak English fluently for interviews, in business dealings and when they travel abroad.

Some parents here want their children to get a good start in English early in life:

At this stage there are 2 rules: have fun and have a teacher with a good accent. Young children who are still learning their own language are happy to imitate their teacher and they can soon learn to pronounce English sounds correctly. The good news is that this won't stop them from making progress in their mother tongue. 
"A study undertaken by York University in Canada suggests that bilingual children’s knowledge of a second language gives them an advantage in learning to read." See more here: 
http://www.early-advantage.com/articles/topten.aspx

I can't deny that the situation in France is a good source of income for me! It's interesting to see the range of ages of my students - 4 to 64 at the last count- and the variety of reasons for their need to learn English or brush up their existing skills.

Finally, if you're learning a language, even if it's how to text on that new Blackberry (other brands of complicated phones are available), keep practising and don't forget that the Internet has lots of useful sites where you can learn more.

Edinburgh in August

I spent a week in Scotland that coincided with the Edinburgh Festival and the Festival Fringe. For those who don't know it, yes, Edinburgh has a Festival in August......I'd tell you how many festivals, but it keeps changing and the dates change too, so have a look at this site for up to date information for 2011 and very soon I'm sure for 2012.

http://www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk/ 

 

This was my first impression of the High Street shennigans on Monday 15 August. David Hume seems to approve from on high!

 

This young Acapello group seen showcasing their songs on the High Street stage were really good. This was Tuesday afternoon, I can tell because it's sunny!

 

The Fringe isn't complete without it's street-performers. Their mix of witty repartee and amazing feats of strength or agility draws crowds, especially when the sun comes out.

The backdrop is the Signet Library in Parliament Square. This year the Signet Library is masquerading as the Pommery Champagne Bar. I popped in for a look, but I didn't stay for a glass of champagne because they wouldn't let me have a comfy seat; they were all reserved! Still maybe you'd like to go if you're in town...........

http://www.thesignetlibrary.co.uk/pommery-champagne-bar/

 On Tuesday my Dad joined me for lunch and then a stroll down the High Street.

Here's another link to the latest news and reviews from the festival.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/edinburgh-festival-2011