Lögberg-Heimskringla - 04.01.1962, Blaðsíða 4

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LÖGBERG-HEIMSKRINGLA, FIMMTUDAGINN 4. JANÚAR 1962
Lögberg-Heimskringla
Published every Thursday by
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303 Kennedy Street, Winnipeg 2, Man.
Editor: INGIBJÖRG JÓNSSON
EDITORIAL BOARD
Winnipeg: Dr. P. H. T. Thorlakson, chairman, Próf. Haraldur
Bessason, vice-chairman, Mrs. Ingibjörg Jónsson, sec’y, Dr.
Valdimar J. Eylands, Miss Caroline Gunnarsson, Prof. Thor-
valdur Johnson, Mr. Jón K. Laxdal, Prof. Tryggvi J. Oleson,
Rev. Philip M. Pétursson. Monlreal: Próf. Áskell Löve. Minne-
apolis: Mr. Valdimar Bjömson. Grand Forks: Dr. Richard Beck.
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Andlegum verðmætum
kastað á glæ
Fyrir mörgum árum síðan tók ég að mér barnakennslu
í byggð norðvestur af Winnipeg. Þar var búsett fólk frá
mörgum Evrópulöndum. Fyrsti dagurinn í þessum skóla
hefir jafnan verið mér minnisstæður. Um 24 böm, á aldrinum
7 til 16 ára, komu í skólann þennan morgun. Það fyrsta, sem
lá fyrir, var að skrá nöfn þeirra, og varð mér brátt ljóst af
nöfnunum, að þarna voru saman komnir fulltrúar margra
þjóða. Enskuframburður þeirra gaf og til kynna, að mörg
þeirra áttu aðra tungu að móðurmáli en enskuna. Ég dró nú
niður landakort af Evrópu og bað þau, hvert um sig, að segja
mér hvaðan foreldrar þeirra væru ættaðir og hvaða tungu-
mál þau kynnu auk enskunnar, en þeim varð furðulega
ógreitt um svör. Þarna voru börn af enskum, skozkum, þýzk-
um, pólskum og úkranísku ættum, flest allvel gefin, en sum
þeirra, er ekki áttu enskuna að móðurmáli, virtust alls ekki
vilja kannast við það, jafnvel þótt ég reyndi á ýmsan hátt
að vekja sjálfsvirðingu þeirra með því að rifja upp merkis-
atburði í sögu þjóða þeirra og segja þeim frá ýmsum af-
burðamönnum af þeirra þjóðerni, sem þau gátu verið stolt
af. En það var eins og þeim hefði verið innrætt, að minn-
ingar um ættþjóð þeirra yrði þeim f jötur um fót. Þau sögðust
mörg vera kanadísk og það væri allt og sumt. Ég vék oft að
því við þau síðar, að það væri gaman fyrir þau að kunna
auka tungumál og vita einhver skil á uppruna sínum og að
þau yrðu menntaðri Kanadaborgarar fyrir þá kunnáttu, en
ég hygg, að þær umræður hafi lítil áhrif haft.
Öll eru þessi börn fyrir löngu komin til fullorðinsára, og
ég efast ekki um að á ferli þeirra gegnum skólanámið hafi
þeim flestum tekizt að varpa frá sér þeim andlegu verð-
mætum, er þau erfðu frá forfeðrum sínum. Skólakerfi þessa
lands er þannig skipulagt, að börnin eru alls ekki hvött til
að varðveita þær erlendu tungur, sem þau læra við hné mæðra
sinna; hins vegar er gert ráð fyrir að kenna unglingum er-
lend tungumál í miðskólum og háskólum landsins, þegar þau
eru komin á þann aldur að tungumálanám er þeim miklu
erfiðara.
í þessu felst algert ósamræmi og hin uppvaxandi kyn-
slóð hefir beðið óbætanlegt tjón við þetta samúðar- og skiln-
ingsléysi forustumanna menntamála landsins.
