"Me Tarzan .... you Jane!"
The 'tarzanization' of language is now official
Usually, we communicate using language; but if languages become too complicated and refined, communication suffers. There are two solutions: educate people to a higher level, or simplify the language.
The problem of communication is more evident in countries where mass immigration has taken place. The local population cannot communicate with the waves of new immigrants. Bureaucratic barriers are removed, but the language barrier remains!
Germany has experienced a massive influx of immigrants from the Middle East over the past 10 years. Apart from cultural and religious differences, the biggest issue has been communication. To tackle this problem, the German government has decided to simplify the German language! According to studies, there are about 14 million people in Germany who would benefit from a simplified version of the language. It is recommended that sentences should be short with only one piece of information in each sentence. The Cologne linguist, Bettina Bock, recommends that Easy German should be “.... as simple as necessary and as understandable as possible. Texts should be recognized by the target group immediately, but simplification should be such that no stigmatization is implied."
(The problem is that anyone using correct German might be called elitist and excluded from society, or worse!) Presumably, the 'tarzanization' of German could be applied to English, French and Spanish.
However, what is the real rationale behind this decision? Is it the belief that good communication leads to an understanding of cultural and religious differences? Or that faster and smoother integration into German society and the prospect of being more employable will prove that the government policy of encouraging mass immigration was correct all along? We shall see ….....
But is government intervention necessary?
Many years ago, Romanians moved to the north of Italy and Spain to find work. They raised a generation of kids who now speak a synthesized version of Italian and Romanian, and Spanish and Romanian. In Ukraine, there is a language spoken that is a combination of Russian and Ukrainian, called 'surzhyk' – the word comes from Russian and refers to a mixture of wheat and rye flour. English has many hybrids throughout the world. Of course, the 'gold standard' is British English! That, in itself, is not a guarantee of literacy. Shakespeare wrote 38 plays and 154 Sonnets with a resource of around 60,000 words in the late 16th Century. Today, English has around 350,000 words and many British kids can't spell their own name!
So, why has the German government decided to intervene in an organic process that takes place all over the world? Let me answer the question this way: The Polish government has resisted mass immigration and proudly states that Poland does not suffer any of the current disadvantages associated with the sudden mass influx of people whose ideological and cultural 'baggage' is completely different!
The Poles insist that respecting the culture where you live as a foreigner has nothing to do with language. Naturally, it's a good thing to learn as much of the local language as possible, but that has nothing to do with obeying the law and treating your hosts with respect.
_________________ oOo _________________
TEFL and ESL teachers are welcome to use these ready-made materials for their English classes.
Grammar switch!
Reformulate the verbs in bold in the text below to the Present Perfect
We communicate, normally, through the use of language. However, complicated and refined linguistic expressions hinder communication. The solution is to educate people to a higher standard, or simplify the language. Communication problems are more evident in countries that experience mass immigration. For example, about 14 million people in Germany have problems speaking German or understanding bureaucratic documentation.
Bettina Bock, a linguist, recommends making German easy to understand.
The real rationale behind language simplification is questioned. The Polish government, for example, resists mass immigration and claims that Poland avoids the disadvantages German society experiences.
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Answer key
We communicate, normally, through the use of language. However, complicated and refined linguistic expressions have hindered communication. The solution has been to educate people to a higher standard, or simplify the language. Communication problems have been more evident in countries that have experienced mass immigration. For example, about 14 million people in Germany have had problems speaking German or understanding bureaucratic documentation.
Bettina Bock, a linguist, has recommended making German easy to understand.
The real rationale behind language simplification has been questioned. The Polish government, for example, has resisted mass immigration and has claimed that Poland has avoided the disadvantages German society has experienced.
Question forms
The bolded words are the answers. But what are the questions?
1) Normally, we communicate through the use of language.
2) The solution has been to educate people to a higher standard, or simplify the language.
3) Communication problems are more evident in countries that experience mass immigration.
4) About 14 million people in Germany have had problems speaking German.
5) The real rationale behind language simplification has been questioned.
Answer key
1) How do we normally communicate? / In what way do we normally communicate?
2) What has the solution been?
3) Where are communication problems more evident?
4) What have about 14 million people in Germany had?
5) What has been questioned?
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