Learning World, Episode 13: The multilingual goal

There are thousands of languages arround the world and being multi--lingual is a goal for many people. We look at language learning around the world. We go to Luxembourg which is a multi-lingual society, and to France where a Japanese teacher tries to bring her culture to those who are away from home. And to Ireland where Gaelic is in danger of dying out. In one school in the suburbs of Dublin they teach Gaelic to very young children. They may not speak the language much outside school, but their parents want them to be as bi-lingual as possible. In other adult classes, people learn Gaelic in the evening classes and then practice the language in the pub downstairs. In Luxemburg, multi-linguism is part of daily life. Surrounded by France, Germany and Belgium, around 40% of the Luxembourg population is of foreign origin. The three official languages are French, German and Luxembourg. Luxembourg is ranked as the richest country in per capita income in the world. And languages are an essential part of keeping this small country competitive.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Language
• Learning

[boabysands123]

At 2:00 the report says it's not compulsory to study Irish. It is. From the start of schooling ALL children (except very recent immigrants) must study the language and in the late stages of secondary/high school must take exams in the language. The school profiled is an all-Irish language school (gaelscoil) that some parents choose to set up and send their children to.