Second language.

'Does it matter if we only speak English?' and 'Why bother learning foreign languages?' are articles that reflect on the problems of British people with learning a second language.12 This problem seems to be rooted in the general assumption that everybody in the world speaks English. Both Jacques and Holt argue that the lingua franca  is not the problem.
 Jacques takes on a more socio-cultural point of view in his article discussing 'the ability to speak a second language'. The decline on the number of people speaking a second language is caused, according to Jacques, by a 'deeply arrogant attitude' that is just wrong.3 To illustrate the wrongness of this attitude Jacques sums up three problems: First, it is not true that everybody in the world speaks English, secondly the present status of English as lingua franca is not necessarily to be, and thirdly language is not just a tool of communication.4 Britain's political leaders should tackle the second language problem, according to Jacques, by: start the learning of a second language at the age of five, make more languages(Mandarin) available and learn these languages in a sort of two-way integration process.5
 Richard Holt takes on a other view in his article, he suggested that the problem of speaking a second language is not merely one of arrogance but primarily of the failing education system in Britain.6 Holt sees that learning of a second language deepens the understanding of one's own language, and therefore Holt sees it compulsory to study at least one foreign language until the age of 16.7 The key point is that teachers' don't seem to embrace Holt's views. The Association of School and College leaders thinks it not 'feasible' to learn a second language because 'the content of the curriculum must be made more practically focused and relevant to students' career choices'.8  Holt argues that following this road of 'more practically focused' teaching there will be no one in the future to teach a foreign language, simply because nobody learned it probably.9  Or to quote Holt in his article: 'The amendment to the education bill needs the backing of schools as well as politicians. Otherwise the language departments of the future will be very lonely places indeed.'
1 Martin Jacques,' Does it matter if we only speak English?', The Guardian(London, 15-12-2006).
2 Richard Holt, 'Why bother learning foreign languages?', The Guardian(London, 13-10-2006). 
3 M. Jacques, 'Does it matter?'(London, 15-12-2006).
 
4 Ibidem.
5 Ibidem.
6 R. Holt, 'Why bother?'(London, 13-10-2006).
7 Ibidem.
8 Ibidem.
9 Ibidem