Integration: "Two -Way Street"

British people should think of integration as a "two-way street" and learn other languages such as Polish and Urdu, a Cambridge academic has said. Wendy Ayres-Bennett, professor of French philology and linguistics, said learning other languages is considered "something difficult and only for the intellectual elite" by many in Britain. She backed calls for immigrants to learn English once they arrive, as she warned migrant communities could develop "exclusive social networks and alternative labour markets" without learning the native language.

Prof Ayres-Bennett, who also leads the MEITS (Multilingualism: Empowering individuals, transforming societies) project promoting multilingualism, spoke out after two major reports into integration in British society, published by Dame Louise Casey and the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Social Integration. Many more English speakers should think of immigration as a ‘two-way street’ and be able to communicate in another language to aid integration and social cohesion, said academic Wendy Ayres-Bennett. The call flies in the face of two major reports into integration in British society which called on immigrants to learn English if they want to live in the UK.

"It is very important to think of integration as a two-way street," she said. "Considering the issue from the point of view of language learning, we rightly expect immigrants to learn English but, as a nation, we often don't see the need ourselves to learn another language, and consider it to be something difficult and only for the intellectual elite. She went on to say that society made a mistake in making significant effort to accommodate people coming in from the outside and that the onus should mostly be on immigrants themselves to adapt to British culture.

"I would like to see more opportunities for British people to learn some of the community languages of the UK, such as Polish, Punjabi and Urdu, particularly in areas where there are high numbers of those speakers, so that there is some mutual effort in understanding the others' language and culture.
IA
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.u

There's a volunteer home-work help group for overseas kids that I was in. After making some attempt to learn basic phrases I heard that a head teacher ordered kids not to use their language in school. Not very sensible.

1. The link is bad
2. It is a matter of common language. The key word is COMMON, a lingua franca.
3. Yes, the the onus should mostly be on immigrants themselves to adapt to British culture. If the immigrants culture is so good, why don't they stay where they were?
4. language is only a minor part of the "social cohesion" package. It is less important than values and principles. Sadly, many immigrants have clearly demonstrated that the their values and principles have not changed and are contrary to accepted values in the West.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4239352/Muslim-parents-sent-school-headteacher-death-threats.html

Note the mutual effort in understanding the others' language and culture in the linked article..... Maybe if the headteacher had understood Urdu she would have felt better about the threats.

Iftikhar,

All you've done is posted a link to someone elses opinion.
We all now know what Wendy Ayres-Bennett, professor of French philology and linguistics at Cambridge thinks;
And really what do you expect a professor of linguistics in a politically correct global age to say?
And who cares what she says or thinks anyway?
Her specialty is in studying 17th century French language and the evolution of that language over time.

But what is it that you think?
What is it you personally want?
What ideology are you promoting based on this information?
What do you want us to respond to exactly?
Why did you post this?

You've illicited a response on this topic so I'll give you one anyway:

It's immigrants responsibility to assimilate into the country they are coming into.
Its not the native populations responsibly IN ANY WAY to assimilate into the country the immigrant came from.
To argue otherwise one would essentially have to be an idiot.

To repay a nations kindness by forcing a foreign culture onto them, or establishing your own enclave and displacing the existing population that permitted your settlement; and where you think you do not have to follow the countries laws is about the lowest thing you can do.
That is the act of total and absolute scum!
A person with no sense of respect for others or appreciation of being given an opportunity for a better life.
Shame! Go back to where you came from.

You are not for the country, you are for Islam.
Your participation in the country doesn't necessarily strengthen it as a nation any more than it weakens and undermines it; causes division and civil unrest.

You care about your religion don't you?
Why is it so difficult to understand other people care about their country; their nation; their home as much as you care about your religion?
It's not your nation to destroy,
Nor are they your people to displace.

It is interesting how various people can interpret
things in very different ways. I read the opinion
piece to this discussion simply as an argument for the
promotion of the advantages o learning other languages.
Especially in areas that have people of various
nationalities living there. The fact that they should
speak English in the UK is a given. But it would be
lovely to learn at least a few words to make the
resident populations feel welcome. When I go shopiing
into my local green grocer - who's Italian - I've
learned to say, "Bongiorno," and "Graci," or to my Greek friend
"Yazoo." (I hope I spelled those words right). I've
taught them how to say "Labas" (hello, in Lithuanian).
It's fun! And we have a laugh about it.

I wouldn't dream of lecturing them about their religious
affiliations, or preach to them how they should behave
in this country et cetera. I assume that they've already
been put through that process by government officials.
And on my part it would be extremely rude and presumptious.
That sort of behaviour would be abusive and uncalled for.
Totally!

Foxy,

".... The fact that they should
speak English in the UK is a given...."

What about the other Britons who don't/won't speak English?