ENGLISH AS SECOND TONGUE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 64, 13 April 1943, Page 7

ENGLISH AS SECOND TONGUE

SIGNIFICANT MOVE

GAINING FAVOUR IN EUROPE

A New York message states that in a move significant J'or post-war understanding, official representatives of six occupied, countries of Europe are laying the grouiuhvork in London for enactment of a Neth-erlands-sponsored plan to make English Hie "second language" of European schools alter the war, Lho Netherlands Information Bureau j-ii-ported. First advanced by ■Ger.ril Bolkcstein, Xe I her lands Minister of Education, the plan is being studied by a committee of representatives, of the Government in Exile in Belgium, Poland, the Netherlands. Nor-' way, \ ugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia. It is hoped, the programme will be adopted ny a',l members of the Unit-: ed Natrons where English is not already the chief language. Adoption of the plan, sponsors hold, would be helpful after the Avar in counteracting Nazi influence on the education of youth in oceupje'd countries, Already the Germans, seeking to make their tongue the off icial Dutch language, have organised special German-language scholarships and have lowered, qualifications for German teachers in the Netherlands. Other occupied territories liave seen similar moves. Some Reasons Listed Mr Bolkestein listed as reasons for the adoption of English as a second language as follows:— 1. It is already spoken by two great nations representing nearly 200,000,000 persons. 2. For millions of others, English already is the second language. English Ts actually or basically the language of seafaring men. 4. The European continent Mould bciiclit from British and American cultural influences, which would be promoted by making English, the second tongue. 5. The move, would, strengthen British and American tiesi with the European continent and thereby help to combat British and Allien-, can insular and isolationist tendencies. AW Flow of Ideas Adoption of one common language would wine out the difficulties which have hampered the easy llow of ideas across frontiers throughout the ages, it was added. It was also urged, that the plan would counterbalance German and, to a lesser extent, French influence on the condtinent. The proposal recalled the resolution submitted to the International! Labour Organisation sessions in New York in October, 1941, J>y Pierre Luxemberg, urging T. L. O. to use its influence to make teaching of English compulsory in the schools of all nations. Mr Kricr argued that the dissemination of An-glo-Saxon ideas, ethics, and civilisation would be furthered thereby. The London committee proposing the use of English as a "tongue of universal understanding" held its first sessions on November 10>. Members in attendance included Jan Nieuwenbuys, chief of Cabinet of the. Belgian Ministry of Education, Dr. Tadeusz Sulimirski. Director General of the Polish Department of Education; Prof. A 1 Sommerfcldt, Director General of the Norwegian Ministry of Education; Prof. Dragutin Subotic of the Yugoslav Ministry of Education; Prof. Jan De Boer, representing the Netherlands, and Prof. Milofn Sova, representing Czechoslovakia.