britishness defined: monolingualism March 15, 2008
Posted by Bradley in : multilingualism , add a commentOdd to see via the BBC that Cambridge University is to stop requiring applicants to have a language GCSE when the EU (of which the UK is still a member) institutions insist on multilingualism. Cambridge decided that:
having a formal entry requirement that at least half of all GCSE students are unable to meet “was not acceptable in the context of Cambridge’s commitment to widening participation and access”.
As a practical matter English will take you a long way, but still …
uk gift to the world - english lessons January 17, 2008
Posted by Bradley in : multilingualism , 1 comment so farGordon Brown’s new idea. But I hope they are better at teaching English than they are at producing videos. Brown has odd quirks when speaking straight at the camera, and why does he have half a mantlepiece sticking out of his head?
more english - less translation December 6, 2007
Posted by Bradley in : multilingualism , add a commentCouncils should be able to translate fewer documents and signs into foreign languages in future, according to new government guidelines.
Having materials converted into other tongues discourages some people in the UK from learning English, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears is due to say.
depressing (description of) data December 6, 2007
Posted by Bradley in : eu, multilingualism , add a commentBetween 2% of prime-aged women in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark and 46% in Malta inactive due to family responsibilities
In the EU27 in 2006, the lowest inactivity rates for women aged 25-54 were found in Slovenia (13.0%), Sweden (13.7%), Estonia (14.3%), Denmark and Finland (14.6%), while Malta (58.9%), Italy (35.7%), Greece (30.9%) and Ireland (29.5%) had the highest.
Among prime-aged women, the percentage inactive due to family responsibilities varied greatly between Member States: the United Kingdom (1.9%) had the lowest percentage, followed by Sweden (2.1%) and Denmark (2.3%). At the other end of the scale, Malta (45.9%), followed by Ireland (23.1%) and Luxembourg (21.7%) had the highest rates.
I don’t know which is worse: the idea of all these prime-aged women (they sound like cattle or cheese) or the idea that people with family responsibilities which preclude paid employment can be described in 2007 as inactive (there is a footnote which explains that what is being measured is participation in the labour force either through employment or unemployment, but still…..) The prime-aged women construct may be a result of translation: the French version of the press release refers to “les femmes de cette tranche d’âge”.
marriage and the english language December 5, 2007
Posted by Bradley in : multilingualism , 2commentsLiving in Miami one takes multilingualism for granted. So, even though I have read about campaigns for English-only (or pro-English) laws in the US, I was stunned to read that the UK Government is proposing that spouses of UK citizens be required to pass an English test before being allowed to immigrate to the UK. This is another instance of the Brown Britishness fetish. In the foreword, Liam Byrne, the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration writes:
When a spouse applies for a visa to join their love [sic] ones in the UK, it is most commonly with the intention of making the UK a permanent home. We want newcomers who come here with the intention to settle to make a meaningful contribution to our society and to our economy. It is therefore right that we should consider ways to assist a foreign spouse’s integration into life here right from day one.
In April this year we introduced the Life in the UK test for all migrants applying to settle in the UK. With this requirement comes a growing need to promote the development of English language skills at an early stage. Having a pre-entry English requirement would send a clear signal to the spouse that they will be expected to acquire English language skills in order to remain with their loved ones in the UK on a permanent basis.
There are some unanswered questions about the precise terms of the proposed requirement. For example the consultation document states:
In particular we need to recognise that many spouses will already be either fluent in English (if they come from a majority Englishspeaking country) or at a relatively high level. We also need to consider how and whether a requirement might apply to those with mental health issues or physical impairment.
Will people immigrating from majority English speaking countries benefit from a presumption of English fluency? What about people who live in Miami?