07.03.08 Being able to read the newspaper in Norwegian, Spanish or Friesian

As a way of promoting unity in Europe, a ‘group of intellectuals on multilingualism’ set up by the European Commission wants all Europeans to ‘adopt’ a language. This personal adoptive language should not be a lingua franca for international communication such as English, and people acquiring an adoptive language should make an intensive study of that language and speak it fluently. Adoptive language learners should also be committed to thoroughly familiarizing themselves with the culture and history of the community in which the adoptive language is spoken. The advantage is that two European countries can always communicate in either of the two national languages, since there will always be people who have a good command of the other country’s language. Furthermore, the initiative is intended to encourage European citizens to broaden their horizons. The fact that most people lack the time to learn a new language apparently has not put off the group of pundits. The requirement for a fluent command of the adoptive language is not going to be an appealing prospect for people either.