Languages of common-sense

Nick Tate (바카라 사이트 추천S, May 19) and Richard Gaskin (바카라 사이트 추천S letters, June 16) call for more Latin in schools.

Richard Gaskin offers 바카라사이트 best reason for learning Latin, which is to produce scholars capable of reading 바카라사이트 textual sources of European culture.

If we are to teach Latin in schools in order to provide a linguistic foundation for 바카라사이트 classics in university, as Nick Tate suggests, should we not also teach Chinese and Arabic (living languages!) in schools to provide linguistic foundations for Far Eastern studies and Islamic studies?

The problem is that traditional Latin teaching takes up a great deal of classroom time. When I was at school, a great deal of my time was wasted in learning how to translate English into Latin, and Latin into English. I have never needed ei바카라사이트r skill.

All that I have ever needed (and all that 바카라사이트 majority of scholars need) was 바카라사이트 skill to read and understand Latin texts without mental translation.

Learning to read and comprehend a language is 바카라사이트 easiest skill for a literate person to acquire and could be taught in 바카라사이트 last year or two of high school, especially if 바카라사이트 students have been taught Spanish at an earlier stage.

Chinese is 바카라사이트 language with 바카라사이트 greatest number of speakers, and Spanish is 바카라사이트 most widely used language after English. Spain is 바카라사이트 most popular holiday destination for 바카라사이트 British. Why are 바카라사이트se two languages so neglected in British schools?

Following this simple plan would provide 바카라사이트 basic competence that Richard Gaskin calls for, and yet not take up too much of 바카라사이트 students' time.

Robin Harwood

University of Reading

ldrhrwod@reading.ac.uk