European Day of Languages
The final item today is the interesting members' business debate on motion S1M-2221, in the name of Irene Oldfather, on the European day of languages. I say bonsoir and au revoir to those who are not staying—[Interruption.] Order. Perhaps I should have said taisez-vous. Those who wish to take part should press their request-to-speak buttons now.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament welcomes European Day of Languages and the publication of Citizens of a Multilingual World by the Action Group on Languages, which makes recommendations on the future provision of language education in schools; recognises the vital role of language education in promoting cultural awareness; notes the positive response to the report, and looks forward to innovation in language teaching and an expansion of opportunities in primary schools.
C'est avec plaisir que je propose ce débat en partie en français. Aujourd'hui, c'est un moment important dans l'histoire du Parlement écossais. En fait, c'est une journée historique car, pour la première fois, nous avons un débat dans une langue autre que l'anglais, l'écossais ou le gaélique. Nous sommes membres du Parlement le plus jeune et le plus récent d'Europe. Donc, en ce jour de célébration des langues dans toute l'Europe, nous voulons laisser notre marque distinctive.
En mettant ce sujet à l'ordre du jour, nous signalons que notre jeune Parlement souhaite que notre nation soit un véritable acteur de l'héritage européen commun. Nous ne voulons pas être des simples observateurs.
On a point of order.
In English?
En français!
Signor Presidente, mi dispiace, ma io non capisco neanche una parola di questo discorso. [Laughter.]
It has been agreed that those who speak in a foreign language will also translate in due course.
Merci, Monsieur le Président. J'affirme cela car les langues sont plus qu'un simple moyen de communication. Elles représentent l'instrument de la compréhension et de la connaissance des cultures, le moyen d'encourager la diversité et la tolérance. Ce sont les thèmes sur lesquels l'Union européenne est fondée, et pour lesquels ce Parlement ne cesse de se battre.
L'idée d'une journée des langues, c'était d'encourager les citoyens de tout âge et de toute nationalité, à travers l'Europe, à reprendre l'étude des langues pour le plaisir. Ce discours en français était mon défi personnel.
Voilà! That was my challenge for languages day. [Applause.] Thank you very much. I will briefly summarise in English.
It is with pleasure that, partly in French, I am proposing this debate. Today is an important moment in the Scottish Parliament. In fact, it is an historic day because, for the first time, we are having a debate in a language other than English, Scots or Gaelic.
We are members of Europe's youngest and newest Parliament and therefore, on this day of European languages, we want to make our mark. In choosing this subject for debate, we are sending a message that our new Parliament wishes our nation to share our common European heritage. We do not want to be only observers. Languages are about more than communication: they are about understanding other cultures and encouraging diversity and tolerance—themes upon which the European Union was founded and to which this Parliament lays claim.
The idea of languages day was to encourage people of all ages and all nationalities across Europe to take a language challenge for fun. This speech in French was my personal challenge.
I acknowledge that I have taken up a bit of time with my language challenge, but I would like to take the opportunity to make a few brief points. As I have said, languages can be fun; but there is also a serious note to language development. In a single market, in which it is just as easy to place a call centre in Irvine as in Italy, there can be no doubt that language skills will be decisive factors in job and inward-investment markets. I believe that we, as politicians, have a duty and a responsibility to push forward the frontiers of language development so that Scottish children can compete on an equal basis with their European counterparts. In an increasingly mobile labour market, such skills are no longer luxuries but necessities.
"Citizens of a Multilingual World" makes a number of suggestions for improving language skills, including greater innovation in the teaching of languages. I fully endorse that. In North Ayrshire, we host the virtual school of modern languages, which is a joint initiative using videoconferencing, information technology and other technology. It is welcome and allows children to interact with their European counterparts in a modern way.
We must diversify the languages that we teach. I suspect that there will be a preponderance of French speaking today. It is important that we include other languages. I am prepared to take my own advice and try another language next year.
I am pleased to welcome to the gallery pupils from Kilwinning Academy, which is in my area. I am proud to say that this year, Kilwinning Academy offers classes in four languages: French, German, Italian and Spanish. The Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs will recall that he visited Kilwinning Academy earlier this year and I know that he will be delighted to hear of the further developments in the language curriculum. That is in no small measure due to the commitment of the head teacher and the modern languages staff.
