Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom, as the medieval English philosopher Roger Bacon is reported to have said. Bacon’s achievements were such that he was known as ‘Doctor Mirabilis’, and he is widely credited as one of the earliest European advocates of the modern scientific method.
Languages, scientific discovery and knowledge are closely intertwined and of mutual benefit and, I would argue, this is even more true now than it was then. In a globalised world, one that is turbulent and unpredictable, the ability to talk with others who may have different ideas and interests is critical. There is also evidence, most recently from the Creative Multilingualism project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, that language diversity and creativity are mutually reinforcing.
As we approach A-Level results day, there are familiar stories in the press about the decline of language learning in the UK – most recently, this past week when new figures showed the number of pupils in England sitting German A-level has almost halved since 2013. French has also suffered. The British Council recently reported that two-thirds of state secondary schools in the UK teach just one language.
