Brexit Thread Seven: More of this shit

[Fambo Number Mive]

Brexit is causing poorer children to fall further behind in learning foreign languages, says the British Council.

Parents in disadvantaged areas are telling teachers languages will be less useful after Brexit, it says.

It warns that GCSEs and A-level languages in England are seen as being hard subjects in which to get a good grade.

The government said the overall picture for language learning in England was improving.

This is a snapshot of the state of language learning in England from the organisation that promotes British culture abroad.

It warns of growing concern that GCSEs and A-levels in modern foreign languages are seen as harder than other subjects.

Some academics have recently written to Ofqual asking it to look again at the marking of language exams.

The British Council report also describes a shift in attitude, with some parents saying languages are "little use" as the UK is due to leave the European Union...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-48830260

[BlodwynPig]

Replace Brexit with The Government

[Buelligan]

Brexit is causing poorer children to fall further behind in learning foreign languages, says the British Council.

Parents in disadvantaged areas are telling teachers languages will be less useful after Brexit, it says.

It warns that GCSEs and A-level languages in England are seen as being hard subjects in which to get a good grade.

The government said the overall picture for language learning in England was improving.

This is a snapshot of the state of language learning in England from the organisation that promotes British culture abroad.

It warns of growing concern that GCSEs and A-levels in modern foreign languages are seen as harder than other subjects.

Some academics have recently written to Ofqual asking it to look again at the marking of language exams.

The British Council report also describes a shift in attitude, with some parents saying languages are "little use" as the UK is due to leave the European Union...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-48830260

One interesting (at least to me) aspect of this is that English has become the lingua franca of Europe.  This, of course, is a huge advantage to English/British business and Brits in general.  Especially given that the British do seem to be rather lazy at bothering to learn other languages.

Will this change (slowly) after Brexit, one wonders.  America (English speakers who also don't bother that much with learning other languages) is becoming less and less relevant/important to Europeans too.  Maybe Brexit will be the beginning of the end for English.  Eventually, there'll be people coming over to the tiny remote island to record the last native speakers as they dance around their tribal maypoles, blackfaced and chanting to the Cock Nigel.  Stranger things have happened.

[BlodwynPig]

J'Loving It

[Fambo Number Mive]

It would be great if there was more incentive for English speakers to learn other languages. I've tried several times and have struggled with it, I don't think I have the right kind of brain for it. Also struggled to learn shorthand.

Part of the problem I think is the lack of funding for language courses for adults, which of course is part of a wider lack of funding for adult learning courses. The establishment want to restrict the amount of learning the public can access.

[Paul Calf]

If you haven't at least started to learn a different language by the time you're two years old, you're pretty much fucked. Language education needs to start before school.

[Buelligan]

This is balderdash Paul.  E-

[BlodwynPig]

If you haven't at least started to learn a different language by the time you're two years old, you're pretty much fucked. Language education needs to start before school.

Prkojira u'kkla disykorija??

[Fambo Number Mive]

Hi everyone

Sorry this is off topic but what are your thoughts on this: https://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,74002.msg3884645.html

If you can reply in the psst topic not this one

[Johnny Yesno]

One interesting (at least to me) aspect of this is that English has become the lingua franca of Europe.  This, of course, is a huge advantage to English/British business and Brits in general.  Especially given that the British do seem to be rather lazy at bothering to learn other languages.

Will this change (slowly) after Brexit, one wonders.

Unlikely, given the huge influence of US English on the internet. For example, I hear that Russian is a language that's absorbing loads of English loanwords at the moment. Whether we'll all need to learn Mandarin Chinese is also unlikely to be affected by whether the UK is in the EU.

It is bloody stupid that we're happy to piss away such a massive advantage, though.

[Huxleys Babkins]

It would be great if there was more incentive for English speakers to learn other languages. I've tried several times and have struggled with it, I don't think I have the right kind of brain for it. Also struggled to learn shorthand.

Part of the problem I think is the lack of funding for language courses for adults, which of course is part of a wider lack of funding for adult learning courses. The establishment want to restrict the amount of learning the public can access.

It's doable so long as you use the language you're learning all the time and/or you're around people who speak it all the time. If you're only speaking it whilst you're in a learning situation it just doesn't stick.

[Ferris]

It's doable so long as you use the language you're learning all the time and/or you're around people who speak it all the time. If you're only speaking it whilst you're in a learning situation it just doesn't stick.

In Anglo provinces in Canada, you have the option of French immersion schooling. Maths and physics in French, history in English, chemistry in both etc etc.

Seems to work very well - I know a lot of bilingual people (that I had no idea were bilingual).

[chveik]

to be perfectly honest guys I only post here to practice my english.

[sponk]

*Helen Lovejoy doesn't enter thread because brexit bad*

[olliebean]

One interesting (at least to me) aspect of this is that English has become the lingua franca of Europe.  This, of course, is a huge advantage to English/British business and Brits in general.  Especially given that the British do seem to be rather lazy at bothering to learn other languages.

Will this change (slowly) after Brexit, one wonders.

Maybe Esperanto will have its time, at last.

[sponk]

She had her time from the 70's to the 90's, those days are over, but that's life.

[Buelligan]

In Anglo provinces in Canada, you have the option of French immersion schooling. Maths and physics in French, history in English, chemistry in both etc etc.

Seems to work very well - I know a lot of bilingual people (that I had no idea were bilingual).