We will all watch with interest the results of the immersion teaching pilot scheme in Aberdeen, which allows children to learn physical education, arts, expressive arts and drama in a foreign language. The fact is that teaching in that way makes sense. Too often in years gone by—and when I was at school I was taught this way—the whole modern language class was taken in English. A good modern language class should be taught for the most part in the language that is being learned.
It would be remiss of me not to mention that the age at which we start teaching languages is crucial to improved linguistic development. We have moved languages into the primary school curriculum, but there is a long way to go. In my area, we are fortunate to have some nursery classes in Spanish. In St Luke's Primary School in Kilwinning we are establishing the reputation of the borough for culture. I hope that Tom Shields will take careful note. The fact is that young children soak up information like sponges and are much less self-conscious in displaying their abilities than are older children, who are often shy about language learning.
As I said in my opening remarks, language is about more than just communication; it is the key to appreciating other cultures, raising our horizons and broadening our experiences, for it is upon the foundations of respect, understanding and tolerance that economic prosperity and peace will be built.
I conclude by saying that I look forward to the day when the children in our schools, who after all are tomorrow's tartan army, can cheer for Scotland and order a pie and a pint not just in one European language, but in several. Perhaps our football as well as our language prospects will be enhanced.
Je me suis bien amusée. J'attends avec plaisir les interventions des mes collègues. Je vous remercies.
I have enjoyed myself very much and I look forward to hearing my colleagues.
Surprisingly, many members wish to speak in this evening's debate. If all members are to be called, I ask members to restrict their speeches to three minutes.
(The Member spoke in Russian - for full Russian text see the PDF version).
I suppose that it is a bit odd to start in Russian, but it is a privilege to speak Russian in this chamber. I should say how I fell into it, because sometimes one falls into languages. I am of such an age that I was sent to Russia to protect people like you, Ms Ferguson, when you were in your pram, at a time when the Soviet hordes and those from other parts of eastern Europe may have been coming up Maryhill Road.
I did not use Russian much for 25 years, then I found myself in the Armenian earthquake zone. It is funny what sticks in one's mind. For example, (The Member spoke in Russian - for full Russian text see the PDF version) which is, "Get your hands up"; (The Member spoke in Russian - for full Russian text see the PDF version) which is, "Where are your headquarters?"; (The Member spoke in Russian - for full Russian text see the PDF version) which is, "Where is your command headquarters?"; and (The Member spoke in Russian - for full Russian text see the PDF version) which is, "Speak, or I shoot." It was not quite so easy in times gone by to learn simpler phrases.
A little later, at a meeting between the Minister for Parliament and I and a Russian delegation in the royal apartments of Edinburgh Castle, I said, (The Member spoke in Russian - for full Russian text see the PDF version) or, "What would you like to do in Scotland?" They said, (The Member spoke in Russian - for full Russian text see the PDF version) or, "We want whisky." Then, there was the perevodchik—the interpreter—going off to the loo, and me being left to translate. I was told, (The Member spoke in Russian - for full Russian text see the PDF version)—which means, tell my friend, Tom"—(The Member spoke in Russian - for full Russian text see the PDF version) Scotland is a four-button democracy." Tom McCabe, not surprisingly, asked what that meant. It meant that, on going to the Presiding Officer's desk, the President of the Duma had found three buttons and a zap button—which is unique to this Parliament—to switch members off. The President ended by saying, (The Member spoke in Russian - for full Russian text see the PDF version) Russia is a much more democratic society than Scotland these days."
Madame le Président, j'ai trouvé du travail durant les années 1980, mais j'ai du quitter l'Ecosse. C'était les années Thatcher, et il n'etait pas facile pour un ex-parlementaire du SNP de trouver du travail ici en Ecosse. J'ai trouvé du travail en tant que directeur des affaires publiques auprès de la Croix Rouge Internationale, à Genève. Dans la maison, il y avait cinq langues officielles: l'allemand, l'anglais, l'espagnol, le russe et l'arabe. En plus, on parlait, probablement, 40 ou 50 autres langues dans les couloirs. In the house where I worked in Geneva, 30 or 40 languages were spoken. One immediately finds oneself dans le bain—in the bath. One is submerged in languages. They have an osmotic effect on you—you pick them up in all quarters.
