“One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.”

^{Frank Smith}

 “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

^{Nelson Mandela}

“Why do we study languages when everybody learns English?”

“Why do we learn French and German at PHSG?”

These are just some of the many questions we get asked when it comes to learning a foreign language. Some questions are easy to answer and others are more complex.

In an already overcrowded curriculum why do we choose to learn a foreign language?

Well for one thing it helps us to become more familiar with our own language, thus strengthening our own native language skills. Languages are all built up on common grammar structures and often we do not actually know why we say things the way we do or why certain things are right or wrong in our speaking or writing. Sometimes we just ‘feel’ it, but often children (and adults) can ‘feel’ it incorrectly, which can then cause frustration for children and adults alike. This frustration can also impact on English lessons as well as other subjects, where a good command of language is required to enable us to better express ourselves. Learning a foreign language helps us to understand our own language better, and it can also help us improve our native language skills.

“Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own.”

^{Johann Wolfgang von Goethe}

“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things.”

^{Flora Lewis}

Additionally, it helps us to understand other cultures and promotes tolerance as well as understanding the world around us. Language learning also provides the foundations for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work with and in other countries.

At PHSG we study 2 main languages, French and German. We are proud to be one of the few schools to be able to consistently offer French and German to A-Level and have many students continue on with language learning at University. Also, it is widely acknowledged that having once studied any language to a high degree enables you to access and learn subsequent languages much more easily.