Their accent's pretty strange though.  We had some Quebecois in this evening so I know of what I speak. 

Would you consider encouraging Ferristrainingwheel to go that way?  I think it's a pretty good idea despite what I've said about the accent.  It can be a huge advantage, I have several friends whose parents sent them to German, English and French-speaking schools when their native tongue was none of those and they're now pretty fluent in all of them.  Also a friend whose first language was Arabic but has perfect English, French, Spanish and reasonable Russian (because his parents decided to have him educated that way).  It gave him enormous advantages in his professional life (sommelier) and huge freedom over where to live and work.  Frankly, I think it's an excellent idea.

[Raskolnikov]

"I hate the rise of British nationalism as evidenced in the Brexit vote. Also, Sinn Fein should get over their "bitterness" and bend their knee to the Queen."

Fuck off mate.

[canadagoose]

"I hate the rise of British nationalism as evidenced in the Brexit vote. Also, Sinn Fein should get over their "bitterness" and bend their knee to the Queen."

Fuck off mate.

Typical British-centric bollocks from the #FBPE crowd (oddly enough, something they have in common with the HARD BREXIT NAAAAH bunch). Bugger Ireland, why won't they do what we want, eh?!

[Ferris]

Their accent's pretty strange though.  We had some Quebecois in this evening so I know of what I speak. 

Would you consider encouraging Ferristrainingwheel to go that way?  I think it's a pretty good idea despite what I've said about the accent.  It can be a huge advantage, I have several friends whose parents sent them to German, English and French-speaking schools when their native tongue was none of those and they're now pretty fluent in all of them.  Also a friend whose first language was Arabic but has perfect English, French, Spanish and reasonable Russian (because his parents decided to have him educated that way).  It gave him enormous advantages in his professional life (sommelier) and huge freedom over where to live and work.  Frankly, I think it's an excellent idea.

The accent out here would be Acadian rather than Québécois, but both sound odd to francophone (or so I'm told because my French is nowhere near good enough to tell the difference).

It's a great idea and I'm all in favour for the life experiences it opens up (my wife's cousin lives in Paris and is at the Sorbonne dating a Parisienne because she speaks fluent French due to her immersion education and I had no idea she spoke any French at all), but for boring reasons the cohort skews more middle class. Is that who I want the little one mixing with, exclusively? Maybe. Maybe not. Don't know.

At school I learned several languages, none of them very well, and now I regret it. I have ok French, and that is about it. Happily, everyone speaks English so it hasn't really hampered me (and Latin/Greek were never going to be massively useful in the year 2019), but still.

[BlodwynPig]

Their accent's pretty strange though.  We had some Quebecois in this evening so I know of what I speak. 

Would you consider encouraging Ferristrainingwheel to go that way?  I think it's a pretty good idea despite what I've said about the accent.  It can be a huge advantage, I have several friends whose parents sent them to German, English and French-speaking schools when their native tongue was none of those and they're now pretty fluent in all of them.  Also a friend whose first language was Arabic but has perfect English, French, Spanish and reasonable Russian (because his parents decided to have him educated that way).  It gave him enormous advantages in his professional life (sommelier) and huge freedom over where to live and work.  Frankly, I think it's an excellent idea.

Great idea

[Buelligan]

The accent out here would be Acadian rather than Québécois, but both sound odd to francophone (or so I'm told because my French is nowhere near good enough to tell the difference).

It's a great idea and I'm all in favour for the life experiences it opens up (my wife's cousin lives in Paris and is at the Sorbonne dating a Parisienne because she speaks fluent French due to her immersion education and I had no idea she spoke any French at all), but for boring reasons the cohort skews more middle class. Is that who I want the little one mixing with, exclusively? Maybe. Maybe not. Don't know.

At school I learned several languages, none of them very well, and now I regret it. I have ok French, and that is about it. Happily, everyone speaks English so it hasn't really hampered me (and Latin/Greek were never going to be massively useful in the year 2019), but still.

On the class thing, got no problems with that.  FWIW, to me, anyway, class is not a problem, it's values that maketh man (and manners). 

Teach your young compassion, make them consider, always, how it is to walk in another's shoes, rub out any foolish pride and othering they may innocently toy with, keep they hearts open (they were born that way) and they'll be right as rain, whoever they spend their time with.  If small Ferris can speak their language too, all the better, IMO.

[Ferris]

We'll start with English (Canadian?) and go from there!

[Sebastian Cobb]

Here's a video of David Bull appearing to be baffled that it requires a big room for equal representation of 28 nations.
https://twitter.com/drdavidbull/status/1145734619612024833

[jobotic]

Brilliant.

Heard Widdecombe's speech yet?

Shes representing me. Thanks biggy.

[Jittlebags]

I reckon Ann give's Farage's Brexit Bishop a good old buffing of a Brussels evening.

[Johnny Yesno]

Brilliant.

Heard Widdecombe's speech yet?

Shes representing me. Thanks biggy.

She's madder than Mad Jack McMad, the winner of this year's Mr Madman competition.

[Paul Calf]

Brilliant.

Heard Widdecombe's speech yet?

Shes representing me. Thanks biggy.

Biggy hasn't logged in since last Sunday. I wonder what's up.

[Johnny Yesno]

Job application to put in.

[sponk]

Or he's been sacked. Hence why they put the ad up

but really I like him and hope he's well