One begins to have different perceptions. Consider the words that we use for disability: we have the words "incapacity" and "handicap". The French have only "handicapé". That leads to great difficulties in European translation. Consider the Spanish word, "minusválidos". That is the old word for handicapped people and literally means "people of less value". Geneva is having difficulty working in the new word, "descapacitados".
I have two final thoughts. In the Europe of new languages, there is someone who sits in the chamber and asks to intervene on the Presiding Officer. If he were to say that in German would the effect be as satisfactory? "Passen Sie auf, Frau Präsidentin. Beeilen Sie sich! Es ist mein absolutes Recht zu sprechen!" I do not think that that would get too far. Perhaps it could be tried in Italian—"Signora Presidente. Sono solamente un povero ragazzo da Glasgow. Potrebbe aiutarmi?" or, "Please give me a shot, Madam President, I am just a poor guy from Glasgow and I would like so much your assistance." The important thing, in this bath, is to speak the language, to perceive the differences in culture and attitude that come from it, and above all, to enjoy it in a Europe that is not just multifaceted but multicultural.
(The Member spoke in Russian - for full Russian text see the PDF version), merci pour votre attention, et j'offre mes félicitations à Irene Oldfather pour le débat.
Je suis l'heureux père de deux jeunes filles, qui ont été élevées dans un environnement bilingue depuis leur plus jeune âge. J'ai pu ainsi constater moi-même les immenses avantages que cela représente. Cela leur a permis une plus grande ouverture d'esprit aux cultures différentes de la leur. Cela leur donne aussi une confiance en elles, ce qui est bien nécessaire chez les adolescentes, lorsqu'elles rencontrent les gens d'autres pays.
I start by declaring an interest in that I am the proud father of two teenage daughters who have been brought up in a bilingual climate from the earliest possible age. I have seen the enormous benefits at first hand. They possess a tremendous advantage in appreciating other cultures and in having extra confidence when meeting and making friends with people from other countries. That is why I congratulate Irene Oldfather on lodging this motion for debate and why I thoroughly agree with most of the aims set out in "Citizens of a Multilingual World".
I have always found it embarrassing that people visiting Scotland seldom receive the courtesy of being addressed in their native language, whereas when we go abroad we gaily expect those from other nations to understand English and are surprised and even indignant if they do not. That must often convey an impression of arrogance and bad manners to non-English speakers. The only way to stop that and to enable our citizens to comprehend a new range of cultures and histories is to start at the education level, where it matters.
One of our key industries is tourism. If we want to please customers from other countries, it would be a good start for future generations of Scottish tourism operators to have a basic command of the main European languages. This summer, I was asked to open the great glen raid at Corpach near Fort William. It was a regatta from west to east through the Caledonian canal and organised by a French company. The event was an enormous success and especially helpful to tourism in this year of foot-and-mouth.
For the event, I put on my most beautiful kilt and made a welcoming speech to 150 competitors, most of whom were French. I therefore spoke in French and told them that the Caledonian canal had been constructed to protect British shipping from French privateers. That seemed to amuse them. Afterwards, I received a letter from the company's director, telling me how delighted and surprised the assembled company had been to be addressed in its native tongue. The gesture was small, but valuable.
We should make Scots better linguists. We Conservatives think that the £50 million that the Labour party saved by scrapping the assisted places scheme should be used to bring in specialists to teach foreign languages in primary schools.
Labour's record is not good. It has used money that it said it would spend on cutting class sizes to help such bodies as Scottish Opera. I agree that Scottish Opera deserves support, but ministers should please bear it in mind that most operas are sung in foreign languages. Therefore, will the Scottish Executive please provide future Scottish generations with the ability to understand those languages better? Further, the Executive should fulfil its declared commitment to Gaelic by giving more encouragement to Gaelic-medium education.
I declare an interest. I have had a French mistress as a partner for more than 30 years.
That lost something in the translation.
Yes. I speak of my wife, who has taught French for all that time.
Yesterday, I was putting the bins out when I met a former colleague, who is a modern languages teacher. He had just had a German exchange group at his school and two of the teachers had stayed with him for about 10 days. When I went into my house and read the post, I found a request to sign a document for the local twinning association: it wants to obtain a lottery grant because it wants to explain local culture to visitors from Hendaye in the Basque country.
