Read the text and try to comprehend it

“Should UK teenagers speak more languages.”

Language is a powerful tool. It is how we communicate. But in a globalised world, is knowing one enough?

The British are notoriously bad at speaking languages other than English. There is an expectation that other people will learn English – which many do because of the influence of the US. Is this good for Brits? Or is there a downside? Some parts of the country are very much English only But children and young people in London might go home and speak any one of 600 languages. What difference does this make?

Home Secretary David Blunkett once caused a storm by saying that immigrants should speak English at home. Is this realistic? Will people really stop using their mother tongue to converse between themselves? What are the advantages and disadvantages of growing up bilingual?

It is estimated that around 6,000 Ianguages are spoken in todays world. According to Unesco, which has organised International Mother Language Day on 21 February, about half are under threat. How much does it matter if they die out?

Campaigners for the deaf want to see British Sign Language officially recognised as one of the languages of the European Union. As the preferred communication of 70,000 users, it is the second-biggest minority language in the UK. Welsh is the biggest.

Welsh is the main language used for teaching in some schools in the UK. This is not enough for everyone. Some students in Aberystwyth are campaigning for more education in Welsh at the university.

Sometimes people use languages not to communicate with everyone but to limit understanding. Do some people like talking in ways that adults and other outsiders cannot fully understand? Try to find examples of words used as a “private language”. Is this a good or a bad thing?

Digest, 2004, № 17.