Okkur er mikil ánægja að birta eftirfylgjandi ritgerð eftir
Dr. A. R. MacKinnon, Director of Research, Board of Edu-
cation, Toronto. Hann skrifaði greinina sérstaklega fyrir Lög-
berg-Heimskringlu að beiðni formanns ritstjórnarnefndar
blaðsins, Dr. P. H. T. Thorlakson. Dr. MacKinnon skilur flest-
um menntamönnum betur, að hin mörgu þjóðarbrot, sem
byggja Kanada, hafa flutt inn með sér annað meira en þjóð-
búninga, dansa, hannyrðir, þjóðrétti og annað slíkt. Hann
vill varðveita og útbreiða tungumál þeirra “the primary
vehicle of culture”. Það eru hin andlegu verðmæti þeirra, sem
ekki má kasta á glæ.
Dr. A. R. MacKINNON:
Direclor of Research, Toronlo Board of Education
The Conservation of
Language Powers
Much attention is paid today to the conservation of
natural resources. Massive advertising campaigns are aimed
at preserving the beauties of nature. Governments devote con-
siderable public funds to the conservation of wild life, forest,
and those features of the physical scene which appear to be
distinctly Canadian. It is perhaps time now to suggest the
value of conserving another type of natural resource—the
culture and language powers of all those persons in Canada
who have come from many lands.
Although some attention has
been paid already to the con-
servation of the artifacts of
cultures, no one to date seems
to have made any systematic
attempt to conserve the basic
vehicle of culture which is the
language of the people. Few
public officials have acknowl-
edged that such resources are
available to enrich our young
country. Also, no one in public
education seems to have
worked out any concrete plan
by which language powers
could be maintained and ex'
panded.
One of the reasons for this
lack of concern is that authori-
ties have had no little diffi-
culty in resolving the prob-
lems of English and French
as two major languages in one
country. Political leaders are
reluctant to advance ideas
about other language areas for
fear of bringing cries of fa-
vouritism from voters. Lan-
guages, let us remember, are
very personal things and talk
about them can often touch off
the most violent prejudices. It
would seem a great pity, how-
ever, if we are to allow one of
the richest of our natural re
sources to go by default sinv
ply because of the prejudices
of a vocal minority.
There is an increasing body
of evidence to show that we
have a vast number of school
children today who come to
English as a second language.
The census undertaken in 1961
could easily demonstrate con-
clusively what has been spec-
ulated on for a number of
years—there is a third lan-
guage element in Canada. Ap
proximately one-third Cana-
dians are proficient in Eng
lish; another third are pro-
ficient in French, and the re-
mainder—the third language
element—are those who speak
a first language which is
neither French nor English.
One indication of the impact
of this third element is the
fact that in the City of To-
ronto Public Schools at least
11,000 children have a lan-
guage which is not English
and which was leamed at
their mothers’ knee.
Here would seem to be a
problem upon which the re-
sources of many persons
should be directed. Certainly
from the point of view of edu-
cational research it is an area
crying out for intensive study.
We know very little about the
effects of bilingualism, either
positively or negatively as it
pertains to pupil achievement.
We also know little about the
design of instruction which
can best aid the pupil in learn-
ing not only a second lan-
guage but also how he can
best expand on his first lan-
guage.
The problem would seem to
point towards some clear-cut
areas for immediate investiga-
tion. It would seem of vital
importance to identify those
pupils in our schools who
have a language other íhan
English or French when they
enter school. It would also
seem important to identify our
bilingual (or multi-lingual)
teachers more effectively. It
is singularly unfortunate that
many of these teachers have
kept their taients hidden un-
der a bushel because of feel-
ings that it was somehow un-
Canadian to have another
ianguage besides English or
French.
Aíter identification is made,
it would seem necessary to
discover how pupils can come
to learn English in such a way
that the learning would not
encumber the language pow-
ers which the children already
possess.