I pay tribute to modern languages teachers and people in twinning associations who have taken on the idea of spreading and sharing culture: language is at the heart of understanding other cultures and how people think. Language is an instrument of understanding. If ever the world needed instruments of understanding, it needs them now. People who have taken the time and trouble to help share cultures and spread their knowledge of other cultures are doing us all a service.
I welcome the day of languages and the year of languages. It is important that we should understand the value of those initiatives. As we stand back and consider the global position, we can see a problem with English spreading to the point at which it offers not only opportunity, but danger. It provides the opportunity for broader communications, ease of trade, business, travel and other matters, but when everyone shares something, there is a danger of blandness, uniformity and a lack of subtlety.
English is continually changing. The language is not set in stone. Many local dialects exist and there is international influence even on standard English. The language develops. We must not pretend that in linguistic terms we can escape the fate of King Canute if we try to stop change, development and the spread of English. However, it is vital that we should cherish and protect all languages—minority languages included—and recognise their importance in a world that would be impoverished if languages and the cultures that they represent were lost or damaged.
"Citizens of a Multilingual World" is an excellent report that sets out a rationale for the importance of including and promoting the teaching of modern languages in schools. I have no time to go into the details, but the arguments are substantial and well argued. Old assumptions about language teaching are brought into the modern context and much is made of the fact that Britain itself is now a multilingual society—Gaelic, Scots, Urdu and so on are mentioned. The case for multilingual provision in our schools, which Irene Oldfather mentioned, is argued and its authors regret the fact that French is perhaps squeezing out other languages as the second language of choice in the school system.
The arguments in the report are powerful, but practicalities tend to work against diversity, so we need to be careful. Irene Oldfather mentioned some examples of how it can be difficult to make diversity available unless we really work hard at it. Although I support the rationale behind the report in full, I would enter one or two caveats about the suggested way ahead. The proposals for the primary curriculum would involve substantial changes to initial teacher training. The McCrone settlement can make a difference to teachers who are already in the classroom, but the proposals for initial teacher training would take many years to work their way through. We must be careful that we do not assume that by saying that we approve of something it will be done straight away.
When language teaching was introduced into primary schools, the practicalities were not observed and there were difficulties with teachers shifting from one class to another. There was also the difficulty that if the teacher with language skills left the post, the school was left without someone who was trained for it. I worry about the practicalities of the proposals.
Having expressed those reservations, I would like to concentrate on the more positive aspects of the European day of languages. Like everyone else, I express the hope that practical difficulties can be overcome. The opportunities are many; the rewards are even greater.
Confrères, je suis très content de participer dans cette discussion et j'offre mes félicitations à Irene Oldfather, qui est l'instigatrice de la motion. J'ai choisi le français pour mon discours aujourd'hui. L'Ecosse a une tradition ancienne d'alliance avec la France, même plus ancienne que notre alliance avec l'Angleterre, et le français est la langue étrangère la plus enseignée dans nos lycées.
Récemment j'ai assisté à un événement à l'Université de Stirling pour célébrer l'année des langues européennes. Notre ministre pour l'éducation, l'Europe et les affaires extérieures a fait la présentation. La moitié de son discours a été en français, mais il a avoué que, comme beaucoup d'entre nous, sa capacité et sa bonne volonté de parler les langues étrangères étaient, malheureusement, limitées. Il nous faut changer ces attitudes. Il nous faut moderniser nos méthodes pour enseigner les langues aux enfants.
Quand j'étais élève, on a appris les langues, d'habitude, par la répétition et par les devoirs couchés par écrit. Je devais apprendre le latin au lieu des langues modernes parce qu'autrefois, c'était obligatoire pour l'étude de la médicine. L'enseignement des langues étrangères aux universités était aussi très traditionnel.
Au cours de mon association avec l'Université de Heriot-Watt, il y a 20 ans nous avons fondé une école de traduction, qui n'était que la deuxième en Grande-Bretagne, et qui employait les méthodes les plus modernes.
Nous devons faire du progrès. Les petits enfants possèdent une grande aptitude pour apprendre les langues, et il faut leur donner les occasions d'acquérir ces habiletés. Nous devons préparer nos enfants écossais pour un monde qui est de plus en plus accessible et de plus en plus communicatif.
Je recommande la motion.
