Speaking in tongues

11 January 2003 ~ 17:08

I did French for five years at school and gained a grade B Ordinary Level GCE. Then I started doing the Advanced level, but gave up after a term in favour of Archaeology. I wasn�t doing too badly in the actually language part of the syllabus but the literature side I found hard going. We were studying Racine or Molli�re or something, the French equivalent of Shakespeare, someone who�s hard enough to native English speakers! I also took German for a term, which I gave up in favour of Spanish. I gained a Grade B �O� level in Spanish, but as I squeezed the whole course into one single year, I soon forgot it, and now all I can remember are a few choice phrases such as tengo hambre (I�m hungry.)

Latin is another subject I learnt at high school. For four years the more academically inclined of us were allowed to escape needlework and learn the classical language instead. I actually enjoyed Latin lessons very much. I got a grade A for the �O� level; my only other A was in English literature, God knows how! I went on to study Latin for one of my �A� levels and got a grade B. I enjoyed the blind translations much more than the learning of set pieces of classical literature. Some people love the �puzzle solving� to Mathematics. To me, the translation of one language to another was a much more interesting challenge.

My language ambitions these days are two-fold. Firstly, I�d love to improve my rusty French.

They do evening classes at the University Mark and I work at, costing �80 (about $120) for two terms. Only problem is, you have to pay up-front. And we never seem to have the readies. When and if we do get around to signing up for classes, we�ll probably go for the Intermediate stage.

Secondly, I�d love to learn at least a little Welsh. I had a grandmother who was Welsh, and I have a fascination for the language. It is so ancient and has changed little over the years. So little in fact, that the Welsh word for Englishman is literally translated as Saxon. However, it is meant to be very difficult to learn Welsh, a Celtic tongue. The pronunciation is especially hard to get to grips with. Prince Charles had a lot of trouble with it, apparently. But I am a big supporter of preserving the Welsh language. It is an important part of our history and culture and I�d hate to see it die out like Cornish has done and Gaelic is soon about to. Although only a small percentage of the population of Britain speak Welsh, I for one do not mind my tax money going towards promoting it.