Watch your language

British students have lost their appetite for learning foreign languages. Research by the BBC shows that the number of pupils learning either French or German has slumped although there has been a slight rise in those learning Spanish. I watched in horror yesterday on the BBC as a commentator said that the perception in Britain was that as most of the world spoke English there was little point learning a foreign language. This is disgraceful. It reminds me of the attitude of a small number of long-term expats ... the Majorcans should learn English so that they can speak to us. Having said that, teachers in Majorca do have a problem in underlining the merits of speaking English to local students; it is an uphill struggle. That is another story.