Colleagues, I begin by welcoming this debate and congratulating Irene Oldfather who lodged the motion.
I have chosen to make this speech in French.
Scotland has a great tradition of alliance with France that goes back even further than our junction with England.
I attended the launch recently of the celebration of the year of European languages by the Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs at the University of Stirling. His speech was in part in French but he admitted, as so many of us have to, that our ability and willingness to speak foreign languages is sadly limited. We must change these attitudes. My own experience was of learning French mainly by rote and written exercises. I had to learn Latin in preference to a second modern language because Latin was at that time a requirement for medicine.
When I was associated with Heriot-Watt University's court about 20 years ago, we established the school of translation, only the second in any British university at that time, which used modern methods of language teaching.
We must keep up with the times. Young children have a great capacity to learn new languages at an early age and we must provide them with opportunities to acquire those skills. We must prepare Scottish children for a global world that is becoming increasingly accessible and where communication is vital.
I commend the motion.
Ik ben heel tevreden dat wij vandaag deze belangrijke discussie over de kwestie van de talen van Europa hebben. Dutch is one of my hidden talents. I was going to marry a Dutchman once, but he told me that in his view a woman's place was in the kitchen. As members can imagine, I said "Tot ziens, meneer," or "Goodbye, sir," and that was that.
I studied Dutch at The Hague and I took German and Spanish at school—I can carry on not too badly in those two languages. I learned a bit of Italian in the free lessons in the European Parliament. As George Reid said, it is a case of total immersion. As Irene Oldfather will know, because she was there a lot, it is a great privilege to be surrounded by languages. It made it easy for us to try.
I was once in a group with Irishmen and Frenchmen. Every morning I was kissed by 15 Frenchmen, including three former Prime Ministers. It took quite a while every morning and, I may say, it did not happen to many other people. They used to try to make me say cheeky things. One of the assistants once made a philosophical statement: "Au bal des pompiers, c'est toujours les mêmes qui dansent"—meaning it is the politicians who always want to speak. That useful phrase keeps coming to mind. I tried my French out on the oldest member, Louise Weiss, a famous lady who was much decorated culturally and a filmmaker of great repute. She said, "Winnie, please do not speak French to me. I am over 80 and I cannot stand it." That was the honest answer about my French, which I did not study at school.
George Reid gave us tips. A good tip in the Gaelic language is a useful phrase that members must all learn: "Càit a bheil a' cheilidh?" which means "Where is the ceilidh?" If members know that they will get invited into the back rooms and all the places where the singing is.
I have been studying Gaelic for 20 years. I can read and write it and I have limited vocabulary. Gaelic speakers are sophisticated people. It is a philosophical language, which creates certain barriers if one approaches it from a knowledge of Europe. I was head of a group to do with minority languages in Europe, of which there are more than 30. They are too many to list but, apart from the famous ones such as Breton and Basque, they include Sardinian, Corsican, Andalucian and Valencian. Every one of those languages has a valuable literature and a culture with a unique way of expressing ideas. They are all part of our common culture and the loss of any one is a tragedy for us all. Some, like Cornish and Manx, have gone.
Along with John Hume, I was privileged to create a budget line in the European Parliament for minority languages. That has helped many practical things, such as the publication of books for children in the lesser-used languages and a Breton dictionary. A Shetlandic dictionary is even being considered. I introduced Erasmus when I chaired the Education Committee. The original idea of Erasmus was not only study in another university but an immersion course for a period before the student would go. It was watered down, though. It is up to individual partners to find their own solution. Some people get the immersion course before they study.
In the Borders, a roving teacher was employed to teach Scots. Speaking at a Burns supper in Luxembourg, he told a funny tale about teaching Scots officially to children who really spoke Scots. A wee boy put up his hand and said, "Please Sir, does oor real teacher ken whit you're daein?" That shows that some of us who speak Scots have an understanding of the language that is more passive than active. It is a pity that Scots could not be encouraged more.
It was quite wrong for Gaelic grannies such as mine to tell their grandchildren that Gaelic would hold you back. That was the old, stupid thing that was said, but it is now well-known that knowledge of two languages makes it much easier to learn a third and to be philosophical.
gratias te ago. mulier, quae Scotiam habitat, sum. linguam latinam loquor nec linguam patriae meae. eheu! o tempora! o mores!
