Dialogue: Dita De Boni

The tragedy of a language cruelly served


Whatever job you take on when you grow up, it's a sure bet you'll need to know how to cross your t's and dot your i's.

It's useful, too, at parties, on romantic dates, or even during a wet day with Trivial Pursuit, to know the names of some of the great writers of our age and ages long past.

Television may supply you with the hyper-sexed, fast-moving, whole-chapter renditions of the great works of literature, but that's no substitute for a teacher who loves the work as it was written and can provide a whole extra dimension of understanding.

The current debate over taking English in the seventh form is a sad sign of our times. In a system where money is now the primary driver, students are wanting to abandon the beauty of the world's literature for high grades (and A bursary cash) and are screaming "vocation! vocation! vocation!" to those who try to teach them anything vaguely arty.

The benefits of being able to appreciate subjects such as English, and even history, art history and classics, comes sharply into focus after high school is over.

How can travel be fully savoured without an acquaintance with the great works of artists and writers and the special places they drew inspiration from? Travelling to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence is meaningless without knowing something of what you are viewing: for the most part, English explanations are not provided.

Even the much-maligned Shakespeare has plenty to teach about the beauty and skill of language, and understanding his work is surely as great an academic achievement as seventh-form physics or chemistry.

More practically, any kind of higher learning requires the ability to write essays; even being able to understand the full meaning of the daily news requires some level of knowledge.

It is quite astounding how few people can achieve these relatively basic feats - even among those who have climbed high in the world of business. The number of fast-moving businessmen and women who speak ungrammatically and cannot spell is simply staggering.

In a world where communication is key, it makes sense to bolster all your communication faculties - and as communication is the basis of all subjects, scientific, mathematical or otherwise, surely to learn all we can about our beautiful language should be of the utmost importance..

I suggest there is a way to make English a more quantifiable discipline for those in need of a tick or a cross to prove how thoroughly they understand a subject.

Grammar - or the science of language - is an important adjunct to the study of literature. I have studied languages for many years and found my English comprehension greatly improved by the study of how to construct other languages.

The fact remains, however, that there is no more important learning curve for a person's general understanding of the world, and especially the media, than a good grasp of English. And it's not a black and white subject: naturally, the outcome of exams will vary with the different examiners.

But in the real world very few things are black and white, very few things are quantifiable.

The limits and expanses of understanding are the limits and expanses of our life's experience.