An interesting angle. ?
All very valid points, Muhler.
A few thoughts:
> The British monarch is Head of State of a diverse 16 countries, with very different languages and cultures. I would struggle to think of a single predomnant language within those, that may be used in a few countries and be key for a monarch to learn with a view to improving his understanding of that culture.
Apart from English, there really isn't a second Commonwealth language, that I can think of.
The only one that springs to mind is French, or perhaps rather the French-Canadian dialect but that's more for political reasons.
IMO it really doesn't matter what language William, Kate etc. would or should learn, as long as they learn one, and preferably not the same language.
The experience in learning another language and by extension learning about another culture, history and so on
will in itself be beneficial.
To me it's not a demand, merely a good advise, they are after not my royals.
However, I would certainly expect my own royals to be fluent in at least one more language, preferably several. English really doesn't count. At the level the DRF members are educated and work in, fluency in English is a basic requirement.
My perspective is of course different, coming from a small country with a language that is a best spoken and understood by max ten million.
> As regards French, German, Spanish or other European languages, they were certainly widely studied amongst the upper classes in the Queen and Charles' generation. The world is a very different place now, and language appears to be less of a hinderance today than it did previously. For example, successive German Chancellors and French Presidents have had a limited grasp of English but that does not appear to have impacted their ability to conduct their duties well.
Mmh-yeah. Not least because upper-class members of that generation went on formative travels as a natural part of their education and upbringing, so they had to be proficient in up to several languages as a matter of necessity.
Such formative travels went pretty much out of fashion after WWII though.
Today we have Google translate (which is good now, but still doesn't get the nuances. When translating from Japanese for example, I don't translate to Danish, but to English to get more nuances, so there are limitations.
Nuances you learn by studying a foreign language and culture.
As for French presidents, it's my impression they tend to be very well educated, elitist actually. Certainly better educated than most heads of states worldwide IMO.
However, I'm not sure it is considered that important to their voters that they are fluent in other languages but French... ?
As for German chancellors, they also tend to be very well educated, albeit perhaps in a more "technical" way than say the French presidents. The Germans have a disadvantage that a number of smaller nation haven't: They dub the foreign TV programs, interviews and movies they show. Whereas smaller nations tend to use subtitles and as such most Germans are not that exposed to foreign languages via the best teacher there is: The holy TV-set.
That at least applies to Germans of my generation. Younger Germans need to at least be able to read and write in English in order to join and be a part of say a forum like this.
The current German top-politicians belongs to my generation and are as a consequence perhaps less proficient in English as younger upcoming German politicians.
But both the French and German heads of states have one advantage the BRF doesn't have: Years of on the job-training and only the sharpest knives in the drawer makes it to the top. On the job training in diplomacy, understanding of other cultures, extensive knowledge of political science and so on, usually based on an academic education.
Their competence is IMO beyond dispute, their politics is however debatable, but that's off topic here.
The BRF members don't seem to get such an all round solid academic education. It's my impression it's more on the job training.
William studied geography, I understand, with some additional courses. But AFAIK he didn't study political science, economy, history, communication, sociology-economics and so on. Something that has become part of the basic education for Continental heirs.
A Continental heir, say Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, is expected to master several languages, to get an extensive varied academic education that will form the basis for her job as head of state, as well as a doing a stint in the military. She is also expected to travel and study abroad for longer periods as part of her formative education. As well as taking part in a continuing on the job training.
She is already ticking off several of these points.
I'd say she is pretty typical of the current heirs and the younger monarchs.
> A British Head of State is likely to spend as much time with the Chinese leader, the PMs of Japan, India and the Presidents of Mexico and Brazil as with the President of Frace or Greece. In such a globalise world, what are the appropriate langauges for a British monarch: Cantonese, Hindi, Swahili or Spanish?
Any language I'd say.
It's what he learns by learning another language that matters IMO. And once he has learned to master one language, it will be easier for him to grasp the basics of other languages.
Mandarin or Hindi would certainly be good choices and valuable in his future roles.
Having said all that, there are some people who simply don't have an ear for languages. They are few however.
I will claim that most people can become proficient in another language if they really want to - and keep it up. Even if they are not that interested.
Disinterest in learning foreign languages is luxury other heirs can't afford.
William did train with the Royal Navy for two months in June 2008 in addition to his Sandhurst army training and with the Royal Air Force.