I hope that there are no native Latin speakers listening, because I do not know what my case endings or pronunciation were like. I think that there was a Vice-President of America who was sending undercover agents to Latin America and asked whether any of them spoke Latin. Unfortunately, few people speak Latin, the language that I probably learned best at school, which gives members some idea of what education was like in my day. I do not speak my own native language, which, as a Highlander, would have been Gaelic, because it was thought to have been no use to me. However, I had Latin coming out of my ears, although it has not come out of my mouth for a long time. I wonder what John MacLean, my old headmaster, would think of my standing up in the Scottish Parliament and speaking in Latin.
I am embarrassed about what is on my MSP web page, because it says that I am fluent in French. It says that because, when I got the form that asked what languages I spoke, I ticked French because I had done it at school. Now everybody expects me to speak French very fluently indeed, whereas in fact, much like Chaucer's prioress who spoke French after the school of Stratford-atte-Bow, I speak it after the fashion of Oban and Argyll—not terribly well at all. That is a great embarrassment to me.
I was interested in what Irene Oldfather said about bilingualism in education and about French-medium education. The way to get children interested in foreign languages is to start them very young. In Scotland, we have been trying to do that for a long time with Gaelic-medium education. I have lodged a motion for a debate on Gaelic-medium education and the problems that it has, so I do not want to go into that in great detail now. Teaching through the medium of Gaelic obviously expands the language part of the brain, just as teaching through the medium of French does. Being bilingual is of tremendous use if one wants to learn a third or fourth language.
Of course, Gaelic is our other native culture. Scots and Gaelic are twins in Scotland, are of equal validity and should have support. Particularly in the Highland area, children who have Gaelic as a first language have to be supported through Gaelic-medium education.
Everybody ought to learn at least one Gaelic phrase in this year of European languages, because Gaelic is, after all, a European language too—a minority language, but a very important one for Scotland. So to finish off, I shall say something in French. Et bien, merci beaucoup pour entendre ces petits mots—thank you very much for listening to these wee words. Agus feasgar math, a h-uile duine—good evening, everybody, in Gaelic.
Eskerrik asko lehendakaria. Irene Oldfather-i nire esker beroenak eman nahi nizkioke eztabaida hau ziurtatzeko. Kontuz ibili zer Euskara ez dela Espainera, Gaelikoa ez dela Ingelesera eta Galegoera Espainera ere ez dela.
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I thank Irene Oldfather for securing this debate. "Kontuz" means beware. Beware, that Basque is not Spanish, that Gaelic is not English, and that Gallego is also not Spanish.
During the summer, I had a remarkable experience when I moved through what I thought was a single language zone. I discovered that I had moved through four language zones and the secondary language in those four zones was not the language that I expected it to be.
I am glad that we are having this debate and I hope that we can have a larger debate during the next year and a half or two years. The key point to remember is that there are many languages in Europe, but they are not necessarily the languages of the names of the states. Let us be careful. Kontuz.
I congratulate Irene Oldfather on securing the debate and on her excellent contribution—especially the part in French. I will not try to copy her efforts.
Language development is crucial to the success and achievement of our children and young people. As a young person, I learned three languages. My only memory of Latin is: "In pictura est Flavia. Flavia est puella parva." I think that means: "In the picture is Flavia. Flavia is a small girl." However, the second sentence could mean: "Flavia is a big girl." I am not sure—my memory does not stretch that far back.
In French, I can manage: "Bonjour. Je m'appelle Karen. J'ai 34 ans et j'habite à Carluke en Ecosse." Too often, that is all the French that those of us who have been taught the language can remember. I can also stretch to: "Une tasse de vin rouge, s'il vous plaît," which has come in handy on a number of occasions.
I also learned English. Some members would argue that I speak English as well as I speak French and Latin. [Laughter.] People from Jedburgh sometimes speak Jeddart rather than English.
I have just returned from Hareleeshill primary school in Larkhall in my constituency. There, I joined the pupils who were celebrating European languages day. I was embarrassed that I could not understand everything that primary 6 and primary 7 pupils were saying in French, which I studied to higher level. Their enthusiasm for the many songs and dances was tremendous. They even performed the tale of Goldilocks and the three bears in French—I know that because I recognised the three bears in the three beds. The children were excellent and seeing them was brilliant. They had no inhibitions about learning another language—they simply spoke it and enjoyed it. They were part of it.
