Sir, The assertion that a facility in other languages is a vital part of our education is surely mistaken (letter, Sept 9). The Danes speak foreign languages because foreigners do not speak Danish; the British do not need to speak foreign languages except in limited circumstances, such as for reasons of business, because they can normally be understood in their mother tongue.
A competence in foreign languages is, therefore, helpful but hardly vital. What is vital, yet rarely remarked upon, is that foreigners speak better English than the British because they are forced to learn the rules of grammar and other useful matters. I would suggest that remedying this problem is more important than improving a facility in other languages.
PETER CURWEN
Visiting Professor
Strathclyde University
Glasgow
Sir, Re-reading the fallout from this year’s GCSE and A-level results I notice with sadness the continuing decline in modern languages, and yet the remedy is clear.
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An Oxbridge hopeful to whom I gave a practice interview had studied one book by André Malraux, and could not name any other French author. By contrast, at 16 we were laughing at Molière, quoting Voltaire, struggling with Corneille and agreeing with Sartre. We were aware of a huge treasure box of French writing that made the prospect of modern languages at university an alluring one.
My daughter is a talented linguist, but chose English, theatre studies and psychology instead. Faced with two years of nothing but grammar lessons, who can blame her?
CHARLES BAGNALL
Cheltenham