A number of studies have
shown clearly that most in-
troductions to English are
often biased along cultural
lines. This may have value in
terms of the indoctrination or
integration of the person into
his new society, but it can also
mean that the learner has to
subjugate his previous culture
in order to make way for the
new. Thus, in many early
reading texts, the stories are
concerned with urban middle-
class Canadian society. A
number of careful research
studies point out that the in
troduction to English should
be more on a general basis in
which the language is learned
not as a distinctive feature of
the Canadian scene, but rather
as an instrument of thought
which is found in many cul-
tures. In approach, emphasis
is placed on the fact that Eng-
lish as a language is found ex-
tensively throughout the
world. The teaching which ac-
crues from this perspectivé
emphasizes the nature of lan-
guage itself rather than Eng-
lish as symbolic of Canadian
culture. With such an ap-
proach, there would seem less
danger of English encroaching
on the person’s first language.
The second main area of in-
vestigation would seem to be
that of studying how first lan-
guages can be maintained
through special. teaching in
our schools. Certainly there
are many resources available
in our bilingual teachers. It
would seem quite possible to
plan programmes that would
help pupils learn to read and
to write the language which
they first learned within the
family. They should also be
encouraged to enter as quick-
ly as possible into the cultural
heritage of their families. We
must not underestimate as
well the community resources
which could be employed to
meet such tasks. I am not sug-
gesting that this study should
immediately become part of
the curriculum. It would be
singularly unwise to legislate
for further study of a first
language. What I do sugg68*'
is that the many enrichment
prgrammes now extant in
schools must be weighed jn
the balance in terms of an'
other type of enrichment
which may contribute Jin'
measurably to persons’ lives-
There is increasing evidence
ihat where children are eIJ'
couraged io read and io wrjte
iheir firsi language and 10
mainlain ihose powers whid1
ihey possessed when
firsi came io school, increaseo
proficiencies are shown
secondary school and uJJ'
versiiy. Other studies have
shown that there are change5
in attitudes of the pupús
school as a result of the schoo
putting a value on their prevJ
ous accomplishments. Goo°
aititudes iransfer io ihe hon1®
as well where parenls gain a°
increased appreciation for the
culiural iradiiions of *hel*
pasi. There can be no dou
that when conservation 0
language powers does not tako
place, rejection of the PaS
(and often rejection of the
parents) tends to occur.
Finally there is evidence
improved relationships
tween the home and the
school when such an activJty
occurs. A rather surprjsjn^
outcome of one study of Pa
rental attitudes was that Pa
rental hostility to the schoo
changed to an increased aP
preciation of what the schoo
could do.
It is my view that ^e
should stop thinking jn nS
tionalistic and parochial terh15
and take up our responsih1
ties as international persoi^
living in an internationa
world. Languages have just a
much political pöwer as
bombs. The conservafion a°
expansion of oral langua^
powers will be in the int®re3

of more effective comm
tion throughout the w°r^'
was A. N. Whitehead ^ ^
said, “Culture is activitý
thought and receptiveness ^
beauty and humane feelUté
There can be no doubt t
the primary vehicle of cultu ^
is language. It is perhaps tJJtJ
to recognize that Whitehea
was giving us an apt descrJP
tion of the task of educatJ°
Óruggara!
Hvergi eru aðrar eins
ir í áhorfendum á kn^ ^
pyrnuleikjum og í ^u .
Cmeríku. Láta menn oft ^en .
ir skipta, ef þeim líkar ® ’
>g dómarinn er í stöðugn
íættu.
Fréttir herma, að kna^
pyrnudómari nokkur í ^ra ^
íu hafi fyrir skömmu key
ér gamlan skriðdreka. í
inn sem hann dæmjr
íefir hann skriðdrekann r
yrir utan svæðið, og ^
lýr hann, þegar áhorfend
nislíkar dómur.