Too often, people's inhibitions set in if they do not learn languages until they are 13 years old. Adolescents are a wee bit shy about what they are saying. They are comfortable writing things down, but they are not always confident speaking languages. That we have begun to teach languages in primary schools is important. The earlier that children learn other languages apart from their own the better.
I have enjoyed myself today. The debate has taught me much about how languages can be taught and about how children can enjoy learning them. We are progressing significantly and we need to continue with that progress. I hope that my wee boy has more success with modern languages than I did.
Wie geht's? Ça va? ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? Ciamar a tha thu? Hali sha ma shatori? How do you do? How's it gaun?
In those few words, members have experienced my full knowledge of Spanish and Farsi—or Iranian. Ich habe zwei Semester Deutsch am Goethe-Institut in Glasgow studiert, aber ich war kein guter Student. I think that all members understand that—I was rubbish at German.
J'ai aussi étudié le français au lycée pendant six ans, et pendant un an à l'université. Malheureusement, en temps anciens, on ne parlait français ni au lycée, ni à l'université—which must be patently obvious to everyone listening. We did not speak it; we just read it.
As Ian Jenkins said, language is developing all the time. Sometimes we regret intrusions from other languages. I can appreciate the Académie française's concerns of some years ago, when it felt that Americanisms were taking over. It was possible to speak almost no French in a sentence such as, "Je m'habille—I dress—avec mes jockeys, mon t-shirt, mon pullover, mon jean et mes sneakers." Academics fussed over that, but lost.
Why should they have bothered? The big plate with Scots roast beef on it is an ashet, from the French "assiette". Our little fingers are pinkies, which comes from the Dutch "pink" and the rain stotting on the roof is from the Dutch "stotten". The kirk assembly hall that we are in is from the Dutch or German for church. Some members will go home to bungalows, which is Hindustani, and have a cup of char, which is also Hindustani.
If we are happy to take elements of other languages on board, we should give equal respect to the languages and cultures from which they come. However, respect is not enough—some languages dominate the world and others are at risk, but we must not acquiesce to linguistic imperialism or let minority languages languish and die through neglect.
Respect must be reinforced with resources to enable a variety of languages and cultures to flourish in Scotland—that means Scots in varying forms, Gaelic, English and the languages that have become well established by immigration. If we respect our languages, we respect the diverse cultures that compose the citizenry of Scotland. We in these islands are massively guilty of linguistic isolationism, which is exacerbated by the fact that English is an international tongue. We owe it to ourselves to master foreign languages.
Learning a language is vital. Last week I spoke to Ernest Benach, who was part of a Catalan delegation to the Scottish Parliament. I do not speak Catalan or Spanish and he did not speak English. I spoke to him in Paisley French and he replied in Catalan French—we understood each other.
More than anything, the world needs to be able to communicate effectively to improve understanding. The European day of languages is a celebration of human diversity and points the way ahead to effective international communication. As Winnie Ewing said in Dutch, tot ziens.
Madame la Présidente, je suis très heureux que la journée des langues européennes, une initiative de l'année des langues européenes, se marque par ce débat sur l'enseignement des langues en Ecosse, et avec une telle diversité de langues—une première pour le Parlement écossais.
Personnellement, j'ai fait de grands efforts pour améliorer mon français et j'en ai retiré beaucoup de satisfaction. Je deviens de plus en plus conscient de mon manque de compétence dans les langues, mais je fais de grands efforts pour y remédier. Donc, j'ai choisi de vous parler en français aujourd'hui.
Je suis heureux que d'autres personnes ont choisi d'utiliser une autre langue aujourd'hui. Nous habitons dans un monde où la communication devient de plus en plus rapide entre les citoyens de differents pays. Nous visitons les pays étrangers régulièrement, et les jeunes d'aujourd'hui travailleront dans les pays étrangers même plus souvent que nous. Pour eux, parler une langue étrangère, c'est plus qu'important—c'est essentiel. Je suis convaincu que l'apprentissage de langues étrangères est un élément essentiel dans l'expérience de chaque élève et que la maîtrise d'une langue étrangère est une compétence nécessaire pour la vie.
