Page 676 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 11 February 2009
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The latest curriculum framework for ACT schools identifies the value in cultural and linguistic diversity in society as an important element of intercultural attitudes and values. I note that 60 per cent of primary schools in the ACT have a language program, with a focus on eight languages. As part of the multicultural strategy, all public schools will be required to implement a language program in years 3 to 8 by the end of 2010.
Language programs in the ACT public schools focus on the teaching of four European languages—French, German, Italian and Spanish—and four Asian languages, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and modern Chinese. “Leading 21st century schools: engage with Asia” was an initiative introduced in 2008 which provides professional learning opportunities for principals as part of a national program coordinated by the Asia Education Foundation. Many ACT teachers attended the ACT Studies of Asia Annual Conference, further developing their understanding of teaching Asian languages.
It is important that our young people grow up with a knowledge and appreciation of other languages and cultures. This not only helps them in their understanding of the world they live in and gives them an invaluable skill; it also enhances their future work opportunities.
The government is implementing an internationalisation strategy that assists local businesses to respond to market opportunities. Having access to a broad base of bilingual locals in our workforce would, I believe, positively impact on such a strategy. However, there is merit in learning languages that goes beyond that. There is obvious merit in committing resources to European and Indigenous languages as well as Asian languages.
The holy Roman emperor Charlemagne, believed to be responsible for founding the first university, once said, “To have another language is to possess a second soul.” Despite his infamously clumsy handwriting and his minimal level of literacy, he was a talented linguist. Not satisfied with speaking his native language with unparalleled eloquence, he was also conversant in Latin and possessed a deep understanding of Greek in an age when kings and rulers were famously unable to read or write even in their mother tongues.
While English is the working language of our country, there is no reason why those coming from a background whose mother tongue is not English should not develop their proficiency in more than one language. It has been proven that literacy in one’s mother tongue facilitates becoming literate in a second language. For those Canberrans who speak a language other than English but are not literate in their mother tongue, reaching a strong level of literacy in English can be problematic. Greek Australians are one of the top five culturally diverse groups residing in the ACT, so it is significant that Greek is taught at Lyneham primary school.
Language is not static but in a constant state of gradual change, highly susceptible to both internal dynamics and external influences. In 1994, legislation was implemented in France to protect the national language. The law was the modification of an act that
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