Je suis persuadé que tous nos jeunes écossais devraient avoir le droit d'apprendre une deuxième langue. C'est essentiel pour eux, pour nous et pour l'Ecosse. Ensemble, nous pouvons développer un système efficace d'apprentissage de langues pour nos jeunes, ce qui leur permettra de devenir, en effet, des citoyens d'un monde multilingue.
I have been waiting for that for nine months.
I am pleased that European languages day, which is a European year of languages initiative, is being marked by a debate on languages education in Scotland in such a linguistically diverse way—a first for the Scottish Parliament.
I have worked hard to improve my French and have enjoyed the experience very much. I am more and more aware of my lack of foreign language skills, but I am trying to improve, so I chose to speak in French today.
I am glad that others have also chosen to use another language today, because we live in a world where communication between citizens of different countries is becoming faster and faster. We visit foreign countries regularly. Today's youngsters will work in foreign countries more often. For them, speaking another language is more than important—it is vital. I am convinced that language learning is an essential element of a pupil's educational experience and that language ability is a valuable life skill. I believe that all our young people should have the right to learn a second language. That is essential for them, for us and for Scotland.
I thank Irene Oldfather for lodging the motion that we are debating today. I also thank those members who have contributed to the debate. I do not attend many members' business debates, but it has been fascinating to learn that Karen Gillon was once shy, that Ian Jenkins has a French mistress and that Winnie Ewing put a new interpretation on "The Flying Dutchman". It has been great to have this opportunity and I thank the Presiding Officer for agreeing to mark the European day of languages by allowing a choice of languages in the chamber.
If my old French teacher, Wilma Pirrie, could see me now she would probably die of shock. I would especially like to thank Jessica Princeton, who is in the gallery today. She has been tutoring me all year to get me to this stage and I am grateful to her for that. I took up the language challenge and I do not regret it. In the gallery, we also have John Mulgrew, who chaired the action group on languages. He is director of education at East Ayrshire Council and is with many pupils from that area. He and the action group did first-class work in putting together the report, "Citizens of a Multilingual World". I am grateful to them for their work and for being here today.
I believe that language skills open doors—they widen horizons and develop individuals. I want our record in Scotland's schools to improve. The Executive has today responded to the key elements of the action group report. We have backed the idea of an entitlement to experience a progressive, coherent and successful language education. We endorse that model and are determined to make it work. We will develop an information leaflet for parents and pupils, which will draw on the excellent rationale for language that was produced by the action group and will help to inform them about the new entitlement.
In recent years, funding for language education has been focused—I have to say successfully—on additional training for primary teachers, with little facility to fund innovative approaches to language learning and teaching. As of now, we are going to change the funding package to provide resources to local authorities.
Over the next three years, we will provide an additional £2.5 million to let local authorities be the innovators along with those who direct improved language education at a local level. That funding should be used to support the learning of all languages other than English; it should not be restricted to modern European languages. It should be used for Gaelic, Urdu and other languages for which there is a demand in Scotland's schools.
We have also responded to the report in saying that our review of initial teacher education will examine thoroughly ITE for language teachers and language training for primary teachers. Our work on continuing professional development will ensure that those elements—especially professional development for language teachers—are recognised and progressed.
A number of excellent examples of language education currently exist in Scotland's schools. I will highlight four of them. First, there is the work at the Shawlands Academy international language school. Secondly, there is the excellent, innovative partnership involving East Ayrshire Council, North Ayrshire Council and Argyll and Bute Council—some of the pupils and teachers that are involved in that are here today. Thirdly, there is the French partial immersion project in Aberdeen—that was one of the most fascinating classrooms I have been in anywhere in Scotland. Five-year olds were learning French almost as a first language, never mind as a second one. Fourthly, there is the teacher support project in Clackmannanshire, which I am sure Richard Simpson would endorse.
Those are all great initiatives and there are many more. Language learning in Scotland is entering a new era. It will be contemporary, responsive and appropriate for the needs of our young people in the 21st century.
Together we can develop an effective system of language education for our children, which will ensure that they can indeed become effective citizens of a multilingual world.
In other words, Presiding Officer, ensemble nous pouvons développer un système efficace d'apprentissage de langues pour nos jeunes, ce qui leur permettra de devenir, en effet, des citoyens d'un monde multilingue.
Meeting closed at 17:58.